Toy Bows Or Arrows
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Toys & Children's Recreation · CPSC Code 1338
Down 28% over 5 years
The verdict
Toy Bows Or Arrows carry a danger score of 28/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 351 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 28% over the last five years.
- 28/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 351
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 3.4%
- end in hospital admission
- 5-14
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1338 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 28/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for toy bows or arrows - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume351 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)3.4%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-28%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Toy Bows Or Arrows (CPSC product code 1338, in the Toys & Children's Recreation category) generate an estimated 351 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 7,022 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 28/100 for this category (low risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are declining by about 28% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2015 (877 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2008 (128 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for toy bows or arrows is contusions, abr. to the eyeball, accounting for approximately 1,294 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the mouth (793 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 4,021 cases over the NEISS window, and males appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 3.4% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 2 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how toy bows or arrows fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 1,454 | 454 | |
| 5-14 | 3,096 | 925 | |
| 15-24 | 276 | 311 | |
| 25-34 | 99 | 180 | |
| 35-44 | 62 | 138 | |
| 45-54 | 32 | 0 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Mouth | Laceration | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Eyeball | Other | |
| Mouth | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Foot | Laceration | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Mouth | Puncture | |
| Mouth | Other | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Eyeball | Laceration | |
| Hand | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Leg | Laceration |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
3YOM HAS RIGHT HAND INJURY FROM TOY BOW AT HOME. DX: CONTUSION RIGHT HAND, ABRASION RT HAND.
11YOM PATIENT WAS HIT IN THE EYE WITH A *** ARROW. HE HAD ONE EPISODE OF EMESIS DUE TO PAIN AND SHOCK. HE HAS BEEN HAVING LEFT EYE PAIN, BLURRY VISION, PHOTOSENSITIVITY AND A HEADACHE. DX: BLUNT TRAUMA OF LEFT EYE, ABRASION OF SCLERA OF LEFT EYE, CHANGE IN VISION
5YOM WAS HIT IN THE EYE WITH A PLASTIC TOY ARROW DX: ABRASION OF RIGHT CORNEA
11MOM WAS WALKING YESTERDAY WHEN HE FELL FORWARD AND LANDED HIS LEFT FOREHEAD AGAINST A PLASTIC TOY CAUSING A LACERATION TO HIS FOREHEAD. DX: LACERATION OF FOREHEAD
2YOF WAS PLAYING W A TOY PLASTIC BOW AND ARROW AND HIT EYE W IT DX: CORNEAL ABRASION
10 YOM WITH EYE PAIN AFTER HIT IN EYE WITH A TOY ARROW DX:L ABRASION CORNEA
3YOF PLAYING WITH A TOY ARROW AND POKED SELF IN EYEDX L EYE INJURY
8YOM BROUGHT IN AFTER TRIPPING AND HITTING HIS EYE WITH A BLUNTED PRACTICE ARROW. BRUISING AROUND EYE WITH LACERATION NOTED UNDERNEATH. SIGNIFICANT SWELLING AND VISION IMPAIRMENT REPORTED. DX: LEFT EYE INJURY, PRESEPTAL CELLULITIS
2 YOF RUNNNG W/TOY ARROW IN MOUTH AND HIT COUCH DX; MOUTH LAC
7YOM STRUCK BY BOW FROM A TOY ARCHERY SET. DX: FACIAL LAC
12YOM PRESENTS AFTER HE WAS STRUCK IN THE EYE WITH PLASTIC BOW AND ARROW WITH FOAMY TIP. PATIENT HAS SMALL ABRASION UNDERNEATH LOWER EYELID. DX: EYE INJURY SUPERFICIAL RIGHT
7YOM WAS PLAYING WITH A *** BOW AND ARROW 1 DAY AGO WHEN IT HIT HIS FACE, NOW WITH SWELLING TO RIGHT EYE. DX: FACIAL SWELLING; LEFT WITHOUT BEING SEEN.
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
A dangerous toy design that malfunctions and makes button batteries easily accessible to children. It is a Play Day LED Archery Set from Walmart, safe for ages 3+. A 4 & 7 year old. Normal play. The toy malfunction, the batteries came loose, and there is a perfect slot at the end of the "arrow" where the batteries fell out. We could not find all 3 batteries. A 21 month old lives in the home as well and feared he may have found/eaten it. Luckily the 3rd battery was eventually found after hours of searching, but this could cause serious and dangerous harm to any child playing with this toy set.
I was assembling the toy bow and arrow for my daughter, and half of the bow snapped back and slammed my hand, causing serious pain. I tried to put it together again, but when it was clear the two pieces were not going to fit together properly in order to screw them together, I went to remove the two pieces. I stopped, not wanting to potentially injure my hand again, so I got scissors to cut the elastic rope that made the piece hit my hand so forcefully in the first place, knowing I would never allow my child to play with the toy because of its obvious hazards. When I cut the elastic string, it snapped so hard, it left welt marks on both of my thighs, through pants. At this point, I put the toy in a place no children would get to it and tried to call the company, but they were closed. Obviously, the tension in the elastic string is too great to have the consumer be responsible for assembling the bow and arrow. The pain is persisting into my wrist and I will follow up with my doctor if it continues to persist to see if anything is broken.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to toy bows or arrows on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are toy bows or arrows?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, toy bows or arrows have a danger score of 28/100 (low risk). An estimated 351 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from toy bows or arrows?
The most common injury is contusions, abr. to the eyeball, accounting for approximately 1,294 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from toy bows or arrows increasing or decreasing?
Down 28% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for toy bows or arrows injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 4,021 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by toy bows or arrows?
Of all ER visits involving toy bows or arrows, approximately 3.4% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (96.6%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with toy bows or arrows?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Toys & Children's Recreation
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 28/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 5-14 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.
