Beloved Australian children's entertainers The Wiggles have pledged to become vocal advocates for button battery safety after a major recall of one of their popular merchandise items exposed children to potential danger.
Urgent Product Recall Issued
The specific item, known as The Emma Bow, was officially recalled by The Wiggles Holdings Pty Ltd and its distributor, CA Australia, on August 1, 2024. This accessory, modelled on the bow worn by former Yellow Wiggle Emma Watkins, featured four lights powered by button batteries.
More than 3,100 units of the bow were sold directly to fans through various channels. These included sales at live Wiggles concerts, via the group's official online store, and at toy retailers across the country between June 2022 and March 2024.
ACCC Investigation Reveals Safety Law Breach
The recall was initiated because the product lacked the mandatory safety warnings required for items containing button and coin batteries. Authorities were concerned that the batteries might not be secured well enough, making them easily accessible to young children.
This week, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) confirmed that The Wiggles had admitted the sale of the bow likely breached Australian Consumer Law. ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe emphasised the gravity of the oversight, stating the product was clearly aimed at children and sold at their concerts.
"Without a warning on the product, parents may not have known it contained button batteries and not understood the severity of the risk," Ms Lowe said. She highlighted the extreme danger, noting that if swallowed, a button battery can become stuck in a child’s throat and result in catastrophic injuries and even death in as little as two hours.
A Pledge for Awareness and Future Safety
As a result of the investigation, The Wiggles have agreed to a series of actions to raise public awareness. As part of a court-enforceable undertaking, the group will address the recall and discuss broader button battery safety issues in an episode of their parenting podcast, 'Wiggle Talk'.
Snippets from this important podcast episode will be shared across The Wiggles' social media accounts to reach a wider audience. Furthermore, the group will publish images of the recalled bow on their Facebook page, explicitly noting that it "did not comply with the information standard".
Additional measures include distributing a newsletter focused on button battery safety and posting a corrective notice on The Wiggles' official website. The importer, CA Australia, has also committed to improving its compliance with consumer law.
