Compliance Verification Project 2024-2025: Toys regulations (plush toys)
Fiscal Year 2024-2025
Summary
The Consumer Product Safety Program (CPSP) administers and enforces the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA) and its regulations.
The purpose of this Compliance Verification (CV) project was to verify industry’s compliance of plush toys with the dolls, plush toys and soft toys requirements of the Toys Regulations.
For this project, compliance of select plush toys were determined through an evaluation process where Health Canada inspectors visited establishments both online and in-person to sample relevant products. Compliance with the requirements listed under the Regulations was verified through testing at the Product Safety Laboratory.
Prior to initiating inspections, the CPSP carried out a market survey to determine the presence of establishments selling, importing, or manufacturing plush toys in Canada. Targets were then selected from that survey.
Over the course of the 2024-2025 fiscal year, mechanical testing of 25 different products was carried out, where all samples tested were imported products. The testing resulted in 9 recalls. There were 16 instances where no corrective action was required.
Results
Readers should consult the individual recall and safety notices, if applicable, for more details.
| Brand | Product Name | Source of Sample | Country of Origin | Determination | Corrective Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allstar | Allstar Large plush | Allstar vending | China | No compliance issues detected | None |
| Artbox | PL Bear Happy Plush | Artbox | China | No compliance issues detected | None |
| Bear Hugs | None | Les Magasins Hart | China | No compliance issues detected | None |
| Bunchies | The Official BUNCHIES© Plushie! | Bunchies | China | No compliance issues detected | None |
| Care Bears | Care Bears Medium Plush - Grumpy Bear | Hijinx Toy Shop | China | No compliance issues detected | None |
| Chantia Sales | Mother and Baby Plush | Chantia Sales | China | Did not meet the small parts requirement | Voluntary Recall by Chantia Sales |
| Cuddly Bunch | Cuddly Bunch, Peluche Tortue 28 cm | Le Groupe Jean Coutu | China | Did not meet the small parts requirement | Voluntary Recall by Groupe Jean Coutu |
| DolliBu | DolliBu Soft Huggable Howling Wolf Stuffed Animal | Bed, Bath & Beyond.ca | China | No compliance issues detected | None |
| Fiesta | Travel Tail 11in Cuddle BB Moose | Fiesta Corporation | China | No compliance issues detected | None |
| Forest Friend | 6 inch Fox | Royal Specialty Sales | China | No compliance issues detected | None |
| Ganz | The Heritage Collection Bengal Tiger | Ganz | Indonesia | No compliance issues detected | None |
| GO! Retail Group | Floppy Corgi 10.5in Plush | Calendar Club | China | No compliance issues detected | None |
| Groupe Ricochet | Snappy Plush | Groupe Ricochet | China | Did not meet the small parts requirement | Voluntary Recall by Groupe Ricochet |
| Molutian | Cuddly Highland Cow Plush | BOOKFONG | China | No compliance issues detected | None |
| Palm Pals | Original Palm Pals - Dinosaur | Dilly Dally Kids | Indonesia | No compliance issues detected | None |
| Sanrio | Hello Kitty | Treehouse Toys | China | Did not meet the small parts requirement | Voluntary Recall by Treehouse Toys |
| Snowcap | Moose Head Coin Bag | Snowcap Trading Co. | China | Did not meet the small parts requirement | Voluntary Recall by Snowcap Trading Co. |
| Snuggle Up with Yell | Sukutto Tacchi Plan Plush | Sukoshi Mart | China | No compliance issues detected | None |
| Soft Stuff Creations | Dog Plush | Soft Stuff Creations | China | No compliance issues detected | None |
| Souvenir Du Canada | Brown Bear | A&D Fiesta Inc. | China | Did not meet the small parts requirement | Voluntary Recall by A&D Fiesta Inc. |
| Sunright Multi-Gift | Plush bear Canada theme | Sunright Multi-Gift | China | Did not meet the small parts requirement | Voluntary Recall by Sunright Multi-Gift |
| The Elf on the Shelf - Elf Pets | Elf Pets A Saint Bernard Tradition | Red Planet Group | China | No compliance issues detected | None |
| Wild Republic | Brown Bear | Wild Republic | China | Did not meet the small parts requirement | Voluntary Recall by Wild Republic |
| XinLe Tong | Lovely Pet Cute Collection (Bunny) | Imagine Plus (Imagine +) | China | Did not meet the small parts requirement | Voluntary Recall by Imagine Plus |
| ZAG | Cuddlies - Pingouin Pablo | A1 Distribution | China | No compliance issues detected | None |
Disclaimer: Inspectors apply a systematic bias during the selection of establishments and samples. Inspectors do not select products randomly; instead, they select the ones that are more likely not to meet health and safety requirements. Due to this biased nature of sampling and the fact that sample sizes within CV projects are very small, Health Canada does not consider the findings of CV projects to reflect overall market compliance, unless otherwise stated. Note that these summary reports relate only to the product(s) actually tested and the specific criteria measured in this project. Testing by Health Canada does not represent approval or endorsement of the product(s).