ICONIC PSA: BURGER KING POKÉBALL RECALL (1999)

NARRATED BY DECLAN COREY.

During the peak of the Pokemon craze in 1999, Burger King introduced a range of toys. However, such toys resulted in two deaths, a lot of panic, and a well-known recall Public Service Announcement.

On November 8, 1999, Burger King offered a set of 59 Pokémon-themed toys (key chains, squirters, rev-tops, launchers, talking plush, light-ups, and poké beanbags) inside a pokéball container with one of the 151 trade cards. Burger King provided Poké balls within big kids meals and normal kids meals for an eight-week period from early November through December 1999. However, Burger King's promotion for the Pokémon film did not continue long, as some accidents occurred, as well as an infamous recall that is one of the largest and most expensive in history.

BACKGROUND

Burger King released small Pokémon figurines in ball-shaped plastic containers that carry them, known as Pokéballs, in 1999. Pokemon balls are plastic, ball-shaped containers between 2.75 and 3 inches in diameter, and the top half of the Pokéball was able to separated from the bottom half when it was opened. They separate to reveal one of the 57 Pokémon toys within. The balls came in a range of colors, including red and white, as well as hot pink. They were labeled as "safety tested" and "recommended for children of all ages" on the packaging. Unfortunately, when the Pokéball was opened, one of the divided parts smothered several youngsters when they placed it around their nose and mouth, since the halves didn't have any holes punched into them. A child under the age of three may suffocate if either half of the Pokémon ball becomes caught on their face, covering their nose and mouth.

THE FIRST CASES

On December 11, 1999, the mother of 13-month-old Kira Alexis Murphy was taking a 20 minute shower and was planning on feeding Kira after she finished showering. Unfortunately for the mother, she returned to discover her 13-month-old infant daughter dead in her playpen, suffocated by the crimson portion of the ball that had covered her mouth and nose. Kira's two older sisters, who were 4 and 5 years old at the time, had witnessed Kira's death.

During Burger King's long back-and-forth with the US Product Consumer Safety Commission, Kira's mother was able to successfully sue the company.

During the conversation, however, an 18-month-old child, the youngest in this sequence of tragedies, nearly died after her lips turned blue from asphyxia on December 23. Thankfully, her father noticed her in time and was able to successfully extract the ball from his daughter. The 18-month-name child's name is now unknown, but we do know that she is currently 23 years old.

After the 18-month-old almost suffocated, the baby's parents, as well as other Burger King fans, were furious; significant criticism ensued, and Burger King's reputation began to dwindle. 

THE RECALL

Burger King had no choice but to conduct a pokéball recall as a result. Burger King also created a public service announcement encouraging customers to throw the ball away or return it in exchange for complimentary french fries, as well as flyers that were delivered to over 8,000 restaurants. The commercial/public service announcement warned parents about the Pokémon pokéball, stating that it might cause suffocation in children under the age of three. Parents are also advised to throw the ball away or return it to Burger King, according to the PSA. This began airing from December 28, 1999, to January 2000. 

“Burger King and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission want you to know about the voluntary recall of this mon Pokémon Poké Ball. The ball may pose a suffocation hazard to children under three. Throw the ball away or return it to Burger King. The safety of your child is of the utmost importance to us.”

The minimalist tone and spooky monotone voice talking about suffocations make it quite chilling. Worse, some versions of the ad were accompanied by a deafeningly loud and deafening beeping sound that was guaranteed to terrify everyone watching.

AFTERMATH

On Tuesday, January 25, 2000, the final occurrence occurred. A baby boy named 'Zachary Jones,' who was only 4 months old at the time of the accident and was the youngest in the series, perished in the same way Kira Alexis Murphy had. He was discovered dead in his crib, his lips and nose covered by the ball. "It's hard to believe you go get the kids something to eat and bring home a lethal toy," his grandfather commented on the tragedy. Because Zachary died 25 days after the promotion ended, Burger King was powerless to intervene in the tragedy of Zachary's death.

Since the December 1999 event, Pokémon has had numerous Burger King promotions, but none of them contained pokéballs. Despite the fact that it has largely been forgotten, it is nevertheless remembered as the darkest episode in Burger King's history.