2.2M bean bag chairs recalled after 2 kids suffocate

More than 2 million bean bag chairs have been recalled after a faulty zipper may have played a role in the deaths of two children.

The recall of the bean-bag chairs made by Ace Bayou Corp. were voluntarily recalled by the company following the deaths of those children.

Officials say the zippers on the bean bag chairs can be opened and children can then crawl inside, get trapped and suffocate or choke on the bean bag chair’s foam beads. The voluntary standard requires non-refillable bean bag chairs to have closed and permanently disabled zippers.

A 13-year old boy from Texas died, along with a 3-year-old girl from Kentucky after suffocating from lack of air and inhaling the chair’s foam beads. Both children were found inside the chairs.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the recalled bean-bag chairs have two zippers that can be unzipped and opened, including one of the exterior cover and other directly underneath that zipper. 

The recalled chairs with zippers that open were sold in a variety of sizes, shapes, colors and fabrics. They include round or L-shaped, vinyl or fabric, and are filled with polystyrene foam beads. They were sold in a variety of colors, including purple, violet, blue, red, pink, yellow, Kelly green, black, port, navy, lime, royal blue, turquoise, tangerine and multi-color.  

The round bean bag chairs were sold in three sizes, 30, 32 and 40 inches in diameter. The L-shaped bean bag chair measures 18 inches wide by 30 inches deep by 30 inches high. “ACE BAYOU CORP” is printed on a tag sewn into the bean bag chair’s cover seam. They were made in China.

The recalled bean bag chairs were sold at Bon-Ton, Meijer, Pamida, School Specialty, Wayfair and Walmart stores and online at Amazon.com, Meijer.com and Walmart.com before July 2013 for between $30 and $100.

Consumers should check their bean bag chairs for any zippers that can open, take those that can open away from children immediately and contact Ace Bayou for a free repair kit to permanently disable the zippers so that they cannot be opened.