Six Retailers Announce Recall of Buckyballs and Buckycubes High-Powered Magnet Sets Due to Ingestion Hazard
Source: CPSC Recall #13168
Recall Date
2013-04-12
Manufacturer
Maxfield & Oberton LLC, of New York, N.Y.
Units Affected
About three million sets
Products Involved
Buckyballs and Buckycubes high-powered magnet sets
Hazard
These products contain defects in the design, warnings and instructions, which pose a substantial risk of injury and death to children and teenagers.
Remedy
Consumers should take the high-powered magnet sets and all associated individual magnets away from children and teenagers and contact the retailer from which they purchased the product to obtain instructions for their remedy.
Reported Injuries
CPSC has received 54 reports of children and teens ingesting this product, with 53 of these requiring medical interventions.
Sold At
U.S. retail stores nationwide and online since 2010 for between $5 and $100.
Full Recall Description
Imported by Maxfield & Oberton LLC, of New York, N.Y., Buckyballs and Buckycubes consist of sets of numerous, small, high-powered magnets. These sets vary in the number of magnets included and come in a variety of colors. Individual magnets in the set are about 5 millimeters in diameter. Individual magnets in Buckyballs are spherical and individual magnets in Buckycubes are cube-shaped. Retailers Barnes & Noble, Bed Bath & Beyond, Brookstone, certain Hallmark retailers, Marbles the Brain Store, and ThinkGeek have agreed to participate because Maxfield & Oberton has refused to participate in the recall of all Buckyballs and Buckycubes.
Data source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) via SaferProducts.gov.
For the most current recall information, check directly with CPSC or the manufacturer.
Last verified: 2026-03-28