Exploding Hello Kitty toys recalled

Although a Hello Kitty toy might not seem quite as dangerous (read: life threatening) as the notebooks and cellphones we're toting these days, the explosive tendencies have somehow veered from batteries to stuffed animals. In the latest episode of spontaneous combustion, Takara is being forced to recall specific Hello Kitty dolls which featured a heatable disc that could be warmed and stuffed within the lining to keep kids toasty while resting. Apparently the microwavable pad housed a chemical substance (manufactured by ADEKA) not quite stable enough to handle the heat, sparking a lengthy list of of cases where the liquid erupted from its container and provided an uncomfortable surprise to the poor soul embracing the creature's volcanic warmth. It was noted that this has "nothing to do" with the scapegoat-of-the-year (Li-ion cells), but if you (or your offspring) just loves to cuddle with this volatile critter, you should probably ice the situation before it unleashes something a bit more serious than a cat's meow.

[Via Engadget Japanese]

[LazyMegaMan @ Oct 3rd 2006 8:22AM]

I for one welcome our exploding Hello Kitty overlords...I'll just welcome them from a distance...

Seriously though, that does sound quite painful. I bet the chemical doesn't wash off skin very well either, making it 3 times as worse.

[Ryan Cochell @ Oct 3rd 2006 8:22AM]

Finally! A useful hello kitty doll!

[strider_mt2k @ Oct 3rd 2006 8:23AM]

Talk about heart burn!

[Steven @ Oct 3rd 2006 8:37AM]

With everything exploding, I wonder if airlines will ban all devises that have batteries?

[strider_mt2k @ Oct 3rd 2006 8:48AM]

The Hello Kitty stories help us to forget all the DRM-y crap coming our way in one form or another.

[NeoteriX @ Oct 3rd 2006 9:34AM]

Wow. This would make the perfect gift for my ex-girlfriend.

"Hey, you know what--let's forget the past and still be friends. Consider this a token of truce."

[Mike @ Oct 3rd 2006 9:48AM]

HOLY CRAP!!! No "Must've been a Sony battery in there," comments. What the heck happened to all the Sony haters?!

Queue next post please...

[John @ Oct 3rd 2006 9:38AM]

Must have been a Sony battery in there. I hate Sony.

[Philip Wesley @ Oct 3rd 2006 4:14PM]

Putting the HELL in Hello Kitty! Wooo!

[Hamish Hoggington @ Oct 3rd 2006 12:02PM]

Haha,- touch� My friend,

Go buy yourself one of those new comforting, warming hello-kitty teddy things. Just remember to follow the instruction manual carefully!

And don�t be afraid to snuggle with it before and during bed-time and when whishing to whinge about Sony.

[tigeruppercut @ Oct 3rd 2006 12:03PM]

Halo Kitty?

[Acheeze @ Oct 3rd 2006 12:04PM]

Sweet now we can send our soilders hello kitty grenades

[pedro @ Oct 3rd 2006 2:07PM]

hey, i didn't know sony made Hello Kitty dolls.

[Big Al @ Oct 3rd 2006 4:04PM]

I know there's an "exploding pu*sy" joke here somewhere, I just can't find it...

[Tyler @ Oct 3rd 2006 7:00PM]

HAh..just imagine a t.v. show named...When Hello Kitty attacks..Come on some1 needs to be sued for that. I know that if my kid got exploded and that crap got all over her i would definetly hurt some1.

[Hello Kitty Princess @ Oct 3rd 2006 11:03PM]

WE LOVE U HELLO KITTY EVEN IF YOU ARE A LAVA SPEWING MONSTER *BUYS HELLO KITTY DOLL*

[HelloKittyHell.com @ Oct 4th 2006 2:21AM]

I may have to get my wife one of those ;)

[Coyote @ Oct 4th 2006 8:27AM]

Uhhh hate to kill the mood but this thing doesnt even come with batteries..
You stick the claymore looking thing in the microwave, heat it to a nice white hot plasma, then insert it back into the doll for your infant or significant other to snuggle with. What could posiblie go wrong.

[Treofrog @ Oct 5th 2006 6:11AM]

AAH ha! That Shows how smart engadet is. Ha

[sweetbox @ Nov 13th 2006 7:56PM]

Hey there�s a way to buy SANRIO stuff like �Hello Kitty� directly from Japan!
My friend told me about a service which buys and ship them at quite reasonable price. He said that it was safer way to get his cell through this service: http://oohjapan.com/
Maybe you can try this out!

[sweetbox @ Nov 13th 2006 8:27PM]

The service: http://oohjapan.com/ handles not only SANRIO stuff but also wide range of Japanese productus including DVD players, cameras, computers, cars and anime.
You can give it a try.