About 101,282 units of a robot-shaped magnetic stick figure toy sold on Amazon.com now carry a federal warning because their magnets break free and are small enough for a child to swallow. Each figure holds four magnets, one in each hand and foot, and the arms and legs pull apart. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says the released magnets are stronger than the mandatory toy standard permits.
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The figures were sold in sets of five or 10, in purple, blue, yellow, red and green, for about $9. The code X004N3MGCB is printed on the back of the packaging, and the toys were made in China. The seller is Guangzhou Shian Trading Co., Ltd., which does business under the CHESLICR storefront and the CHE-branded storefront named in the warning. No injuries have been reported so far, and no recall has been agreed.
The arithmetic of the packaging matters here. At four magnets per figure, a five-figure set holds 20 magnets and a 10-figure set holds 40, and every one of them is designed to detach with an ordinary pull. CPSC’s description is that the arms and legs release the magnets when pulled apart, so the failure does not require a broken toy or a determined child. Normal play is enough to put a loose magnet within reach of a small hand.
Magnets that fit the small parts cylinder
According to warning number 27-053, dated Oct. 29, 2026, the figures violate the federal toy rule found in 16 CFR part 1250. Pulling an arm or leg off releases a magnet that is both stronger than allowed and small enough to fit inside CPSC’s small parts cylinder, the gauge the agency uses to decide whether a part can be swallowed. The regulation requires each toy to comply with the applicable provisions of ASTM F963-23, the industry toy standard it incorporates by reference.
A separate 2022 rule covers loose magnet sets, and it carved out toys for children under 14 that already fall under the toy standard. The CPSC release announcing the magnet-set rule says it sets a flux index limit of 50 kG²mm² for small magnets in its covered products. Stick figures aimed at children are judged under the toy rule instead.
How swallowed magnets injure a child
CPSC’s warning spells out the danger: if swallowed, the magnets can attract each other or metal objects and lodge in the digestive system. The listed outcomes are perforations, twisting or blockage of the intestines, blood poisoning and death. One magnet alone is a choking and ingestion problem. Two or more that are swallowed at separate times can find each other across layers of tissue, which is why the agency treats a loose magnet as an emergency rather than a nuisance.
The agency’s magnet safety center lists the symptoms as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, notes that many cases have needed surgery, and warns that several magnets can show up on an X-ray as a single object. It advises seeking medical care immediately if a child may have swallowed magnets.
The scale is larger than a single toy. CPSC estimated in 2022 that 26,600 magnet ingestions were treated in hospital emergency rooms from 2010 through 2021, with cases rising every year since 2018, and the agency knew of seven deaths linked to hazardous magnet ingestion, two of them outside the United States.
Toy safety rules work as a gate before sale: a magnet that fits the small parts cylinder has to be weak enough to pass the standard’s limits. CPSC’s finding is that these figures fail that gate. The agency reports no incidents tied to the toys, so the warning is preventive. It rests on the measured strength and size of the magnets, not on a child who has already been hurt.
A notice of violation and no agreed recall
CPSC issued a Notice of Violation to the seller and says the seller has not agreed to an acceptable recall. In place of a refund route, the agency’s instruction reads: “CPSC urges consumers to stop using the magnetic stick figure toys immediately and dispose of them.” It adds a second line: “Do not sell or give away these hazardous products.” Families can report an incident through SaferProducts.gov.
Anyone holding a set can check the back of the packaging for the code X004N3MGCB, then stop using the toy, keep it away from children and dispose of it. CPSC’s instruction applies to families who gave the figures as gifts, too: passing a set along or reselling it would move the hazard to another house. A child who may have swallowed a magnet needs medical attention at once, even if no symptoms have appeared yet.
With about 101,282 units accounted for and no recall in place, the open question is whether the seller will accept a corrective action plan. As of the notice, it had not, and the page names no refund, replacement or return address for a buyer holding a pack of five or 10 figures.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
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