Letter from Evelyn Buckley about Toy Easter Bunny
5/10/1972
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Following the Toy Safety Act, consumers continued to write to the Food and Drug Administration—and then the Consumer Product Safety Commission—about harmful playthings, calling on the U.S. bureaucracy to remove these goods from the market. Despite the work of government agencies to outlaw specific toys and to set new standards for safe design, familiar hazards continued to appear.
On May 10, 1972, Evelyn Buckley of Buffalo, New York, recounted a worrisome accident involving another stuffed Easter bunny. After checking that the doll’s eyes were securely attached to its head and taking off the ribbon around its neck, she decided the toy was “quite safe” and gave the rabbit to her infant daughter. A week-and-a-half later, Buckley heard the baby crying in her crib and found a stray nylon thread wrapped so tightly around her finger that a friend had to cut the string with nail clippers. “The very frightening part,” she reflected, “is that a large amount of the thread had pulled loose, enough so that it could have just as easily wrapped around the neck.”
This letter and dozens of others were sent to Federal agencies, especially the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). They serve as invaluable resources for learning about the toy safety crisis of the 1960s and 1970s. The troubling experiences of children and their families not only showcased the hidden risks of contemporary toys but also contributed to new laws regulating the safety of consumer products.
On May 10, 1972, Evelyn Buckley of Buffalo, New York, recounted a worrisome accident involving another stuffed Easter bunny. After checking that the doll’s eyes were securely attached to its head and taking off the ribbon around its neck, she decided the toy was “quite safe” and gave the rabbit to her infant daughter. A week-and-a-half later, Buckley heard the baby crying in her crib and found a stray nylon thread wrapped so tightly around her finger that a friend had to cut the string with nail clippers. “The very frightening part,” she reflected, “is that a large amount of the thread had pulled loose, enough so that it could have just as easily wrapped around the neck.”
This letter and dozens of others were sent to Federal agencies, especially the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). They serve as invaluable resources for learning about the toy safety crisis of the 1960s and 1970s. The troubling experiences of children and their families not only showcased the hidden risks of contemporary toys but also contributed to new laws regulating the safety of consumer products.
Transcript
BUFFALO
DISTRICT
MAY 15 1972
DISTRICT
MAY 15 1972
May 10, 1972
Dear Sirs:
I am writing to you about a mishap involving our 6 mo. old daughter.
A newspaper article telling of a teletype in the Meyer Memorial Hospital Emergency Room conveying information to a computer in Washington, D.C. concerning accidents caused by a consumer product, prompted me to write this letter, although I should have done it three weeks ago when it happened.
Our baby had received a little stuffed bunny for Easter from a girl in the neighborhood who babysits for us regularly. Unfortunately, I removed the tag & disposed of it. I then removed the ribbon from around the bunny's neck, checked the eyes to make sure they would not pull out easily and then thinking it quite safe place it in the
I am writing to you about a mishap involving our 6 mo. old daughter.
A newspaper article telling of a teletype in the Meyer Memorial Hospital Emergency Room conveying information to a computer in Washington, D.C. concerning accidents caused by a consumer product, prompted me to write this letter, although I should have done it three weeks ago when it happened.
Our baby had received a little stuffed bunny for Easter from a girl in the neighborhood who babysits for us regularly. Unfortunately, I removed the tag & disposed of it. I then removed the ribbon from around the bunny's neck, checked the eyes to make sure they would not pull out easily and then thinking it quite safe place it in the
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baby's crib to be there to amuse her when she awoke.
It was in the crib for about a week and a half, when one morning as I was downstairs preparing the baby's breakfast, I heard her start to cry. Thinking she was just anxious for her breakfast, I made nothing of it when all at once her cry became very intense. I knew something was wrong. When I reached her crib, her face was beet red, she was perspiring and crying as if in instense pain.
When I lifted her up I realizedwe were dragging the stuffed bunny along with us. The stuffed animal was stitched together with nylon thread, it had somehow managed to pull loose and was tied around the tip of her finger so tight the blood circulation was cut off & the tip of her finger was
It was in the crib for about a week and a half, when one morning as I was downstairs preparing the baby's breakfast, I heard her start to cry. Thinking she was just anxious for her breakfast, I made nothing of it when all at once her cry became very intense. I knew something was wrong. When I reached her crib, her face was beet red, she was perspiring and crying as if in instense pain.
When I lifted her up I realizedwe were dragging the stuffed bunny along with us. The stuffed animal was stitched together with nylon thread, it had somehow managed to pull loose and was tied around the tip of her finger so tight the blood circulation was cut off & the tip of her finger was
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white, if it had gotten any tighter it would have cut the skin. It was so tight, I was unable to push it off with my fingernail & the thread was so strong I could not break it.
Fortunately, a friend of my husband was here & he thought quickly enough to pull out his nail clippers & cut the thread, upon which the baby started to calm down. The very frightening part is that a large amound of the thread had pulled loose, enough so that it could have just as easily wrapped around her neck instead of her finger. Even as I write this letter I shudder as to the consequences if that would have happened.
The baby had a mark on her finger for about 2 weeks.
At the time, my husband & I were so infuriarated we threw the bunny into
Fortunately, a friend of my husband was here & he thought quickly enough to pull out his nail clippers & cut the thread, upon which the baby started to calm down. The very frightening part is that a large amound of the thread had pulled loose, enough so that it could have just as easily wrapped around her neck instead of her finger. Even as I write this letter I shudder as to the consequences if that would have happened.
The baby had a mark on her finger for about 2 weeks.
At the time, my husband & I were so infuriarated we threw the bunny into
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the trash, but if necessary I could try to find out where our sitter purchased the bunny & try to trace the manufacturer through the store.
I would appreciate any investigation into the use of nylon thread for stitching stuffed animals, as I feel a very serious accident could have been caused by it.
Thank you for any attention you may give this letter.
I would appreciate any investigation into the use of nylon thread for stitching stuffed animals, as I feel a very serious accident could have been caused by it.
Thank you for any attention you may give this letter.
Sincerely,
Evelyn Buckley
Evelyn Buckley
Mrs. Evelyn Buckley
89 Choate Avenue
Buffalo, NY
14220
89 Choate Avenue
Buffalo, NY
14220
This primary source comes from the Records of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Full Citation: Letter from Evelyn Buckley to Buffalo District Office of FDA; 5/10/1972; Records Relating to Development of Mandatory Product Safety Standards, 1968–1983; Records of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Record Group 424; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/letter-evelyn-buckley-toy-easter-bunny, May 22, 2025]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
