After Battlestar Galactica debuted in September 1978, Mattel quickly started cranking out toys based on the popular sci-fi series. One toy they released that holiday season was the miniature Cylon Raider spaceship featured in the video below, which could fire tiny, spring-loaded plastic missiles.
By December of that year, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) revealed that three reports of kids inhaling or swallowing the toy missiles had already come in. Though the product had passed the safety regulations of the day, Mattel agreed to add warning labels to its existing inventory under the circumstances. Unfortunately, the company’s problems didn’t end there.
On December 31, a four-year-old boy named Robert Jeffery Warren died as a result of a freak accident involving the toy. While pointing the Cylon Raider at his face, Robert inadvertently hit the missile’s release button. The object then flew into his throat with such force that it bounced off the roof of his mouth and got lodged in his windpipe. Robert was reportedly choking for about four and a half minutes before losing consciousness and suffering “full cardiopulmonary arrest.”
The following month, Mattel announced a “Missile Mail-In” campaign to prevent future fatalities. Children and parents were urged to send back any of their remaining plastic missiles in exchange for a free Hot Wheels car. Later versions of the Cylon Raider also removed the missile-firing mechanism.
Robert’s parents, John and Doris Warren, eventually sued Mattel over their son’s death, seeking $14 million in damages.
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