A Wisconsin family has filed suit in Hennepin County, Minnesota, alleging Target Corp. and toy maker Buffalo Games LLC failed to warn consumers about the hazards of water beads after their 10-month-old daughter died from swallowing a single bead, according to court filings made this week.
What the complaint says
Taylor and Tyler Bethard say in their complaint that their daughter, Esther “Jo” Bethard, was found unresponsive in her crib on the morning of July 7, 2023, after exhibiting symptoms of a stomach illness overnight. Medical examiners determined the infant’s death was caused by swallowing a single water bead, the filings say.
The Bethards allege they bought a Chuckle and Roar water bead set in spring 2022 for the couple’s older children and never intended for the infant to access the beads. Target and Buffalo Games removed the product from store shelves in November 2022, the filings say.
“avoid any future unintended misuse of the product.”
The court documents include an email exchange in which Buffalo Games told a Target product safety employee the manufacturer wanted to avoid future unintended misuse of the beads while noting the product met safety standards at the time.
Scope of the problem
Federal data cited in the complaint shows the scale of water bead-related injuries: between 2017 and 2022, emergency departments treated about 6,300 ingestion injuries tied to these products. The filings also note a death in 2023 tied to water bead ingestion.
| Time frame | Reported injuries | Reported deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 2017–2022 | 6,300 (ED-treated ingestions) | — |
| 2023 | — | 1 reported death (infant) |
What this means for parents and caregivers
Water beads are small colorful polymer pellets that expand dramatically when they contact liquid. The complaint and federal safety data warn that the beads can grow inside a child’s digestive tract and pose a choking or obstruction hazard, particularly for infants and toddlers who may put small items in their mouths.
Families and caregivers should be aware of these risks and supervise play with sensory kits or craft sets that include expandable beads. The Bethards’ lawsuit assigns responsibility to both the retailer and the manufacturer for failing to provide adequate warnings, according to the filings.
Next steps
- The lawsuit is pending in Hennepin County; no trial date is provided in the filings the family made public this week.
- Target and Buffalo Games previously agreed to remove the Chuckle and Roar water bead product from stores in November 2022, per court documents.
- Federal emergency department data is cited in the complaint to show a pattern of injuries associated with these products.
The case raises renewed questions about labeling, consumer warnings and retailer responsibility for hazardous children’s products. News Block will monitor filings in Hennepin County and any statements from the companies named in the suit.
