Reflecting On The Burger King Pokmon Disaster Of 1999
The 1990s were undoubtedly the golden age of kids’ meals.
The standard kids’ meal started with a burger , fries, and a soda: simple and dependable. This was the era before the apple slices and milk, the “healthy” children’s options that exist today. The experience was just blissful, highly caloric, mass-produced delight, in all its saturated-fat and high-fructose glory. And the crown jewel of the kids’ meal, of coursesometimes the first course, and rarely the lastwas the toy that came with the meal.
Some of the most iconic toys of the 90sTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Tamagotchi, Disney charactersshowed up on greasy trays across the country. But, perhaps the biggest frenzy arrived with a series of Pokémon collectibles from Burger King at the turn of the millennium. Pokémania hit a fever pitch in 1999, and the frenzy had a body count.
TIME magazine helped introduce the Japanese-imported phenomenon known as Pokémon to the mainstream with its November 22 cover story. At the very center of the pagea space normally occupied by heads of state, religious leaders, and business magnatesa Poliwhirl leaped out at the reader.
“For many kids it’s now an addiction: cards, video games, toys, a new movie. Is it bad for them?”TIME asked.
It felt a tad out of touch, sure, with just enough fear-mongering to lead a few parents to pause on their next trip to Toys”R”Us. Nonetheless, there was a kernel of foreshadowing in TIME‘s query.
The 1999 TIME cover announcing Pokémania.
Star Wars’ Complete The Saga Figure Set
Man, these are some ugly toys. Regardless of that fact, Star Wars fans are frightening when it comes to collecting objects in any way related to their favorite movies. These big-head toys are no exception. The complete set sells for nearly $70, despite featuring the ugliest rendering of Chewbacca that you’re ever likely to see. Alongside him, you’ll find General Grievous, a Stormtrooper, Princess Leia, Mace Windu, Anakin Skywalker, Han Solo, and more! Ugly versions of them all, but hey, if people want them, they’ll buy them.
Suffocation Risk And Recall
On December 11, 1999, a 13-month-old girl in Sonora, California, suffocated on the container, and was found deceased in her playpen with half of the ball covering her nose and mouth. Following her death, the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Department issued a warning about the containers. This was the first time a Burger King toy was blamed for a death. Two days later, the Consumer Product Safety Commission asked Burger King to recall the containers, which Burger King refused to do. They stated they were afraid to create anxiety for parents, as it was too soon to confirm whether the ball was responsible for the child’s death, wanting to wait for an independent confirmation of the cause of death. The autopsy results had not been completed and released. Burger King spokesperson Kim Miller stated if it turned out the container was a choking hazard, they would pull them out. However, they did not want to end a promotion if there was no issue with it. The toys found in the containers were not a part of the proposed recall.
Burger King has stated its toy safety problems have not been fixed, as in a two-year period, they have recalled three toys intended for toddlers however, they showed the distinction between this recall and the Pokémon recall, stating there were no injuries in these recalls.
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Lunch And Dinner Menu
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Pretzel Bacon King⢠Meal
Burger King’s Bacon King with an artisanal twist. Packed with crispy bacon, cheese, mustard, mayo, and two juicy beef patties, served on a delicious…
$14.99
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Angry Cheeseburger Meal
Feel the kick of the Angry Cheeseburger! Topped with cheese, jalapeno slices, and Burger King’s signature Angry Sauce, it’s a spicy twist on a…
$8.10
Burger King Pokemon Balls: 1999
These plastic balls came with Burger King’s Kids Meals and opened up to reveal one of 57 Pokemon toys inside. But one child reportedly suffocated after one half of the ball got stuck, covering her nose and mouth, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Burger King recalled more than 25 million of them.
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Spirit: Stallion Of The Cimarron Set
You know what? I don’t remember Spirit at all. Evidently it was a pretty popular movie, but I don’t have any memory of it coming out. It did, though, in 2002! Its toys, that came with Burger King kids’ meals, were very popular at the time, and are even more-so now, thanks to their rarity. Just one figure can go for $15 on eBay, while the complete set can fetch $70 or more! They’re definitely something to keep an eye out for when you’re at a garage sale.
Rugrats Treehouse Complete Set
Over the years, Burger King had five different Rugrats promotions, but this one, from 2001, is by far the most valuable. While each of the toys could be played with independently, they could also be connected to create a Swiss Family Robinson style mega-treehouse. One could be wound-up to make Chuckie be chased around by a swarm of bees, another featured Phil and Lil on their seesaw, another, Spike chasing gophers around as they popped out of their holes. If you’re lucky enough to own the complete set, you’re looking at nearly $100!
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In Wake Of Second Death Cpsc And Burger King Again Urge Consumers To Destroy And Discard Pokemon Balls
Consumers can also view a video clip about this recall . It is about 6 megabytes long and the download time depends upon the speed of your Internet connection.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risk of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product-related incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products has contributed to a decline in the rate of injuries associated with consumer products over the past 50 years.
Federal law prohibits any person from selling products subject to a Commission ordered recall or a voluntary recall undertaken in consultation with the CPSC.
The Simpsons Spooky Light
Although that value is largely correct, I’ve seen a complete set of these fetch as high as $140, so there’s evidently a lot of demand for them. Another spooky set of Simpsons toys, these ones have something the others didn’t. They light up! There are 15 toys in total, all featuring different spooky moments from Simpsons history. These ones are very hard to find, so if you managed to collect a complete set, then congrats! You’re in for a nice wad of cash.
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Small Soldiers Commandos And Gorgonites Set
Do you remember Small Soldiers? It’s a film that I never actually got to see, with my mother worried it was too violent for my innocent infant mind, and I’ve never actually gone back to watch it. That being said, if you were a fan of it at the time, then these toys would have lit up your life, and now, they can still light up your wallet. A set of toys was released, tied into their promotional menu item, the Rodeo Burger. They caused some controversy due to the film’s PG-13 certificate, giving them a veneer of rarity.
Reviews For Burger King
I cannot tell a lie: THIS Burger King is 2.1 gazillion times BETTER THAN the 1 inside the mall. Since this 1 takes Burger King coupons and everything! Saves you a boatload of money ergo! ESPECIALLY since food should NOT cost a Benjamin, this is 1 of my go-tos! Ya gotta love this Burger King. Bless it for taking Burger King coupons, in Jesus’ name, amen. ??
Original chicken sandwich was very salty. This is not typical, so I think it may have just been an accident. Usually the original chicken sandwich is very good. We could not eat the sandwich and we were already on the freeway driving away after using the drive thru window. Great service and cashier was very nice. Zaza
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The Simpsons Movie Figurines Complete Set
To celebrate the release of the long-awaited SimpsonsMovie, now way back in 2007, Burger King launched a two-pronged marketing assault. The first such part were these dolls. Unlike the earlier ones, which celebrated the “Treehouse of Horror” episodes, these ones talked! As well as this, they also launched a website called Simpsonize Me, where users could upload photos and see themselves and their friends rendered as Simpsons characters. These figures were popular at the time, and remain so, with a complete set going for $55!
The Simpsons Treehouse Of Horror Toy Set
Now these are some awesome toys. Featuring action figures modeled after fairly obscure moments in “Treehouse of Horror” history, these toys are well made, and look awesome. Among other models, there are ones featuring the half-Bart half-fly from “Treehouse of Horror VIII,” Lisa as Clobber Girl from “Treehouse of Horror X,” and the alien Maggie from “Treehouse of Horror IX.” If you decide to sell these, you can be darn sure that a hardcore Simpsons fan will snap them up.
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The Backstreet Project Action Figures
This is a throwback to that haunting era, circa the year 2000, when boy bands ruled the Earth, or so it seemed. The Backstreet Project was a one-shot comic book by none other than Stan Lee, which featured The Backstreet Boys transformed into a superhero group called The Cyber Crusaders. As part of a tie-in, Burger King made a series of action figures, and also featured the characters in their commercials. While not worth a huge amount, they’re still worth some burger money, if you need some.
Burger King Recalls Pokemon
Burger King is recalling millions of plastic balls that hold wildly popular Pokemon toys given away in kids’ meals after a 13-month-old California girl suffocated when one covered her mouth and nose.
It’s not the Pokemon toy, but the little plastic ball the toy comes in that’s cause for concern, reports CBS News Correspondent Lou Miliano.
“More than 25 million of the ‘Poke’ balls are part of the recall,” Charles Nicolas, a Burger King spokesman in Miami, said Monday. “That’s because they may pose a suffocation hazard for children under 3 years of age.”
The balls used to pack 57 different types of Pokemon toys measure from 2¾ inches to three inches in diameter and can be opened by pulling their two halves apart to reveal a toy inside.
A 13-month-old Sonora, Calif., girl had stopped breathing by the time she was found in her playpen with half a ball over her nose and mouth on Dec. 11. The Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Department issued a warning about the balls following her death.
“Consumers should immediately take the balls away from children under the age of 3. They should discard the ball or return both halves of the ball to a Burger King restaurant for a free order of small french fries,” the Miami-based restaurant chain said in a statement. “Consumers may continue to use the Pokemon toy that came inside the ball.”
The balls have been distributed at Burger King restaurants for the past two months.
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Real Pokmon Cards Are More Valuable Than The Gold Ones
Since 2020, TCG items have skyrocketed in value, with some cards even selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Pokémon cards worth the most money overwhelmingly tend to be from the 90s, such as the iconic Base Set Charizard which has sold for as high as $420,000. So it’s understandable why many Pokémon fans would think Burger King’s gold Pokémon cards, released the same year, would also be worth a lot of money in 2022. Unfortunately, the Pokémon: The First Movie promo cards have not seen the same jump in value as other TCG products released around the same time.
According to sales data from auction sites like eBay, the gold Pokémon cards sell on average for $18, with some selling for as high as $30. If the collectible isn’t sealed, they are worth even less at around ten dollars. Unlike many rare Pokémon TCG Collectors Editions that were limited, the gold Burger King collectibles were mass-manufactured. Making matters worse, is that everyone collected them believing they would be worth something someday and purposely set them aside in storage. As a result, the gold Pokémon cards have an incredibly high population.
Burger King Promotional Pokmon Toys
The 1999 Burger King promotional Pokémon toys were a set of toys distributed with Kids Meals at Burger King from November 8 to December 31, 1999. All toys were paired with , which were made exclusively for this promotion. The toys were used to promote . There are 59 toys in total . There were also a set of six 23-karat gold plated cards which came in Poké Balls that were available to buy at the restaurant chain that year. The promotion used the slogan “Gotta catch ’em here!”, a parody of the Pokémon slogan “”.
A promotional poster was also distributed at restaurants which had run out of toys . The paper “Burger King crown” was also given a Pokémon edition.
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Beetlejuice Toys Complete Set
I’m going to be honest, Beetlejuice scarcely feels like a film that’s suitable for a tie-in with a kids’ meal, but who am I to judge? Neither are these particularly good-looking figures. Sure, they’ve aged a bit since their 1989 release, but I doubt they looked any better back then. There’s just something off with the look of them, don’t you think? The character of Beetlejuice looks more like Igor from the Persona series. What’s up with the eyes, too? If you’ve got these, sell them, they’re not going to increase in value.
Burger King Toys That Are Worth An Insane Amount Of Money Today
While McDonald’s toys get a lot of attention online, Burger King’s line of toys should not be discounted. Just like the ones at Mickey D’s, the small children’s collectibles at Burger King can be worth quite a bit of money. And thanks to some collectors on eBay, there are a few old Burger King toys still in perfect condition.
Burger King toys are some of the best collectibles from the 1990s. But unlike valuable Pokémon cards, BK prizes went under the radar. It’s a shame, considering the rising value of Burger King toys.
You might want to rummage through the attic and see if you still have some of those old BK kiddie meal toys. Who knows, you could strike it rich.
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One Of A Kind King Bobblehead
Perhaps it’s unfair to feature this on the list, as it is an employee item, not something that was given away to customers. It is, however, a Burger King toy. These were given away at the 2007 Burger King Corporation Global Convention, a convention that, as you’d imagine, invited employees from around the world to attend. While there have been other King bobbleheads through the years, this is the rarest. If you want to get your hands on it, you’ll be hard-pressed to find one, and if you can find one, it will cost you $160!
Miraculous: Tales Of Ladybug & Cat Noir Toys
Maybe it’s because I don’t have any kids, but I’m going to level with you: I’d never heard of this series before now. If you were just coming out of childhood back in 2015, or you had a kid who loved these toys, but now never plays with them, consider selling them. They go for a pretty penny on any listing site, and if your kid doesn’t want them anymore, get them sold! They only came out last year, which means their value could go up or down in future, so seller beware.
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Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen Complete Set
I’ve never been a massive fan of the new Transformers franchise. They’re as though someone condensed every problem with Michael Bay into one franchise. That being said, the films are still massively popular, as were these toys. Released in conjunction with the first film back in 2009, there were eight toys released: Optimus Prime with Jetfire, Bumblebee, Arcee, Megatron, The Fallen, Soundwave, Devastator, and Ravage. BK also offered a themed-burger, the BBQ Double Stacktion, and a contest called Transform Your Way, with a grand prize of $1,000,000.
