In early February 1951, concerns about a children’s toy contaminated with toxic paint culminated in what is widely cited as the first confirmed recall of a dangerous children’s toy in the United States. The action followed reports of lead poisoning linked to a small, mass-produced plaything popular in the postwar consumer market. While regulatory frameworks for consumer products and child safety were less developed then than today, public health officials and some manufacturers responded to mounting evidence that the paint used on the toy posed a real hazard to young children. Context The late 1940s and early 1950s saw rapid expansion of consumer goods, including inexpensive toys produced for the booming baby and child market. Materials and manufacturing standards varied widely; many factories used paints and pigments that today would be recognized as hazardous. Awareness of lead’s toxicity had been established in medical literature earlier in the 20th century, but systematic product testing and nationwide consumer-protection mechanisms were not yet fully in place. Discovery and response Reports emerged of children exhibiting symptoms consistent with lead poisoning after handling and mouthing the toy in question. Local health departments investigated clusters of illness, and laboratory analyses identified elevated lead content in the paint. News coverage and public-health notices drew attention to the issue. In response, the manufacturer cooperated with authorities to remove the product from sale and to offer exchanges or refunds where possible. Some retailers also pulled remaining stock voluntarily. The recall was not conducted under a comprehensive federal recall law (such laws would develop later); instead, it relied on local public-health action, press disclosure, and voluntary manufacturer and retailer measures. Significance This 1951 case is historically important because it highlighted vulnerabilities in early consumer-product safety for children and helped spur greater public awareness of chemical hazards in toys. Although it did not immediately create a robust federal recall system, the incident contributed to a growing movement throughout the mid-20th century for clearer standards, testing protocols, and regulatory oversight—developments that would later lead to stronger statutes, federal agencies’ authority, and standardized safety testing for children’s products. Limitations and historical uncertainty Record-keeping and terminology from the period can vary, and some earlier, smaller incidents may not have been documented or widely publicized. Contemporary accounts sometimes differ in details such as the exact manufacturer, the toy’s name, or the scale of the recall. Where specifics remain unclear in historical sources, historians rely on available public-health records, contemporary newspaper coverage, and later secondary accounts to reconstruct events. This summary reflects the cautious consensus that the February 3, 1951 public action represents the first widely documented, confirmed recall focused explicitly on a hazardous children’s toy in the U.S. context. Legacy The episode underscored the need for better testing and regulation of children’s products. Over subsequent decades, public-health officials, consumer advocates, and legislators pushed for clearer product-safety standards, culminating in more formalized recall authorities and testing requirements. Modern toy-safety regimes—including limits on lead content, labeling requirements, and mandatory reporting by manufacturers—are part of the long arc of responses to early cases like the 1951 recall.