Asbestos found in Planet Fun squishy toys sold at Warehouse, Farmers and more

A bunch of children's squishy toys have had an urgent recall this week after asbestos was detected in testing.

Planet Fun is recalling multiple Funkee Animals and Secret Menu Stretchee Foodz toys, which have been sold in major NZ retailers across the country - including The Warehouse, Farmers, Toy World and Paper Plus.

After independent laboratory testing, some toys were found to contain naturally occurring chrysotile and tremolite asbestos.

“The asbestos has only been detected in the interior of the product, and exposure would only occur if the product is torn,” Product Safety New Zealand said.

The recall includes:

• Funkee Monkee Mega PDQ (Barcode: 622222419295),

• Funkee Animalz Puppies Mega PDQ (Barcode: 622222422288),

• Funkee Animalz Axolotl Mega PDQ (Barcode: 622222174590),

• Funkee Pig Jumbo (Barcode: 622222170899),

• Funkee Monkee Jumbo (Barcode: 622222168452),

• Secret Menu Stretchee Foodz Asst PDQ (Barcode: 622222168155)

The toys were available at The Warehouse and Farmers between January 2025 and April 2026, and at Toyworld and Paper Plus from February 2025 through to April 2026.

If you believe you or someone you know owns an affected product, the advice is to stop using it immediately.

Product Safety NZ says not to throw out the product as general waste, but to double-bag the product in two ziplock bags and keep it out of reach of children.

Your next step is to return the toy(s) to the store you bought them from, and proof of purchase may be required.

This comes after Kmart first recalled certain sand products in November 2025, due to potential asbestos contamination.

The products that were found to have been asbestos-contaminated saw some schools shut across the country.

In April this year, a Christchurch mum revealed she was taking Kmart to the Disputes Tribunal after her concerns were left unanswered by the retailer.

“Exposure to asbestos does not cause any immediate health problems,” Product Safety NZ says. “The health conditions linked to asbestos develop over a long period - typically 15 to 40 years.”

“The risk of developing asbestos-related health conditions, such as some types of cancer and lung disease, is linked to the nature and quantity of asbestos and the length of time a person was exposed to it. There is no safe level, and therefore, we try to avoid all exposure.”

As always, it’s better to be safe than sorry.