Coles, Reject Shop product recall: Halloween LED balls and ‘skeleton coffin’ candle pulled over child-safety and fire risks

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Coles, Reject Shop product recall: Halloween LED balls and ‘skeleton coffin’ candle pulled over child-safety and fire risks
coles reject shop product recall

An urgent pre-Halloween safety alert has prompted Coles and The Reject Shop to pull two seasonal items from sale after regulators flagged serious hazards. In the past 24 hours, retailers began contacting customers about non-compliant button-battery labelling on a light-up toy sold at Coles and a design flaw in a novelty candle sold at The Reject Shop that can overheat and ignite. A separate online tombstone decoration has also been recalled nationally for button-battery risks.

Coles product recall: Halloween LED light-up bouncing balls

Coles has issued a recall for Halloween LED light-up bouncing balls sold nationally 1–9 October 2025. The product’s packaging does not include mandatory button-battery warnings, a breach intended to protect children from ingestion hazards.

Why it’s dangerous

  • Small button or coin batteries can cause severe internal burns within two hours if swallowed or inserted.

  • Missing on-pack warnings reduce the chance a caregiver recognises the emergency and seeks immediate help.

How to identify the item

  • SKU: 1327684

  • Barcode: 5015934675311

  • Batch: 46861889–92

What to do

  1. Stop using the toy immediately and keep it away from children.

  2. Do not open the battery compartment.

  3. Contact the supplier listed on the recall notice to obtain the required warning labels or further remedy instructions.

The Reject Shop product recall: two-wick ‘Skeleton Coffin’ candle

The Reject Shop has recalled a two-wick novelty “Skeleton Coffin” candle sold nationally 2 September–8 October 2025. The wicks may be positioned too close to the container’s edge, which can overheat the vessel, cause it to crack and potentially ignite. Incidents have already been recorded.

How to identify the item

  • SKU: 30149720

  • Barcode: 9336672692269

What to do

  1. Stop using the candle immediately.

  2. Return it to any The Reject Shop store for a full refund; no receipt required.

Separate recall: 9 cm light-up tombstone sold online

A 9 cm light-up tombstone decoration sold online and through international channels 30 September 2021–11 September 2025 has been recalled for unsecured button batteries and missing safety warnings. This item is not tied to Coles or The Reject Shop, but it appears alongside the Halloween alerts and may be in Australian homes ahead of 31 October.

How to identify the item

  • SKU: HW59368

  • Barcode: 9336011259368

What to do

  1. Stop using the product and keep it away from children.

  2. Do not remove the batteries.

  3. Arrange a return and refund through the supplier named on the recall notice.

Why the Coles and Reject Shop recalls matter now

Australia’s mandatory standards for products containing button or coin batteries require child-resistant battery compartments, tool-secured fasteners and prominent on-pack warnings. As Halloween parties, school fairs and trick-or-treat events ramp up, novelty items with lights, sound modules or hidden batteries flood homes and classrooms. Even brief unsupervised access can be catastrophic if a child swallows a battery. The candle recall underscores broader seasonal risks: multi-wick designs and narrow glass walls can create localized hot spots that crack containers and start fires.

Quick safety checklist for households and venues

  • Audit your decorations: Pull all battery-powered novelties and confirm they have screw-secured compartments and clear warning labels.

  • Lockdown storage: Keep any button-battery product out of reach of children when not in active use.

  • Dispose safely: Tape spent button batteries on both sides and recycle them at designated collection points.

  • Know the emergency steps: If you suspect a child has swallowed a button battery, call Triple Zero (000) if breathing is affected and contact the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 immediately. Do not induce vomiting or let the child eat or drink unless a medical professional instructs you to.

  • Return recalled items promptly: Follow each recall’s remedy pathway (refund, label correction or return-to-supplier) to remove the hazard from circulation.

What’s next

Retailers have begun customer notifications and store signage, while the national product-safety regulator continues surveillance for seasonal items that miss the standard. Expect further spot checks in the lead-up to Halloween. Consumers who purchased the Coles Halloween LED bouncing balls or The Reject Shop skeleton coffin candle should action the steps above today; venues hosting children should treat these recalls as no-tolerance issues to prevent injury or fire.