When Hasbro brought back three classic Super Soakers this spring, I was pretty pumped — but now, two of them are being recalled. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced that the Super Soaker XP20 and XP30 used too much lead in the ink when the manufacturer printed their labels, and should be immediately be returned to Hasbro for a full refund.
They were exclusively sold at Target between March and July of this year, and the CPSC says that Hasbro managed to ship some 52,900 of them so far. If you’re one of those nearly 53,000 buyers, you can email SuperSoakerRecall@Hasbro.com or click here for an online form.
(If you’re not sure which Super Soakers we’re talking about, take a look at the pictures above and below.)
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You also might be wondering: did these new Super Soakers turn out any good? I’ve only had a chance to try the blue Super Soaker XP100 so far, and… I can’t say it’s my favorite, but it is fun. It shoots a nice sharp stream of water, and I like how it’s now got a quick-release tank instead of having to painstakingly screw and unscrew every time you need a refill.
Unfortunately — perhaps due to Hasbro using the original, classic pinch-trigger mechanism, see BlasterHub’s review here — it also has a tendency to leak all over the place, constantly dribbling or even spraying water out the end if you pump it up to full pressure.
I still want a CPS2000 instead. As before, I’ll leave you with this excellent oral history of the Super Soaker, and this video about the black NASA scientist, Lonnie Johnson, who originally came up with the idea.
