The Wiggles Acknowledge Safety Breach Over ‘Emma Bow’ Headbands

The Wiggles have acknowledged they likely violated Australian consumer law by selling light-up “Emma Bow” headbands that lacked the mandatory safety warnings for products containing button batteries.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said the breach occurred between June 2022 and March 2024, when the popular headbands featuring four lights powered by button batteries were sold without mandatory safety labelling.

As part of a court-enforceable undertaking, The Wiggles have agreed to implementing a consumer law compliance program and raising awareness about button battery safety, including through its own podcast for parents.

They acknowledged that the headbands likely failed to comply with the Button Battery Information Standard, which requires products and packaging containing button batteries to display specific safety warnings.

The product was available at The Wiggles live shows, on their online store, and through other physical retailers.

ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said the lack of warnings could have put children at serious risk.

“The Emma Bow was aimed for children’s use and was available at The Wiggles’ live concerts. It was also sold by other suppliers on The Wiggles online store and through various physical retail stores,” she said.

“Without a warning on the product, parents may not have known it contained button batteries and not understood the severity of the risk. If swallowed, a button battery can become stuck in a child’s throat and result in catastrophic injuries, and even death, in as little as two hours.”

As part of its cooperation with the ACCC investigation, The Wiggles will produce an episode of its Wiggle Talk – A Podcast for Parents, discussing button battery safety and the recall of the Emma Bow headband.

The episode will be released within the next six months on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

The importer and distributor of the headband, CA Australia Pty Ltd, has also agreed to improve its compliance processes.

A recall of the product was issued on 1 August 2024, covering all Emma Bow headbands sold between November 1st, 2015 and March 24th, 2024. Consumers are advised to visit the ACCC Product Safety website for details on returning the product.