CPSC Recalls 2.3 Million Ricky Joy Sour Crush Candy Bottles Over Choking Risk

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Thursday, September 10, 2026, a recall of about 2.3 million Ricky Joy Sour Crush Rolling Liquid Candy Bottles. The problem: the rollerball applicator on top of the bottle can pop off. The CPSC says that creates a choking hazard that could cause serious injury or death.

The candy is a liquid sour treat, 1.85 fluid ounces per bottle, applied through a rollerball top like a stick of deodorant. It came in four flavors: blue raspberry, strawberry, green apple and watermelon, each with a cartoon green monster sticking its tongue out on the label.

Ricky Joy sold the bottles individually and in three-packs or 12-packs. Individual bottles ran about $3. Multi-packs cost between $13 and $32, according to the CPSC notice cited by Fox Business, the New York Post and Denver7.

The recalled candy hit shelves at H-E-B, Forman Mills and other candy retailers nationwide, plus online through Walmart.com, CandyFunHouse.com and RickyJoy.com. Sales ran from January 2023 through May 2026, more than three years on the market before the recall.

The CPSC says no injuries have been reported. The hazard was caught through product testing or reporting channels before it produced a documented casualty, though a choking incident involving a small child is not always reported to federal regulators or connected back to a specific product.

Why a defect like a detachable rollerball took three years to surface is unclear. The CPSC notice, as relayed across every outlet covering this story, does not explain what triggered the recall or whether the company found the flaw internally, through a retailer complaint, or through the commission's own market surveillance. The CPSC recall database routinely omits the discovery trigger, and neither the agency nor the company has said more.

What consumers need to do is simple. Stop using the bottles immediately. Take them away from kids. Contact The Ricky Joy Company at 404-975-0352, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern, or through the company's recall website, to arrange a refund. The company is providing prepaid shipping labels so customers can return the product without paying for postage.

Coverage of this recall was largely uniform across outlets. The New York Post, Fox Business, LiveNOW from FOX, WSB-TV, Denver7 and KJRH all ran essentially the same CPSC facts: the count, the price range, the sale window, the retailers, and the refund process. None of them added independent reporting on how the defect was discovered or pressed the CPSC or Ricky Joy for more detail on testing history. This is standard for recall wire coverage, but it leaves real questions unanswered for parents trying to gauge how long this risk existed before regulators acted.

A basic question remains unresolved: how many of the 2.3 million bottles are still sitting in kitchen drawers or car cupholders across the country, and how many kids will keep using them because the recall notice never reaches the household that bought a $3 candy bottle from a gas station rack in 2023. The CPSC's refund process depends entirely on consumers finding out about the recall in the first place.