Thousands of teddy bears given to sick children need to be thrown away after a complaint about fur coming off one of them.
More than 5000 bears were given to children at Wellington, Christchurch and Waikato Hospitals between 2010 and 2015.
The teddies were made in China for 'Phil & Teds' and the company says tests confirm the bear fuzz can come loose and seams split exposing the stuffing.
"Oh it's terrible. We're just focused on the recall and making sure we can get as many of these bears disposed of as possible," chief executive Campbell Gower says.
Ten thousand more teddies at the company's warehouse will be disposed of.
The bears are wearing hospital gowns with the words 'phil&teddy' on the front, with phil&teds on the back.
3 News
