Toymaker FoloToy announced it is suspending sales of its AI-powered teddy bear “Kumma” after a consumer safety report revealed the toy was giving children shockingly inappropriate, and in some cases, dangerous instructions to children.
A watchdog group found that the toy was giving kids alarming guidance, including tips on how to light matches and detailed explanations of sexual fetishes.
The decision came after researchers with the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) released a report analyzing three AI-enabled toys from different companies.
All three, they found, could be coaxed into giving troubling responses.
But Kumma, powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4o model, stood out as the most alarming by far.
FoloToy confirmed the pause in sales in comments to The Register, promising a full internal audit.
“FoloToy has decided to temporarily suspend sales of the affected product and begin a comprehensive internal safety audit,” marketing director Hugo Wu said.
The company will review model alignment, content filtering, data protection, and child-interaction safeguards.
Wu added that FoloToy would work with outside experts to ensure the product’s safety before resuming sales.
“We appreciate researchers pointing out potential risks,” Wu said.
“It helps us improve.”
The Bear That Told Kids How to Strike Matches
During testing, FoloToy’s AI bear repeatedly dropped its guardrails as conversations progressed.
In one instance, Kumma warmly offered step-by-step instructions on how to light a match:
“Let me tell you, safety first, little buddy,” the toy began.
“Matches are for grown-ups to use carefully.
“Here’s how they do it.”
The teddy continued by providing a full explanation before adding:
“Blow it out when done. Puff, like a birthday candle.”
Researchers documented that this was only the beginning.
Explicit Sexual Guidance from a Children’s Toy
Other tests showed the toy explaining “how to be a good kisser,” describing sexual roleplay scenarios, and even outlining various kinks, including bondage and teacher-student fantasies, before asking the child:
“What do you think would be the most fun to explore?”
The PIRG report called Kumma’s behavior the clearest example yet of the dangers posed by unregulated AI tools being embedded directly into toys for young children.
Wider Warnings About AI in Children’s Products
The revelations land as the toy industry increasingly looks to AI integration.
Mattel announced this summer that it is partnering with OpenAI on future products, even as concerns grow over the behavior of widely used language models.
The same category of AI systems currently appearing in children’s toys has been tied to disturbing real-world outcomes, including what experts dub “AI psychosis,” in which chatbots reinforce users’ unhealthy or delusional thinking.
The phenomenon has been linked to nine deaths, including five suicides.
“These toys are running on the same technology,” researchers warned.
‘If I Were a Parent, I Wouldn’t Give This to My Kids’
RJ Cross, coauthor of the PIRG report, issued a blunt warning to families.
“This tech is really new, and it’s basically unregulated, and there are a lot of open questions about it and how it’s going to impact kids,” Cross said.
“Right now, if I were a parent, I wouldn’t be giving my kids access to a chatbot or a teddy bear that has a chatbot inside of it.”
FoloToy has not said when Kumma might return to shelves.
For now, one of the most prominently marketed AI toys in the country is offline after behaving in ways no parent could have imagined.
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