Disney mug taken off sale after lid stuck on girl's tongue

The lid was stuck on Megan Donald's tongue for more than four hours

The Disney Store has withdrawn a travel mug from sale and destroyed existing stocks after a seven-year-old girl's tongue became stuck in the lid.

Megan Donald's tongue became jammed in the Monsters Inc screw-top cup while at school in Kirkintilloch, near Glasgow.

It was removed by hospital staff using a hacksaw and drill four hours later.

The Disney Store said it had withdrawn the mug and similar products from sale across Europe and destroyed all current stocks.

But Megan's mother Natalie, 31, from Kirkintilloch, said she was concerned the same thing could happen to other children and has called for the company to recall the product.

She told the BBC Scotland news website: "They said they had removed the mug from sale but what about all the people that already have them? I just want to warn people about them.

"You would never think this was something that could happen. You would never think a cup like that could be a danger."

After the lid was removed Megan's tongue was left bruised and swollen

Mrs Donald was called to Megan's school, Harestanes Primary, at about 10:30 last Wednesday to find her daughter's tongue had become stuck in the drinking spout in the cup's lid because of the suction created. And as there were no ventilation holes the cup could not be moved.

"The mug was still attached and full of water so it was very heavy, a teacher was holding it up," Mrs Donald said. "They couldn't unscrew it because of the suction inside the cup. It was airtight. Megan was panicking and very upset."

After an ambulance was called, Mrs Donald managed to get her hand into her daughter's mouth and move her tongue away from the hole enough to let some air in, allowing the cup to be unscrewed from the lid.

However, the lid was stuck halfway up Megan's tongue.

"Her tongue was really swollen and quite purple," Mrs Donald said. "The ambulance arrived but said they would have to take her to A&E. The doctor there said he had never seen anything like it before so it was trial and error for them."

The travel mug, and three others like it, have now been withdrawn from sale

The medical team at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow gave Megan pain relief and tried to reduce the swelling with ice and dextrose but the lid was stuck fast.

They also tried using bolt cutters to cut the hard plastic but could not get close enough to Megan's face so then tried the hacksaw.

"They then got someone down from dentistry who gave her a local anaesthetic in her tongue which was really painful for her," Mrs Donald said. "She was screaming and I had to hold her down. It was very upsetting for both of us. But they still couldn't pull the lid off."

The doctors then told Mrs Donald and her husband Stewart that if they could not get the lid off they would need to take her daughter to theatre but they were concerned about doing that as they would not be able to insert a ventialtion tube through her mouth.

"The doctor got a new blade for the hacksaw and managed to cut away part of the lid," Mrs Donald said. "They then managed to use the dentist drill to make a line through it and managed to pull it off.

"We were so relieved. The lid was probably stuck on there for more than four hours."

Natalie Donald, pictured with Megan, wants to warn other parents about the mug

Megan had to stay off school for the rest of the week as she could not eat properly because of the swelling.

The mug had been bought from the Disney Store in Glasgow's St Enoch Centre.

A Disney Store spokesman said: "This is undoubtedly an unfortunate incident that we've taken seriously by immediately stopping sales of the mug from our stores and websites and destroying all other existing stock."

The company has also withdrawn the sale of a further three mugs which were based on the same design.

The spokesman said there were currently no plans to recall the product.

It is understood that customers can return the mugs for a refund.

The Disney Store said it always ensured that all of its items went through rigorous quality and safety testing before they reached its stores and added that Trading Standards were in full support of the measures it was taking.

A second mother has told BBC Scotland that her nine-year-old son also got his tongue stuck in a similar cup from the Disney Store.

Michelle Dawson, of Bonnyrigg, said her son Will McQueen's tongue was only stuck for "half a minute" but it left him "absolutely hysterical".

"I was sat next to him on the sofa when it happened," she said.

"It could have been worse if I had not been sitting beside him. It was only timing and luck that was on our side."

When she returned it to the store in Edinburgh, she said she was shocked when a manger told her: "You're not supposed to put your mouth on the cup, just tip the water in."

"I was absolutely floored," she said. Ms Dawson said they had been able to choose a cup of a different design to replace the faulty mug.