McD's recalls Happy Meal toys

• The red whistle is part of Happy Meal Hello Kitty Birthday Lollipop Toy


• The company received two reports of children who sucked the whistles into their mouths


• It's asking customers to "immediately take the whistle away from children"

(CNN) -- McDonald's is recalling about 2.3 million Hello Kitty toys that came with some of its Happy Meals because they pose a choking risk.

The item in question is a red whistle that came with the Happy Meal Hello Kitty Birthday Lollipop Toy (No. 6) -- a plastic Hello Kitty figurine holding a pink heart-shaped lollipop.

The whistle can be removed from the toy and used to make sounds by inhaling and exhaling.

The company received two reports of children who sucked the whistles into their mouths and coughed out pieces. One child needed medical attention, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

McDonald's said it produced about 2.3 million of the toys, and they were distributed nationwide and in Canada with Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Meals from October through the first week of November as part of Hello Kitty's 40th anniversary celebrations.

The company said Monday it has recovered 70% of the whistles, about 1.6 million.

It's asking customers to "immediately take the whistle away from children."

McDonald's stores will substitute the toy for another and give customers a yogurt tube or a bag of apple slices.

"Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our customers and this includes the toys we offer them," the company said.

No other toys in the Hello Kitty and Max Steel promotions are part of the recall nor are toys from earlier Hello Kitty promotions, the company said.

For more information, call McDonald's at (800) 244-6227 or visit www.mcdonalds.com.