Too Much Awesome

Build-a-Bear Beach Chairs have recently recalled over 250,000 folding chairs due to a laceration danger. This is just one recall of many this year: how can you keep up?  In this article I explore easy ways for concerned parents to stay on top of the news in regards to toy recalls. The good news is [...]

Scientific American has reported that toys containing toxic phthalates may still be on shelves in the United States because the federal government has yet to enforce the new Children’s Safety Product Act.

Nowadays toy safety is a greater concern than ever. After last years extensive recalls of toys manufactured in China, parents are doing everything they can to make sure that the toys the buy for their children are safe. But many consumers have little trust for the toy industry’s checks on itself, and are taking responsibility [...]

The Toy Industry Association, together with consumers, government, manufacturers, and retailers, have now unveiled plans for a new toy safety certification program in an attempt to enhance toy safety and restore consumer confidence. After last year’s record number of toy recalls, this new program would implement a comprehensive system or accreditation to ensure that toys [...]

The world is changing, and the world of toys is keeping pace! Toy manufacturers have their fingers on the pulse of society, and are catering to emerging interests and concerns. Here are some of the hottest and most exciting trends in toys: – Toys Go Digital – Largely inspired by the incredible success of Ganz’s [...]

Something a toy company must always balance is the value of the product versus the cost of production.  Even with quality wood toys, safety and inspection have to be an integral part of the process. Because of rising demand for wood and labor, many makers of wood toys like HABA have found that some toys [...]

The latest toy headlines – toys with lead, toys with reproductive toxins – may have contributed to the US Senate proposal of a “toy safety act,” according to the New York Times. Led by Democratic senators from New York and Connecticut, the proposed measure is called the Children’s Product Safety Act. Look for its effect [...]

The class-action lawsuit against the maker of Thomas & Friends wooden railway toys is the first step towards a safer world for our babies and children. However parents should beware: according to this article at About.com, many recalled toys are still being sold in some locations. Many of these toys are being sold at a [...]

One down, a dozen more to go. Illinois-based toymaker RC2 Corp, the makers of Thomas & Friends wooden railway toys, have agreed to a 30 million dollar payout in the class-action lawsuit. From the AP press article, “We believe this really is the first step toward cleaning up the problem of lead paint in toys,” [...]