Just in case you still don't feel guilty enough..... ;-)

Click this link at your own peril. ;-)

http://www.newstarget.com/022014.html

And remember kids, just because you're a conspiracy nut, doesn't mean they're not out to get you. :-)

I'm only poisoning my kids with shampoo so far this week, so I'm doing well. Oops and they had hotdogs at Skyline Chili this afternoon.

Mattel Apologizes to China

Oh. Please.

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1664428,00.html

I can't possibly guess how this went down.

Mattel CEO: You suck, China.

China: um, yeah. Say that again, and we'll kick your company out and you'll have to find a cheaper place to do business... oh, what's that? there isn't one? Then grovel, you hack!

Mattel CEO: Really, it's our fault. Here, let me fall on this cheaply made plastic lead-filled sword...that incidentally, was also our fault.

Mammon wins again! How ironic today that the reading in church was about "you cannot serve two masters".

Free Lead Testing for Toys

Cincinnati's Price Hill neighbourhood (for Regina readers, think North Central, for Rochester readers think 19th ward) is high-risk for kids and lead. What a great idea to have a toy testing!

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070914/NEWS01/309140023/

We didn't hear about it until too late or I would have been tempted to scoop up a bunch of things and take them in. However, I am going to call and find out what method they're using for the testing.

Why not contact your own city officials and ask if they'll provide this service for your community?

Playmobil - if it's German it can't be bad!

Blatant "Simpsons" reference aside, I do really enjoy German toys. :-)

Thrilled to find out today that Playmobil says this:

Only a few parts, less than 2 percent of the complete range of toys, are sourced from high-quality, long-term Chinese production partners. PLAYMOBIL sources these components because of the substantial amount of hand labor they require. We hold these manufacturers to the same high standards as we do with our European counterparts.

Now, ok, they're still plastic. But one step at a time, right? This is especially good for suggesting to family members that can't quite get their head around crunchier gifts, but Playmobil would be mainstream enough that they could feel they were having shopping fun, without having to think too hard.

Again, I'm not pretending there is a perfect solution, we could nitpick all day down to the idea that none of us should buy toys we didn't make ourselves, anyway... but just be conscious, ok?

(although, re-reading The Little House books with Aedhan, I figure I could probably at least wrap a corncob in a blanket for a doll, right? I'm that crafty. )

Mattel CEO in hotseat

While I certainly don't believe this is just Mattel's problem, this is an interesting article.

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2007/09/07/toy_recalls_challenge_mattel_ceo/

The CEO's lauded strategy for pulling Mattel out of the doldrums and turning them back into a profitable, competitive company, seems to have involved closing down the last US plant and moving its entire production line overseas. ("Overseas" being a nice euphemism that could fool one into thoughts of European gnomes tinkering away in a Santa's workshop type environment... but uh, we all know now it just means: China) Mattel's argument has been that it owns a larger portion of its factories in China. This is oft-cited by other companies.. I recently got an email in my inbox from the company that makes Cranium, waxing eloquent about how it owns its Chinese factories and yadda yadda that makes for better product. Hmm. Apparently not.

Now, I don't follow the stock market, as our retirement plan consists of assuming the world is going to go to hell in a handbasket before we hit 65 anyway.... but apparently Mattel's stock has fallen about 10%. Only 10%????

I find the prospect of watching congressional hearings to be dreary, at best, but perhaps I'll at least buzz the news sites to catch the condensed version of "but.. but.. but..." that is sure to come out of this guy's mouth.

And again, I point out: WHAT ABOUT ALL THE TOYS ON THE SHELF ALREADY, BEFORE THE RECALL! It's not like the Chinese suddenly discovered lead in the last 3 months and quickly stuffed all the factories full of it. What is sitting RIGHT in our homes at this moment?

Guest post from a reporter in the field

In the interests of actually getting to do some laundry today, I bring you a special report instead of actually um, writing one myself. Thanks, Mike!

Krista, Your crack, China-free researcher reporting in from the wilds of Vermont. While planning fun and exciting day trips for two small wonderkunds, several original American treasures were found that should be featured prominately on your China-free sites.

Michael & Paul will be visiting the first company today and can send a more detailed report later on how successful they were in prying cash from the crack researcher's wallet to bring home samples of the work this company does.

You can check out their products, as well as their own China-free ethos (look for the china with red circle and slash on the home page) at the following internet destination.http://www.maplelandmark.com/

The second company offers a wide, wide selection of items, including flannel shirts from Ireland, hats from New Zealand, oldtimey food items from around the world (like the old fashioned candies your grandmother probably put out for the holidays) and many American made products. This company does carry some items from China, but in this researcher's experience is open about the source of their products. Check these folks out at http://www.vermontcountrystore.com

Please place this information on one or both of your China-free sites in the appropriate places. Further reports forthcoming as the research continue.

Your Intrepid Researcher
(ps, the wife says Hi!)

Tips for early shoppers like me!

Great tips have been flooding in from many sources, thanks to all! Here are a select few until I get the website pages up with the mega-lists.

(Coming soon, Canadian-made products and toys for my Canadian readers! Can I tell you how WEIRD it still feels to type "Made in USA" as "domestic"???? LOL)

http://usmadetoys.com
This is a great site, there are lots of "classic" toys (could there be anything more fun than a Slinky, come on now!) and even stuff for older kids like science kits.

http://roytoy.com
This is a coooool site with real wood building sets. Not a huge selection, but I also like that they have unpainted logs, good for those kids that like to chew on older siblings toys! *cough* Not that I have a child like that.

And also, with a shout-out to Becca, I wanted to introduce you all to these incredibly addictive and fun games: The Settlers of Catan! (with a million offshoots) These games were the only things we could find in 30 minutes of shopping at King Arthur's Court in Hyde Park that were not Made in China. Here is a link: http://catanonline.com/