Parents seek resources for buying American-made toys

November 5, 2007 (WLS) -- Consumers looking for toys this holiday season that were not made in China will face a daunting, but not impossible, task.

There are options out there for parents, whether you're looking for organically-made toys or toys made here in the U.S., you just have to know where to look when you're shopping for safety.

"I don't want to buy toys this holiday season. I know that, 'cause I'm afraid I'm going to buy something and six months down the road, they're going to find out that was dangerous, too," said parent Jennifer Cherniak.

Many parents attending a recent convention for children at Navy Pier came with one thing top of mind: safer toys. Some local vendors came armed with options.

"The bunny's made of all organic cotton," said Marny Turvill, M.D., Healthy Green Goods, Evanston. "Which means that the cotton was grown without any chemicals."

"On this dinosaur kids' kit, it has that it is certified non-toxic," said Dallas Collins, USborne Books at Home, Chicago.

After record-breaking toy recalls due to lead paint, some shoppers have grown leery of what seems to be a common denominator: "Made in China."

"When you're shopping for toys this year you're looking at the manufacturer and where it's coming from," said parent Sean King.

that's good news to Steve Ciacco, owner of The Cubbyhole in suburban West Dundee. His company has been making wooden stools and puzzles by hand for the past 30 years. He said sales are up nearly 20 percent.

"We used to get maybe one call a year asking how our products are made, and now we get probably four or five a day asking for that," said Ciacco. "Now people are really looking for American-made toys."

At Toys et Cetera in Hyde Park, there have been so many requests for toys made in the United States that the owner has posted signs to showcase them. Owner Nancy Stanek also contacted vendors for every toy in her store to find out where the toys are made and what quality control standards are in place. She then compiled a resource guidebook so she could quickly answer customers' questions.

"I believe most of the toys produced in China are perfectly safe, but I still understand the fear and the concern that the consumer has," she said.

Consumer watchdogs at the Illinois Public Interest Research Group, which monitors the toy industry and advocates for safer toys, say parents may be surprised by how few choices are left if they weed out China-made toys.

"When you think about the toys that are being recalled, these are big name brands like Hasbro and Mattel, ones that we grew up with," said Brian Imus, State Director, Illinois PIRG. "In fact, 80 percent of all the toys that are sold in the United States come from China."

Some Web sites are hoping to cash in too by helping narrow your search. Sites like toysmadeinamerica.com compile a list of toys manufactured around the country. Fatbraintoys.com has a special section pointing shoppers to toys made in the USA.

At Gepetto's Toy Box in Oak Park, the owner points out that many smaller, specialty stores carry toys from a variety of countries, offering shoppers more options, for a price.

"You may end up paying a little bit more for a quality product, there's no question about it. There's an old adage, you get what you pay for," said owner Eric Masoncup.

Just because a toy is made in China does not automatically mean it is unsafe. A panel created in response to all the recalls will give its recommendations to president Bush Tuesday. The recommendations include giving the FDA the power to issue mandatory recalls for unsafe products.

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