Toy Story

This story might cause you to chuckle. The BBC on line has a story about a California couple who boasted about selling stolen toys and ended up in jail.

Male Monkeys Prefer Boys' Toys

The following link to New Scientist leads to report of an interesting study that concluded that male monkeys prefer boys' toys. I don't think we can, however, leap to any evolutinary conclusions.

Safe Toys Update

Did you know that some toys are made out of PVC? I never thought about PVC being used in toys. Well, PVC contain phthalades, an additive that is used to soften vinyl, and phthalates is linked to a variety of health problems according to an article in the USA Weekend (March 14-16, 2008, p. 6) newspaper insert. The article also indicates that phthalades in toys will be banned in California starting in 2009 and is already banned in the European Union and Japan. The HealthyToys Web site is also cited in the article as a search location to query PVC amounts in toys from a 1,200+ toy database.

Building Blocks

The New York Times (February 10, 2008--Sunday Edition) has an article in the style section (p. 11) concerning Freiedrich Froebel's gift's--the theme for this blog. [Remember Froebel is considered the Father of the Kindergarten concept.] The gifts are actually wooden blocks for children that invites open-ended play. The Times article, Long Before Legos, Wood Was Nice and Did Suffice, is written by David Colman and captures the childhood experiences of designer Tucker Viemeister who used the wooden blocks as a child. Viemeister reminisces about playing with the blocks and saving them for his children. The article is a nice reminder that simple toys can be cherished and become part of the family, much unlike electronic toys that have very short lifespans.

Low Lead Levels Also Harmful to Children

Apparently, paying attention to the federally established safe level of lead in toys isn't enough. A six-year Cornell University study reveals that levels lower than the federal requirement for children's items also produce negative effects in children. Read more here.

More...MSNBC has a report indicating that 35 percent of a sample of off-the-shelf toys contained lead levels higher than the recall level.

Simple Toys

One of the games I developed that allows children (3-5 year olds) to practice basic educational skills

At the beginning of 2007, I began developing educational activities with original toys for preschoolers. I thought that educators, parents, and the general public needed to think more about manufacturing toys in the US than having toys developed and shipped in from China. Since my initial venture in developing educational toys, additional support has arrived toward not only manufacturing more toys in the US but also a renewed focus on using simple toys, Follow the link to an article (Simple Retro Toys May Be Better for Children) concerning the value of using simple toys for children.

Update to Product Recall

Just discovered a new Web site--found in Northwest Florida Daily News (11-18-07)--with product recall information. I made a blog entry earlier (Still Puzzled), which highlights a situation I have with a possible recalled toy at Wal Mart and the entry provides product recall site as well.

The product recall Web site I just discovered is managed by the people who publish Consumer Reports magazine. Notinmycart.org

Still Puzzled

I’ve been holding off writing about my personal experience with the recall of toys from China. Up front let me indicate that I’m a fan of Wal-Mart in spite of all its faults. However, I no longer can wait on a decision from Wal-Mart concerning whether an item I purchased is unsafe before writing this entry.

In September 2007 I started purchasing packs of “ABC Tiles” (Wal-Mart item #007565661410), which cost only 88 cents each. I thought this item was a bargain for parents to help young children learn the alphabet and numbers. The ABC Tiles also allowed children to receive a tactile experience while learning sequencing and colors—all for 88 cents.

I attempted to purchase enough sets of tiles to offer an activity for at least 25 children in a single setting. A few weeks ago, however, when I tried to purchase more tiles, the Wal-Mart computer instructed the cashier not to sell the item. Initially, I thought there was a glitch in the system, but when I couldn’t find the tiles stocked at other Wal-Marts in the area, I learned a toy manager that the product was being held for testing. The manager also indicated that the item would either be found safe and be returned to the shelves or be be found unsafe and a recall notice would be posted in the customer service section of the store. Several weeks passed and no notice was posted and no tiles were on the shelves. I then inquired about the item and learned that the products could be held for testing for months.

All of this makes me wonder about the procedures being used for questionable items at Wal-Mart and perhaps other stores. If the product is unsafe, how would customers who purchased the product long ago know to check about its safety? Are all customers suppose to check the recall board on each trip to the store? If so, how are customers to know this procedure? Should customers be alerted to isolate the item until testing is completed?

Another option to check recalls is on the Wal-Mart Web site where I've checked the link for recall information (http://www.walmartstores.com/GlobalWMStoresWeb/navigate.do?catg=51 )and was unable to locate the ABC Tiles. Also, at that link are other Web links to check for updates concerning recalled products. I'll keep checking on the ABC Tiles and provide an update in another post.