Wanted: Toys made safe here in the good ol' USA
chillicothegazette.com
This toy story is a mess. We count on a few things in this world to always be right. When we pick up a phone, we expect a dial tone. When we buy food, we expect to not have to give another thought, other than preparation, to eating. When we buy toys, the only thing we expect is a child's joy.
Now this. Kids' toys?
Since service is so consistent with the phone, we can forgive it if once in a great while there is a hiccup. Food gets a little more iffy, but again, it's almost always OK. It's true, too, most toys are safe. In the Wall Street Journal, Mattel's CEO Bob Eckert noted, in the past year, the company's lead-related toy recalls are less than half of 1 percent of the company's production. But "I'd rather the number was zero," he acknowledged. As would every parent.
Mattel, unfortunately, has broken a trust with the American consumer. What's especially discouraging is the reason for most of the recalls - high lead levels - is not some new threat. We have known about lead's dangers for what seems like forever. The beginning of the end for lead in gasoline, for example, started in 1973 for gosh sakes.
China also has much to answer for. It has enjoyed great economic growth, and one of the big reasons is the American consumer. Besides the pain experienced in jobs lost here to Chinese manufacturers, we also had earlier this year the pet-food scare that involved China in part.
Each will pay a price. Before, a toy might have been tossed in a cart without much thought. Now, the question will be, "Did Mattel make it?" An affirmative answer might mean it gets left on the shelf. Next question: "Is it made in China?" Some stores reportedly are dividing toys up by where they were made.
There is hope. Mattel seems to be taking the right steps. Its recalls were voluntary, though some have questioned how quickly it acted. It has instituted new, additional safety checks that cover a toy from production to before it gets on store shelves. In a rare occurrence, a Chinese official speaking in the United States admitted there "are indeed some quality problems." It may not be the mea culpa we would expect, but in the rarefied air of geopolitics, it's a big deal.
The other positive is this should prompt a review by all toy companies of their toy safety and production. It could go even further. Perhaps it will lead an entrepreneur or company to begin making toys in the United States. They proudly could label them "Made in the USA."
What a selling point that would be. |
