Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Pastimes : Made In The USA? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: ms.smartest.person who wrote (46)	8/19/2007 5:48:11 PM
From: ms.smartest.person	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 132

Toys play up U.S. origins : American companies hope to capitalize on recent recalls of China-made products By Bruce Horovitz and Laura Petrecca USA Today August 19, 2007 indystar.com Next to "Merry Christmas," here's the greeting toy shoppers are most likely to hear and see this holiday season: "Made in America." After Mattel's back-to-back recalls of Chinese-made toys -- and amid growing, broader concerns about the safety of products from China -- some small American toy makers and sellers are gearing up for a "Made in America" push. The stampede is on to appear safer than Mattel and cash in on consumer fears. Such nostalgic brands as Little Tikes and Slinky, which make many of their toys here, plan to flaunt patriotic roots. "Every parent's bubble bursts when the possibility exists that -- because of a toy -- their kid might die," says Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys, a customer loyalty research consultancy. Which is why when Renee Fraser, a Los Angeles ad agency owner, shops for Christmas toys for her 2-year-old grandson, "the first thing I'll do is look at where it's made." If it's made in China, it probably will go back on the shelf, she says. U.S. toy makers plan to: • Stamp "Made in USA" on packages. Until now, Little Tikes, maker of the Cozy Coupe, has done little to promote domestic manufacturing on packages. That's about to change, says Tom Prichard, executive vice president. Little Tikes attorneys are trying to figure out which products can add a "Made in USA" stamp, because some, such as play kitchens, are made here but use electronic parts from China. • Flaunt U.S. roots in displays. Poof-Slinky, maker of Slinky and Poof foam balls will put stickers on counter displays to "remind people that the product is made in the U.S," according to Ray Dallavecchia, president. • Tout U.S. ties on Web sites. Online seller Turner Toys is seeing a surge of interest in American products such as wooden alphabet blocks and rattles. "On any product that is made in the USA, we make a big point of it," says owner Ed Lowenton. The site is: turnertoys.com • Play up American heritage to store buyers. American Plastic Toys tweaked trade magazine ads to appear this fall. The ads already said "made in USA," but now will say "proudly made in the USA since 1962" and be bigger to make that message more prominent, says President John Gessert. • Renegotiate with retailers. Little Tikes has set up meetings with major retailers to discuss more shelf space and more product for the holidays, says Prichard. But some added shipments might not arrive until November, which is late for retailers. • Hype quality control. As a reminder of the dangers of some toys from China, folks logging on to Whittle Shortline Railroad's Web site are greeted with: "100 percent kid-safe with lead-free paints." The site is woodentrain.com. That message went up recently after recalls of lead-tainted products by Mattel and RC2's Thomas & Friends, says Whittle-Shortline founder Mike Whitworth. "This is our 15 minutes of fame."