American-made toys on the rebound

Posted Oct 13th 2007 6:33PM by Zac Bissonnette
Filed under: Good news, Products and Services, Consumer Experience, Wal-Mart (WMT), Scandals

According to The Associated Press, traditional made-in-America toys are making a comeback. "As consumers look for alternatives to Chinese-made toys following a series of recalls this year, dozens of small toy companies are struggling to meet surging demand. Some owners report online sales up as much as fivefold from last year. They're hiring extra workers, expanding warehouses and adding extra assembly shifts."

Perhaps with Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) on the skids and Chinese-made toys under the microscope, we are looking at a return to the "Made in America" ideals that Sam Walton espoused, as evidenced by the title of his autobiography, which seems ironic given Wal-Mart's reputation today.

But I would argue that the shift toward American-made toys is good for more than just economic reasons. Shifting away from cheap imported electronic toys toward traditional wooden toys is good for kids' development -- playing with blocks builds a lot more creativity than Gameboy does.

If you're looking to profit from the recall madness as an investor, your options are pretty limited. 1-800-Flowers.com (NASDAQ: FLWS) owns HearthSong and Magic Cabin, but those are a relatively small portion of the company's business. But if you believe in the 1-800 Flowers business' growth story, the stock may be worth a look.

Tags: China, inthenews, Made in America, Toys

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

10-14-2007 @ 8:16AM

Linda Wright said...

Please enough about 1-800-flowers they call other flower shops to do the jobs and they take all prices and then send at all times of the day. This is good business! As an owner of a Flower Shop for 40 years I am sick of saying what a good job they do take a good look and see whats going on!

10-14-2007 @ 11:54AM

george said...

Toy making requires a basic knowledge of how to build jigs and gauges. Most manufacturing industries begin with this basic skill which too many qualified and highly motivated don't realize.

Here is a website that deals with this issue in detail http://www.woodjig.com

10-14-2007 @ 5:37PM

Sharon said...

USA USA USA
I love it!!!!

10-14-2007 @ 10:26PM

Sandy said...

Yes, let's buy toys made in the U.S.A.!!!

Click on the link below for a list of over 75 links that will take you to companies that sell toys made in America.

http://americanmadetoys.googlepages.com/americanmadetoys

10-24-2007 @ 3:07PM

Louis said...

American-made toys --> http://toylist.iwebopolis.com
Always buy MADE IN USA!

11-01-2007 @ 9:43AM

Mark Johnson said...

Proudly American! is more than a statement of national pride, it is a reassurance that companies and their products carrying the Proudly American symbol are of high quality, are socially responsible and are supporting the local economy.

The objective of the Proudly American campaign, introduced by business, and community organizations all across the United States of America, is to advocate and promote American companies, products, and services in an effort to stimulate the economy and job growth in the United States.

http://proudlyamerican.org