U.S. Toy Makers Looking at Banner Christmas Sales

It’s the kind of stress, however, that U.S. toy makers can’t have enough of.

With recalls of Chinese made toys surpassing 21 million units and still rising, Americans and American retailers are turning towards home made manufacturers to fill their store shelves and Christmas stockings. The continual bad press concerning Asian made toys and companies such as toy giant Mattel, who imports these poorly constructed playthings continues to pound the foreign toy industry. It has been this bad press which has reinvigorated toy makers here who have watched their sales steadily decline year after year

Reports show almost all American manufacturers are facing production problems as orders are surpassing plant capacity. Some toy builders have gone to 24 hour shifts and have doubled or tripled their seasonal workforce in an effort to keep up with the huge increase in demand for made in America toys. One Massachusetts boutique toy maker states since recalls of Chinese toys began, their orders have gone up five times over last years totals and the season is just starting.

Industry experts are quick to ignore this current trend, considering it just a temporal blip in the American toy market. They point out Chinese toys account for a staggering 80% of all the toys on American shelves and this surge in American made orders won’t have an effect on the industry. Maybe not today but I believe they are not understanding the American mentality right now.

To be sure, all the U.S. toy companies, building toys as fast as they can will only be a small portion of the total season’s sales. I believe this is just the beginning. Americans have been pounded with lost jobs, companies moving overseas and inferior products in all tangible goods markets, not just toys. In a way we have been held prisoner of our own economic maelstrom. The less we earn, the more we are forced to look for cheaper items and thus the more manufacturing goes abroad to supply this demand. Toys, however, is one of those places where we can draw the line because of the relatively inexpensive costs whether made here or on foreign soil.

I am hearing families’ state that they will look hard to find made in America on the toys they buy from now on, not just in the coming months. Individuals who will budget $200. on toys for Christmas will look to purchase 6 or 8 well made toys rather than 10 poorly made ones and I don’t see this trend changing after the recalls disappear along with the thrown out toys.

Now with certainty, there are specific toys that are only made overseas that have become ingrained in the minds of our children as a must have toy. There is little parents can do about this issue without involving a small child in politics and economics but the decision for all those extra toys we over indulge our children with is where the difference and in fact the change will come.

In a way, American toy manufacturing is a fledgling industry reborn out of a desire to protect neighbor’s jobs as well as the welfare of our children. It will take time but I believe the experts haven’t factored one key component in their estimations. Americans are fed up with the entire new globalization system which only allows us to be purchasers and not manufacturers. Toys, I believe is where we will say enough is enough.

One interesting side industry also facing a boom in orders right now is label and sticker makers. It seems orders for larger made in America labels have those factories struggling to keep up with the demand. It has been years since I could write that last sentence.

Comment by Danny Davids^(13,044) (210 days 11 hours ago.)

Comment by Mike Fak^(17,928) (204 days 13 hours ago.)