Apparently, I'm on an activist kick lately. I wrote this whole thing, decided that ranting to my Word Document was pointless, and so, here it is.
I would just like to remind everyone that there are still companies out there who are being responsible with their production AND making great toys- BRIO, Cranium, Step2, Ertl, LEGO, and others. It's not fair to tar all of them with the Mattel brush. Do the research, and try to buy from companies that either do no production in China, or have excellent reputations. Cranium does outsource there, but I'm unable to find ANY recalls for that company. Hasbro is the second largest toy company in the world, they outsource to China and they have not had any of these problems (they had a recall of Easy Bake ovens, but that was an entirely different variety of problem).
I would also say, do not shop at Wal-Mart. It is well documented that in their quest for "low prices", they have forced many companies to outsource production. When you're as big a company as Wal-Mart (ten times larger than K-Mart and Target combined), simply saying you will not carry a product can make that product sink or swim, especially if it's from a company targeting low and middle incomes, which is where Mattel/Fisher Price and many many other companies are. And Wal-Mart frequently demands that companies make a product price lower before they will agree to carry it. How do companies make prices lower? Outsource. Wal-Mart has set the trend that makes dangerous situations like this possible. Certainly, that doesn't mean toy companies are exempt from responsibility.
Radio Flyer laid off half of their 90 employees several years ago in order to open a factory in China and make costs cheaper. They can't afford to pay 90 employees at a living wage and still make an affordable product in this country? What is going on here? How many little red wagons does it take before the company turns a profit? How much more would it cost? If we're talking three cents more, keep production here; I'll pay three cents so my nephew can have a wagon made in this country. If you want my three cents, you'll do it. Unfortunately, not everyone else feels the same way.
I'm sure the CEOs would listen to this argument, shrug their shoulders and say, "that's business."
Let companies know you don't like that kind of business. Pay those few extra pennies to put your support behind American made products, or (since that's difficult these days, even more difficult if you don't want Mexican production either) at least not Chinese production; don't support those companies who want to bring prices down at any cost, because now we see the cost. It's all the harder with the dollar being as low as it is, but if it's really important to you, there's no other choice to make. Send the message to Mattel and Wal-Mart that these aren't business practices you believe in, for any cost.
Or, do the kids on your gift list something better than toys; buy them books, a camera, a telescope, take them sledding, take them to the zoo, sign them up for music lessons, art classes or science camp, teach them to play chess, or bake, or build their own dang toys. Give them an experience, not a thing.
They'll be embarrassed when they grow up by the number of Dora the Explorer toys they had. Ask a twenty something how many Barbies she had, she'll cringe. Ask him how much Power Ranger crap he bought, he'll roll his eyes. Bring up Legos, though; no one disses the Legos.