toys

Toy Recalls Drop 46 Percent

Toy recalls are down 46 percent from last year, when manufacturers and retailers were forced to clear shelves of toys containing lead paint, dangerous magnets and in one case, a chemical that left children temporarily comatose.

But federal safety regulators said yesterday that parents should still be on the lookout for toys with small parts that could pose a choking hazard for children, including uninflated or broken balloons. They should also supervise children around scooters, ride-on toys, and battery chargers and adapters that come with electronic toys.

While naming those items as the top toy hazards, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said the number of toy recalls had dropped to 74 in 2008 from 138 in 2007. Read more...

Toy stores expect to overcome safety scares and economic downturn

This time last year, customers at the specialty toy store Playthings Etc. in Clay, Butler County, were full of questions about which toys were safe. Not this year. "They don't ask anymore," said co-owner Nadine Shingleton. The staff at S.W. Randall Toyes & Giftes, which has three Pittsburgh locations, reported a similar experience.

"Nobody even talks about it," said owner Jack Cohen.

Headed into this year's holiday shopping season, toy retailers and manufacturers have been able to play the kind of games they're more familiar with: Marketing dolls and trains and puzzles while firing off a few shots in the price wars. Even in a difficult economy, that's more fun than coping with toy recalls and trying to calm worried parents. Read more...

Acting on biz savvy, teen opens toy store

Josh Heinzl answered the phone with an enthusiastic "Hi, Josh's Toys and Games! This is Josh." The smile on Heinzl's face and the welcome in his voice were quickly replaced with a blank stare and frustrated tone.

"Listen," he spoke politely but pointedly into the phone, "are you guys going to offer me free processing? Otherwise I'm not that interested. You never offer a better rate."

Heinzl hung up the phone and let out an agitated sigh.

"Credit-card processors," he explained. "They call at least three times a day."

This is the life of a new businessman. But Heinzl isn't your typical entrepreneur; he's 15 years old. And while he isn't old enough to drive, the Windham native is buckled in and ready for a ride to the top, in a car made of Legos. Read more...

In early holiday push, Wal-Mart cutting toy prices

New York - Wal-Mart Stores Inc is cutting prices on popular toys and ramping up the opening of Christmas shops in its U.S. stores as the retailer tries to win sales from cash-strapped shoppers ahead of what could be the worst holiday season in 17 years.

Wal-Mart said on Wednesday that it will sell ten toys, including certain Barbie dolls and Tonka trucks, for $10 each. It is also putting its Christmas shops on the "fast track" and intends to open the shops, which sell ornaments and holiday decor, in its stores nationwide by October 10. Read more...

American Girl will doll up MOA

Shopping at the Mall of America Monday, Hannah and her mother, Suzanne, were delighted to learn that their next trip to buy American Girl merchandise should be much shorter. The popular marketer of historic and contemporary dolls plans to open a store at the Bloomington mall in November. Read more...

Baybrook Mall to get Lego and Ridemakerz stores

Most malls in Texas would be thrilled to get hot new retailers Lego and Ridemakerz.

Lego is the retail concept from the legendary construction toy maker, while Ridemakerz is a build-it-yourself store for kids who are into cars and trucks.

The fact that Baybrook Mall is the first shopping center in the state to get either of these stores is a testament to its clout. Read more...

Wal-Mart Raises Bar on Toy-Safety Standards

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest toy seller, has ordered its suppliers to meet a new set of children's-product safety requirements by this fall that goes far beyond existing government regulations.

The standards include strict limits for lead and a broad array of other heavy metals and chemicals that have been linked to various medical and developmental problems in children. Read more...

A perfect fit

Steve Dietz was 50 before he put his first jigsaw puzzle together.

Now, he can't stop. And he wants to bring the joy he gets from completing puzzles to everyone.

Dietz, 52, is owner of the Puzzle Castle in Newtown Township, which celebrates its grand opening Friday through Sunday. Read more...

New business spotlight on Stuffing Factory, Inc.

Al "Mo" Marzouqi opened the Stuffing Factory as a kiosk in November 2006, but eventually moved to an area with its own storefront, near JC Penneys at the Lycoming Mall.

The store lets people "stuff" their own animals with a machine, make a wish on a heart, place it in the bear and then choose an outfit to dress the stuffed animal. Read more...

U.S. Toy Industry Sales Generate $22 Billion in 2007

Port Washington, NY—According to leading consumer and retail information company, The NPD Group, U.S. retail sales of toys generated $22.1 billion in 2007 compared to $22.6 billion in 2006, a decline of only 2 percent, despite the toy industry recalls and difficult economic conditions that plagued the industry in 2007. Read more...