Los Angeles - Six-year old Abigail Whitney used to have an entire closet full of toys. Now she makes do with wooden blocks, rag dolls and jigsaw puzzles. In fact, if it weren't for the computer games she's allowed to play for a few hours every week, Abigail's toy chest might look exactly like the one her grandmother might have played with some 50 years ago.
It's all because of the lead paint toy scare that is worrying millions of parents in the United States, and sending a shiver of dread through the toy industry, just as the holiday season should be swinging into top gear.
Toy giant Mattel has been forced to recall over 2 million suspect toys in the US in recent weeks after it discovered that some of the Made in China playthings contained lead paint. Around the world some 18 million toys have been recalled, according to lawyer Jeff Killino, who is pressing a class action lawsuit against the El Segundo, California-based company.
Lead paint was thought to have been eradicated from US markets as it is notorious as the cause of physical and mental health problems in kids. But apparently lax oversight by the company's Chinese suppliers let the toxic substance back into the supply line, triggering a string of lawsuits that if upheld could bring the icon of American toysellers to its knees.
Representatives of the 22 billion-dollar a year industry say that the scare is not having a large impact on sales volume. But that may tell only half the story. Anecdotal evidence in toy stores, and the experience of individual toy buyers and local toy makers show that consumer behaviour is radically shifting.
According to the American Toy Association, some 80 per cent of toys sold in the US last year were made in China. But now for the first time in years local manufacturers are gearing up to fight back. They are relying on customers like Abigail's mother Candice, who says she had enough of mass-produced plastic toys that are ignored by her child after a few weeks.
"Abigail didn't even have any of the suspect toys, but it was just the last straw for me," said the high-school English teacher. "I just decided to throw everything out and only keep the toys made from natural materials, toys that would allow Abigail to use her imagination rather than wowing her with how cool they are."
In the Toy 'R Us store in the upscale Californian seaside town of Capitola recently, parents were also changing their buying habits. "I'm definitely reading the label a lot more carefully," said Louis Garamendi as he looked for a toy for his toddler. "I used to trust the companies to do the right thing. But this scare has shown me they don't really care.
Forbes magazine reported recently that a host of small US toy makers were taking on extra staff for the first time in years.
"We have written more orders over the last few days than we did for the first and second quarter of 2007," said Sue Denison, the owner of Roytoy, which makes log building sets. The manufacturer is even going to add colourful "Made in the U.S.A." stickers to her packaging to ensure that every customer knows the origin of her toys.
