In the search for toys that won't end up in a recall announcement on the 6-o'clock news, we've discovered that, amazingly, there are toys out there that are actually still made in the USA! While that's no guarantee of superiority, it's a pretty safe bet that there's some better quality control and a complete lack of lead paint or other toxins that could be ingested by your children. In fact, some of these toys are downright classics that provide fun, open-ended play and can be enjoyed for years to come, rather than consigned to the landfill with all the other plastic junk.
Online retailer Craftsbury Kids carries a wide range of toys, and offers a whole section of items made in the USA. A couple of our favorites are the old-fashioned Roy Toy Log Cabin Play Set and the Little Engine That Could Wooden Toy Train Set. Made in Maine since the 1930s, Roy Toys are made of hand-sawn wood dyed with food-grade dyes. With 140 pieces per set, kids can create a variety of different designs. They look kind of like another classic toy, Lincoln Logs, but the logs are rectangular in profile, rather than round and are easier for kids to work with. The Little Engine That Could Wooden Train Set is modeled after the classic children's book, and is compatible with most wooden train systems, including Thomas the Tank Engine, and Brio. Made in the USA of birch hardwood and lead-free paint, this set includes an engine, three cars, and a red caboose, and should last for generations.
Our Green House is another online store that, as the name implies, offers natural and environmentally-friendly home and baby products. They also have a selection of made-in-the-USA toys. We think the wool felt mail box play set is pretty neat. Kids can send pretend postcards and letters, and affix stamps with handy Velcro tabs. Comes with a mail box and drawstring mail pouch as well as a variety of stamps and mail pieces. We also like the Nursery Rhyme Wooden Blocks, a set of nine wooden blocks illustrating such familier stories as Humpty Dumpty, Three Little Kittens, and Old Mother Hubbard.
