Toys made in the USA: Turnertoys toy selections made in America

Made in America
Complete list of our toys manufactured in the USA
Is it Safe? Understanding toy safety Countries of Origin of all Turnertoys products Using lead test kits

Classic American Toys: Yo-yos Slinky Gyroscope Tops Natural Wood Infant Rattles Puzzles Blocks Trains Construction Vehicles Balsa Airplanes & Gliders Kites Competition Model Aircraft BIG TOYS: Kitchens Furniture Pedal Cars Rocking Toys Dollhouses, Playhouses, Pretend-play Sleds & Wagons Kettler Pedal Toys: Tricycles & Kettcar Pedal Go-carts Balance Bikes Woodkins Folk & Traditional Toys: Tops, Jacobs Ladder	Toys Made in USA In the past few weeks, many of our shoppers have decided to buy only toys made in America. The bad news about Chinese-made toys and poisonous lead paint has us all concerned about toy safety. Although not all our products are made in the USA, we are always looking for them, and we have quite a few. Below is a list of them. MADE IN USA
	Toy Category	Items	You should also know: We make our selections at Turnertoys based primarily on the play value of the toys. Our toys have lasting value for kids, helping them to learn and grow, and to be happy and have fun in the process. We have actually play-tested many of our toys with children, and have carefully inspected all of them for appropriate design and reliable quality. There are many toys that fit our very stringent criteria that are made outside of the U.S., and for which we have just not been able to find American-made versions. We sell some of these toys. Sometimes our decisions have been made on price. Were we wrong? Would you spent 50% more for an American block set identical to a Chinese set, if neither we nor you could tell the difference in the product? (Let us know: ed@turnertoys.com ) There are a number of children's products, both domestic and imported, that our competitors sell but we do not, because we think they are not made well enough, or just don't provide an engaging play experience. And you should know that safety-related recalls are issued by the US CPSC for toys made in all countries, including the U.S. China is special because they are (apparently) the only ones using toxic paints and plastics. We stress that there are no safety-related reasons to throw out all Chinese-made toys indiscriminately. Toxic lead is likely to be found only in paints or inks, colored PVC (not clear), and cheap cast metal. Rather, we are trying to help parents make informed decisions about which toys are likely to present a hazard, and which are not. The only reasons to discard all imported toys, or restrict all buying to USA products, are economic or ideological. Is it safe? Turnertoys began publishing in-depth articles about toy safety back in 1998, when the hazards of PVC teethers were the latest bad news about toy safety. We have some knowledge and expertise in this area. In response to the current concerns about Chinese toys, we have written an in-depth article on the real nature of the hazard, how you can tell safe from not-so-safe toys, and how we are approaching it. You can make informed decisions. We have also listed all of our toys and their countries of origin, and our estimate of any threat they may pose to children, along with our reasoning. If you have any questions about specific products, please email me at ed@turnertoys.com . We can respond to questions better if you can refrain from phoning with questions on this topic. Ed Loewenton 8/19/07 Update 10/22/2007
	Infant	My Very Own® Rattle (Made in Vermont by Turnertoys)
	Blocks	Alphabet Blocks Ages 2 up Unit Blocks sets T5 & T10, Individual blocks Ages 2 up
	Trains	All TC Timber trains and accessories except some track (Germany) Ages 3 up
	Traditional wood toys	Jacobs ladder Ages 4 up
	Spinning (toss) tops	Trompo Tops Ages 10 up Wooden Spinning tops
	American Classics Ages 3 up Still made the by the same manufacturers who were making them when we were kids!	Slinky Gyroscope Roytoy Log Sets YoYo's
	Wood Rocking toys	Vermont Dory Rocking boat - Classic made in Warren, Vermont
	Sleds, wagons	Royal Flyer Elegant Flyer (More expensive models)
	Furniture/Kitchens Ages 2 - 7	All Little Colorado Play kitchen items & Table/chair sets (Furniture; Kitchens)
	Activity Furniture	Easel, Art Table
	Flying Toys Ages 6 up These are everybody's favorites, still made by the same company who made them when we were kids! Nobody doesn't like balsa airplanes!	Balsa model airplanes: Ready-to-Fly Gliders and wind-ups Samplers & Single Models Easy-to-Build introductory level balsa airplane kits Scale model flying Balsa airplane kits Competition Indoor Endurance Flying kits Balsa supplies
	Did you see anything on Turnertoys.com that we didn't list? Let us know at contact@turnertoys.com Countries of Origin of all Turnertoys products
	Using commercially available lead test kits We suggest that the available lead test kits are one tool that can be used effectively in the effort to keep kids safe, if used according to all manufacturer's directions, and interpreted conservatively. False positives are unlikely; if the swab turns color, lead is present in quantities of concern. False negatives are possible, since the test results using the swab kits do not absolutely rule out the presence of any lead. However, in general lead will either be present in detectable quantities, or present only in trace amounts as contaminants, not as intentionally added pigments or stabilizers. Thus, a negative result can be interpreted with reasonable reliability. Furthermore, sensitivity of the swab-type home kits can be increased by swabbing a larger surface area, thus exposing the swab to more lead if any is present. Recently we started testing surfaces of our painted toys for the presence of lead, regardless of the country of origin. We are using LeadCheck® Professional Test Kits, made by Hybrivet Systems (Natick, MA: 800-262-5323 / http://www.leadcheck.com ). These tests indicate the presence of lead in surfaces with a concentration of more than 2µ (micrograms) per 1 cm² surface area. We score the painted surface down to the substrate to expose as much of the coating as possible, so we are not just testing the exposed surface. This is a qualitative test that does not rule out the presence of lead in lower concentrations. Any positive result using this test indicates a toy clearly not suitable for children of any age. Admittedly, it is very difficult to translate results in content per unit surface area into numbers relevant to known health effects in children, which are calibrated in micrograms (µ) per deciliter (dl) of blood. 10µ/dl is considered a very rigorous standard of safety; blood levels below this are regarded by almost all scientists as not of concern. However, neither the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) nor the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) have been helpful in providing a translation formula from surface concentration to blood level, and in fact, it may not be so easy. Surface lead (which our tests detect) indicates only available lead, not ingested lead, which will necessarily be a much smaller amount, depending on frequency, duration, and manner in which the child handles the toy. A toy not placed in the mouth is much less of a hazard than one that is. Furthermore, a toy in which lead is bound in a paint film will release it at a rate slower than our testing indicates, since we scratch the surface in order to release as much as possible. In PVC toys, on the other hand, lead, if present, and other substances of concern, are emitted steadily by the plastic. Turnertoys does not sell toys made with PVC. Top of this page