Some Comments About Toy Safety

Much, much, much has been written and discussed about toy safety during the past year. On February 10, new federal legislation went into effect regarding lead and phthalates in toy products intended for children under the age of twelve. In August, even tougher standards kick in.

As independent businesses, http://www.myfavtoys.com/ and My Favorite Toys at University Mall in Carbondale, IL strongly supported this legislation. We are members of the American Specialty Toy Retailers Association (ASTRA), which worked for passage of the new law.

Providing toys, games, and puzzles that are wholesome, safe, educational and creative is at the heart of http://www.myfavtoys.com/ and My Favorite Toys' mission. A family-operated business such as ours is vested in our local and online community of customers. We believe we are an excellent source for your family's toys:

1. As co-owners of MyFavToy.com, we make all purchasing decisions. Our products do not come from a giant, corporate distribution center. We work directly with manufacturers to assure that the products we offer are as safe, productive and fun as advertised. We have a combined 60+ years as educators and advocates for the development of children and adults with special needs. Plus, we have been parents and grandparents for more than three decades, so we share our customers’ personal concerns!

2. We listen to our customers! Because MyFavToys.com is a part of the My Favorite Toys family which operates a large brick and mortar store, we can incorporate personal customer experiences and requests into our inventory decisions. The minute any quality or safety issues come to light, that item is removed from our stock --- we don’t wait for a recall or “corporation decision from above.”

For instance, even though we never carried those magentic building sets with the small round magnets that could separate from the plastic rods, when such incidents occurred, we pulled all brands of such items from our shelves. Even though we are assured that safe versions of this toy are now on the shelves of the big box stores, we have not returned such items to our inventory.

3. We invest in trips to shows such as the International Toy Fair, where new and creative products are introduced. In such venues, we can personally examine products and question the manufacturers.

We are convinced that, because of the good-faith work of our manufacturing partners and new safeguards through the legislation, toys in general are even more safe today than a couple of years ago. And at http://www.myfavtoys.com/ and My Favorite Toys, we pledge to you our best efforts to reinforce these efforts.

As always, we welcome your questions, suggestions, and comments regarding the products we carry, or for that matter, toys you see elsewhere.

OK, we're stepping off our soapbox now..........

Samuel and Suzanne Cox,

Co-Owners