Since the autumn of 2007 there have been very quick moves by the authorities on both sides of the Atlantic towards greater control of magnets in toys. This has been matched, it seems to me, by a very evident alarm amongst toy-buyers as to the safety of magnets in any form. A programme screened in December 2007 on Channel 4 – equally contentious for its scaremongering on the one hand and the pathetic attempt at defence of the toy industry…
We didn’t realise it but it turns out we’re celebrating our 400th anniversary this year, in a here-we-go-round-the-mulberry-bush sort of way. Today’s Times carries a fascinating letter – if slightly arcane – from the Master of the Garden of the Inner Temple, London (no less) explaining the provenance of the two mulberry trees that grow there. It emerges that the mulberry was introduced into England exactly 400 years ago, in 1608, by James I in an attempt to build a…
Apparently the makers of Monopoly in USA are “dropping Water Works and Electric Company in favour of Wind Energy and Solar Energy” according to globeandmail.com . They quote the games owner’s CEO as saying this is “a nod to the efforts of countries worldwide to increase the effectiveness and availability of renewable energy and resources.” A “nod to the efforts”? How patronising can a company get? But should we be surprised at the cynical attempts of one the world’s largest…
It’s no secret that a huge proportion of the world’s toy manufacturing has found its way to the Far East, particularly to China, in recent years. Very few of the wooden toys we sell now come from anywhere other than that part of the world. Don’t get me wrong – some of these people produce fantastic quality products. Have a look at this Fire Engine if you have a moment, made in Thailand in a state of the art factory….
I never cease to be amazed at the number of Junior Carpenter sets we sell – certainly one of our most popular toys. Although it shouldn’t really be described as a toy because these are real tools that really work, and certainly should be used under supervision, at least to start with. Perhaps that’s part of the reason for these sets’ popularity. They are to be used “to start with”. They are bought by people who want their children to…
Mulberry Bush take the issue of Toy safety very seriously. All the toys we sell come from reputable manufacturers and safety testing certificates are held by them, or by the company that imports them into Europe. The test certificate for any toy – be it a wooden toy, game, doll etc – will show an age for which the toy has been agreed to be suitable, but these are, in effect in bands, dependent on the age test for which…