Toy Safety

Alex Toys safety information
All Alex products are designed and intended for use by children. We subject all of our products to rigorous safety testing using ASTM standards. Your assurance that they are safe for use, by the age group specified on the package, is the printed statement that reads wither "Conforms to ASTM D4236" or "Conforms to ASTM F963". Our products carries in Europe are tested to the European Union Toy Safety Standard EN71 and carry the CE mark. You may have noticed that a particular product does not stat that it is non-toxic. This is not an oversight. "Non-toxic" is just a different safety standard. In order to print non-toxic on a package, we would have to have the product tested on animals. The ASTM D42326 is a toxicity test that is as reliable and is much more humane.


Blue Orange toy safety
At Blue Orange, we manufacture all of our games in the Far East like most of toy makers. But as a responsible company, we spend the time and investment it takes to make quality games that are not only unique, safe but also respect the environment: 1. We create and design all our games in house, here in San Francisco. As a hands-on company, we are part of the solution through a direct partnership with our personal manufacturer. 2. Our manufacturer in China has been a family business for over 3 generations. The quality of their products is effectively and stringently controlled, achieving an ISO9001 certificate, passing US and Europe international quality standards (ASTM963 and EN71). Our own employees in China QC each production to ensure the highest quality. 3. Additionally, we cherish our anural environment and understand the need to preserve our planet. Therefore, we at Blue Orange have committed to plant two trees for every tree used to create our games. 4. Our dedication to quality, safety and the environment earned us more than 50 industry awards in the past 5 years as well as the first ever given prestigious “Green Toy Company Award”.


Elenco toy safety information
For all our customers concerned with the recall of toys made in China, that have tested positive for lead or contained magnets that could be swallowed, we would like to assure you our Snap Circuits® products meet American Society for Testing and Materials toy requirements (ASTM963), Standard Consumer Safety Specification (16CFR), and International Standards for Toys & Children's Products (EN71). Snap Circuits® are approved and recommended for children ages 8 and older. For more information from the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) about the facts of lead poisoning please follow this link: www.epa.gov/lead. Elenco®’s Snap Circuits® are not only free of lead-based paints and inks but they are also patented with special circuits for safety (US 7,144,255) titled “Electronic Toy and Teaching Aid Safety Devices”. Elenco® engineers will continue to design toys that are educational and safe for children and our Quality Control department will always monitor our products to insure their safety.We thank you for supporting our products and for sending us the hundreds of praising letters about our Snap Circuits® line. They have been helpful in achieving the following awards:
Specialty Toys & Gifts Magazine-Top Selling Item in the Specialty Market.
Creative Child Magazine-Toy Of The Year
The National Parenting Center-Seal of Approval
Learning Express "Most Innovative Toy"
Dr Toy 10 Best Educational Products
Dr Toy 100 Best Children's Products
NAPPA Gold - National Parenting Publications Awards


Haba toy safety information
Declaration of safety, in particular with regard to materials used in the toys that we manufacture.
In light of the current debate on the safety and harmlessness of toys we are taking the opportunity to inform you, our customers, about the quality management processes and materials used in the HABA family of companies. We manufacture our products according to these fundamental principles: With the exception of wooden puzzles and Master Builder construction sets, wooden toys are produced at our production site in Bad Rodach. We work together with German partners who have already been supplying us with first class stains, varnishes and print colors for years. These raw materials are continually being further developed and correspond to all standards and laws for the safety of toys. The materials we use for colored surface treatment of wooden toys and the clear varnish coating that follows are fundamentally water- based and therefore do not contain any harmful solvents, A few of our wooden toys, such as wooden puzzles and the Master Builder construction sets are manufactured in China by qualified suppliers. However, these suppliers work to the same quality standards as HABA in Bad Rodach. It is not possible to manufacture these process-intensive products in Germany at a price that is in line with the market. Fabric toys and some plastic items are manufactured by a few suppliers who are selected according to strict criteria; Suppliers must be certified in accordance with the ICTI Code of Business Practices – www.toy-icti.org). We regularly inspect and audit these suppliers. The individual materials used Fabric toys are inspected and monitored in Germany in their raw state (e.g. paints in liquid form). Unfortunately for reasons of cost it is not possible to manufacture these items in Germany. The sale price would be many times over a range that is acceptable for customers.
Our materials and product inspections go way beyond the applicable provisions. However, a 100% inspection is not possible for production in China or Germany.
Our guarantee: The highly sophisticated materials that we use are free from harmful heavy metals (lead and chrome etc,) and correspond to the prescriptions of EU standards and the American ASTM.
Our tests extend far beyond statutory provisions and entail high financial expenditure. The Landesgewerbeanstalt Bayern (LGA) in Nuremberg, an independent testing institute with years of international experience tests all of our materials and the finished toys to protect our children, in accordance with the following guidelines, standards and laws:
- EN 71 European Standard for Toy Safety
- ASTM F 963 standard consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety
- EU directive 76/769 EEC on azo-dyes (forbidden amine)
- Chemicals prohibition ordinance (national) stannous-organic compound Quality management: We have installed a constant quality management system in our manufacture and goods entrance departments, which reports directly to the management. This guarantees fully independent test processes for the safety of children.
- Goods entrance inspections of materials
- Constant monitoring of materials by an independent testing laboratory according to ' current requirements.
- Ongoing checks by trained staff during in-house processing of paints and varnishes.
- Sample goods entrance inspections of ready-assembled toys in accordance with AQL 2.5.
- Constant adjustment to global legal requirements for toys We produce our toys with the highest possible level of safety. When you choose HABA you are choosing a quality product that corresponds to all valid directives and provisions.
That is guaranteed by the staff and management of the HABA family of companies!
Bad Rodach August 22, 2007


International Playthings toy safety information
International Playthings, Inc. has been in the business of designing, manufacturing, importing and distributing toys for over 40 years. We take the safety of our products and the safety of our customers very seriously. International Playthings products are not part of the recent recalls involving lead paint in toys. Furthermore, International Playthings has absolutely no association with the Chinese factories that have been named in the recall. Before we market or import any toy, whether it is made in China or elsewhere, we ensure that it fully conforms to the applicable compulsory and voluntary standards of ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) and the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission). We also work very closely with our overseas vendors to ensure that rigorous quality control measures are in place for every item that we produce and import. In light of the recalls, however, we are taking a very close look at our current procedures and will likely make them even stricter in the future to address the growing concerns of our customers. Please rest assured that if you have a product made or imported by International Playthings, it is safe. If you would like further assurances about a specific product or brand, we are more than happy to speak with you about your concern.

 

Learning Journey toy safety information
As a parent of two, I, like you, am extremely concerned about the safety and well being of our children. With the holiday season fast approaching, our concerns turn towards the busiest time of year preparing for the upcoming events and numerous items on our “to do” lists. Among those items on that list include buying toys for the holiday season. It is with this in mind that I write this letter to address your concerns about the safety of our Learning Journey products. We at The Learning Journey are proud to say that all our products are safety tested by an independent third-party testing laboratory and meet or exceed the testing standards of ASTM (American Standards of Testing and Measurement) for toys as approved by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The ASTM testing process includes testing for many components, among them heavy metals and lead content. As we sell many of our products worldwide, we also test our international items using strict European standards in addition to the standards of ASTM. All test reports are kept on file in our main office and rest assured retesting occurs frequently. Please be confident that our products are of the highest quality and are safe for children of the ages listed upon each of the products. So we now invite you to shop our online store or one of our many retailers that carry our products and to “shop with confidence” in our Learning Journey products. With our best wishes to you and your loved ones and very happy Holiday Season.
J.B. Frere President The Learning Journey International, LLC


Melissa and Doug toy safety information
Please be assured, we test for lead VERY frequently.
It's quite possible to make great quality children's items in China, which meet all safety regulations, but the key point is that you have to test and inspect very frequently to be sure that your factories are always following your instructions explicitly. I assure you that's exactly what we do.
From our experience, the key to doing this correctly is not simply to insist that your factories follow your instructions, but then to go one step further and to AUDIT, INSPECT, AND TEST very frequently. That is the most important part of the process, and it's something our company has always taken VERY seriously.

Ravensburger toy safety information
Ravensburger would like to reassure all consumers that our preschool toys have NOT been affected by the recent safety problems occurring in some parts of China which have led to the recall of certain toy products. - Ravensburger toys do NOT contain lead based paints. All paints used are non-toxic. - No Ravensburger toys have been recalled. - None of the factories indicated in recent reports have ever been used to manufacture Ravensburger toys. All Ravensburger toys continue to be completely safe for preschool children to use. As part of our ongoing commitment to safety, Ravensburger adheres to all current toy safety standards and imposes high levels of quality control to ensure that our products are always safe to use. All of our toys have been passed as safe by the International Toy Safety Associations and have achieved full safety certification (EN-71 European Safety Standard; ASTM USA Safety Standard). Ravensburger takes safety very seriously and we are proud to produce a range of high quality preschool toys that are not only extremely safe and durable, but are also fun to play with. Please rest assured that our toys do not pose any danger to children and we appreciate your continued support.


Schylling toy safety
Since we began selling toys more than 30 years ago, we have always taken safety very seriously. Quality and safety are of foremost importance to Schylling. Everyone who makes, sells, buys or plays with toys has taken notice and been affected by the recent large toy recalls. The presence of lead in the paint used to decorate the toys has been the largest reason for recalls, but not the only one. We have our toys tested by independent testing labs to the very strict standards established by the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM). In addition to heavy metals, like lead, our toys are also tested for small parts that can cause choking hazards, sharp points, etc. We enforce very strict standards with our manufacturers in China. In light of the recent recalls, as an industry and a nation, we need to insist to our Chinese partners that any use of lead is unacceptable. We will not tolerate it in our products and will cease doing business with companies that do not wholeheartedly agree with us. I hope the recent recalls will inspire all companies to take a deeper look at their testing procedures. Schylling is lending its voice to an appeal to the Chinese government to eliminate this problem once and for all. The best way to do this is for China to ban the production of lead paint - something the US government did 30 years ago. When we started making toys in China over ten years ago, it was difficult to get paint that was lead free and we had to import it from Germany. Now that China has become the toy factory to the world, it is time for them to embrace the standards of the rest of the world and make these standards their own. We think that the children’s toys that will be enjoyed in the days and years ahead will be made to a higher standard. They may be a little more expensive, but this is a small price to pay. Your friends at Schylling.


Scientific Explorer toy safety
With all of the recent publicity over toy recalls, we want to assure you of our longstanding and continuing commitment to producing products that are safe for children. We take this responsibility very seriously, with a product development team that makes safety evaluations of components and finished goods an essential part of the product development process. We also have our products tested by independent testing laboratories. For years we have worked closely with Bureau Veritas and Intertek, two of the world’s most respected testing companies. They consult with us on safety issues and their engineers and safety experts conduct rigorous tests of our products and components for compliance with the United States safety standards. Some products undergo additional testing for compliance with the European safety rules. All food ingredients in our products are packaged in the United States by licensed food packaging facilities.


Additional Information
For information about the recent recalls and about toy safety in general, please click on these helpful links:
Toy Industry Association: http://www.toy-tia.org/
American Society for Testing and Materials: http://www.astm.org/
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC): http://www.cpsc.gov/