Not even the Chinese want Chinese toys

Amidst the ongoing flurry (nice season adjective ) of recalls of Chinese-made toys for lead and safety issues, apparently many Chinese people don’t want toys made in their own country.

According to this Yahoo! News article, many Chinese consumers are opting for foreign-made toys. Sadly enough, the delineation of who buys these safer toys is directly in step with financial position.

China may be Santa’s global workshop, but when it comes to buying playthings for their own children, Chinese families who can afford it opt for foreign-brand toys — even if they are made in China.

Quality and safety issues are drawing more attention as incomes rise and upwardly mobile Chinese grow more health conscious. While virtually all toys on the market, whether foreign or domestic brands, are made in China, factories making foreign brands are assumed to abide by more rigorous standards to screen out lead paint and other harmful materials.

“I dare not buy cheap wooden toys or toys with paint,” said Lin Yan, a professor at Shanghai International Studies University, whose 7-year-old daughter tested for elevated levels of lead in her blood.

“I have a stupid standard: I buy her expensive toys in big department stores. I can only assume most of the expensive ones are foreign brands and are guaranteed to have better quality,” said Lin.

When her daughter is given toys she suspects are unsafe, she throws them away.

An interesting story that’s worth a read.

Yahoo! News via Love Shak