Handmade Toy Alliance

Handmade Toy Alliance CPSIA reform advocate Whimsical Walney reacts to the NYTimes #CPSIA story. Yes we all have better things to do than pretend to be victims.

Source: bit.ly
1 : a living being sacrificed to a deity or in the performance of a religious rite2 : one that is acted on and usually adversely affected by a force or agent : ...
Jude Sanchez
Jude Sanchez
Well how would we go about it? It would be cool to have a button to put on my blogs and other pages.
November 19 at 9:27am
Gaia Cornwall
Gaia Cornwall
Jude and Gayle, you can take the Handmade Pledge here:
http://www.buyhandmade.org/
And put one of those buttons on your site. Though it isn't just for the holidays...
November 19 at 10:56am
Alberto

Alberto 1. Mattel messes up.
2. People want higher safety standards.
3. CPSIA is passed, crippling the very people who advocated safer toys.
4. Mattel is exempt from third party testing, even though they can afford it.
5. Mattel messes up... again.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=9109395

November 17 at 7:50pm · Report
Carol Lindstrom

Carol Lindstrom Quality toys are not made by laws. There are far too many big companies that will work diligently to get around the laws. The pride and integrity of our small manufacturers and local toymakers are what make quality safe toys. We desperately need to preserve and expand our own small manufacturers and local toymakers. We do not need to outsource children's safety.

November 12 at 8:35pm · Report
M.H. Dorsett

M.H. Dorsett Our museum store relies on small manufacturers and local toymakers. These folks didn't cause the problem (greed at the top did), but they and the places that carry their work are paying an enormous price. It is a shame that in a country where we say we value craftsmanship, we punish the best products on the market.

November 12 at 7:34pm · Report
Handmade Toy Alliance

Handmade Toy Alliance Latest HTA blog post.

Source: handmadetoyalliance.blogspot.com
Handmade Toy Alliance CPSIA Blog
Handmade Toy Alliance

Handmade Toy Alliance New HTA blog post on CPSC's draft guidance on component testing and product retesting schedules.

Handmade Toy Alliance
Below is a list of high priority members on Commerce Trade and Consumer Protection subcommitte to lobby for legislative change to CPSIA. Please consider setting up a face to face meeting if you are a crafter or small business owner in one of these states...
Curran Copeland
Curran Copeland
I like the idea, can some one make a list of items to be covered so that we all make sure that we are asking for the same thing? High on my list would be componet testing by the manufacture or items used in making of toys not of the finished item.
November 9 at 5:49pm
Curran Copeland
Curran Copeland
Ed Whitfield(R) Ky is my rep anyone else have him as theirs?
November 9 at 5:52pm
Handmade Toy Alliance
Handmade Toy Alliance
Curran-it looks like the CPSC is going to be allowing component testing (see our latest post above). But our concern is that there won't be enough time for that to work before the 2/10/10 testing deadline. So, I would say our #1 priority is another 1 year stay. We also need open hearings on the CPSIA in the house and senate commerce committees. -dan marshall
November 9 at 6:31pm
Handmade Toy Alliance

Handmade Toy Alliance Representative Charles Dent of PA has formally endorsed our letter to the CPSC, including our requests for a 1 year continuation of the stay and exemptions for one-of-a-kind items.

Source: handmadetoyalliance.blogspot.com
Handmade Toy Alliance CPSIA Blog
TheHandmade GiftGuide
November 4 at 8:57am · Report
Handmade Toy Alliance

Handmade Toy Alliance HTA reaction to NYT article, and big conference call with CPSC on friday.

Source: handmadetoyalliance.blogspot.com
Handmade Toy Alliance CPSIA Blog
Ryan Rush
Ryan Rush
Nancy Cowles- what a horrid person.
November 2 at 8:07pm
Handmade Toy Alliance
Handmade Toy Alliance
The most frustrating thing about this whole thing is that both our members and Kids in Danger wanted to ensure better quality products than the crap they sell at Wal-Mart. The difference was what we chose to do about it--HTA members chose positive action and started making those better products, while Kids in Danger chose negative action and helped... Read More create a law that they thought would fix the problem. They are now in the awkward position of defending this dumb law in the face of dozens of unintended consequences. If anyone has been used by Big Toy, it's these consumer groups. So, no, Nancy Cowles is not horrid. She's just in an untenable position where she can't easily back down. Admitting you made a mistake is not easy, especially when you use "victories" like the CPSIA to raise funds and build membership.
November 3 at 11:35am
Maryann Paige
October 31 at 4:14pm · Report
Maryann Paige
Maryann Paige
Interesting editorial that mentions CPSIA testing and overall government intrusion into people's lives.
October 31 at 4:15pm
Dulce
Dulce
great article.
November 1 at 11:09am
Handmade Toy Alliance
Handmade Toy Alliance
This article highlights that for a lot of people, the CPSIA came at the absolute worst possible time. If you wanted to kill all the small batch childrens product manufacturers in the US, this would be the perfect time to do it.
November 1 at 9:54pm
Steve Brady

Steve Brady A great cause. I put a link to a New York Times article explaining this issue on my blog as well.

October 31 at 1:09pm · Report
Handmade Toy Alliance
November 1 at 7:10am
Wendy Rosen
Wendy Rosen
Congrats! Let me know if you need help in Washington DC
November 1 at 10:39am
Jill Chuckas
Jill Chuckas
Thanks for your offer Wendy. Feel free to email me/ us direct. We can always use additional support on the Hill.
November 2 at 6:51am
Handmade Toy Alliance

Handmade Toy Alliance HTA Featured in the NY Times http://bit.ly/4cue3D. ...

“The law is flawed,” said Rob Wilson, a director of the Handmade Toy
Alliance, which wants Congress to reopen the 2008 legislation to new
amendments. “It reflects decision-making that in a sane world makes no
sense.” ...

Combined with a conference call with CPSC Commissioners to discuss our requested policy action (see below), this was a busy day for the HTA!

Source: bit.ly
The law requiring safety standards for products used by children is costly for handcrafters and small businesses.
Alex Entelis
Alex Entelis
The article was good, but nothing new, its the same story with no ending, will the law change in time? can we actually get exempt from testing?
I got a business to protect, February is a short time away, what is actual going to happen here?????
November 1 at 7:30am
Handmade Toy Alliance
Handmade Toy Alliance
Now is the time to write to your representatives and tell them we need another 1 year stay of enforcement. Feel free to share our reasoning, which is at http://handmadetoyalliance.blogspot.com/2009/10/handmade-toy-alliance-requests-cpsc.html . Basically, we're arguing that 2/10/10 is too soon, especially since we still don't have a component testing rule.
November 1 at 9:49pm
Handmade Toy Alliance

Handmade Toy Alliance The HTA asks the CPSC to stay #CPSIA testing req's for 1 more year, along w/ 8 other requests to save small businesses. http://bit.ly/akKou

Marianne Mullen
Marianne Mullen
THANK YOU THANK YOU for being so dedicated to changing this law.
October 30 at 9:59am
Wendy DeLong Thomas
October 30 at 11:06am
Teresa Welty-Martin

Teresa Welty-Martin Join My Unique Wooden Toys on FB to help support small USA businesses. We are toymakers and make old fashioned wooden toys, www.myuniquewoodentoys.com

October 23 at 8:53am · Report
Curran Copeland
Curran Copeland
Saw the toys on your site very interesting, nice work. Check out the fishing rod on my site sweetsawdust.com you might like it. What are you going to do about the paint and the CPSIA regs? I noticed that most of your items are stained or painted.
October 26 at 2:29pm
Handmade Toy Alliance
Handmade Toy Alliance
right now, a surface coating such as paint does require 3rd party testing, but stains that penetrate a substrate do not until the stay of enforcement expires on 2/10/10.
November 1 at 9:56pm