After several years of teaching elementary school, I was blessed with receiving a little girl into my life. When I started shopping around for toys for her, and after hearing the problems with toys that were made in China, I thought, no problem. I will just check the packaging and buy only toys made in the USA. Was I surprised and disappointed! I couldn't find any in the stores that were solely American made toys. Many of them were labeled Made in the USA, but upon reading the labels more closely, I discovered that many of the component parts were made in China, or at least painted in China (hence the leaded paint). Also, most of these toys were made of cheap plastic, which did not stand up to a young child's use. I got to thinking, what happened to the kind of toys I grew up with? My parents didn't have to worry about lead poisoning, or that the toy would be broken the day after we got it home. The toys didn't do the thinking for us. We had to use our imagination. I wanted toys like that for my little girl. I wanted toys that were child-safe and durable, as well as educational, and ones that would encourage developmental growth, creativity, and imagination. So, I went on a quest to try to find these types of toys. It took lots of time and effort, but I found them! When I found them, I also found people who are proud of what they make, and it shows in their products. Like to be able to find these American made toys all in one place? Check it out: www.all-americantoys.co