Monday, April 28th, 2008
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 toy-makers to consider global warming to be just another bandwagon to jump on? Unless they know something we don’t and wind farms and solar panels are about to be installed in Mayfair or the Old Kent Road.
Call me old fashioned but I like my traditional games to stay as I remember them as a boy - and still occasionally enjoy now. You can’t mess with tiddlywinks or solitaire and that, no doubt, is why they are just as popular as ever
Posted in Games, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008
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. The quality of the finish of the rubberwood is fantastic. Or this dolls house , until very recently made by the British craftsman who had been producing in the UK for years, and now unable to produce economically himself. There’s no doubt the Chinese factory has done a great job in producing a sturdy and well made toy and at a fantastic price. But I’m uneasy.
I know I’m not alone thinking that too much reliance on foreign manufacturing is unhealthy, for a whole host of reasons, not least the loss of skills and the loss of jobs in Britain and Europe. It is now virtually impossible to find any toy that is made here, and believe me we do try. So I was quietly pleased to see this article in Time Magazine. It looks as if the honeymoon period for Chinese manufacturing is coming to an end. Maybe some of the British manufacturers should start dusting off their machinery and putting up the job vacancy adverts. We can only hope.
Posted in Dolls Houses, Uncategorized, Wooden Toys | No Comments »