Toy Safety: The Parents Have Spoken

“Despite Recalls, 90% of Households Bought Toys.” That was the headline that caught my eye in Marketing Daily. The article was written in response to the latest NPD data that indicated that, though spending per household was down in 2007, more households actually purchased toys than in 2006, a very good year. Here are the opening lines of Sara Mahoney’s article:

Lead-tainted, toxic toys may have dominated last year’s headlines, but a new report from NPD Group says 2% more Americans bought toys in 2007 than in the prior year. The Port Washington, N.Y.-based market researcher says 107 million households bought toys in 2007-that’s roughly nine out of 10 households, making it one of the most widely penetrated industries–up from 105 million in 2006.

In fact, 100% of homes with children under 6 purchased toys.

I really wasn’t surprised (well, surprised a little but not that much). Here is why:

Earlier in the year, I had an opportunity to get a feel for how concerned parents were about toy safety. I was the moderator of a panel on the subject that featured representatives from the Toy Industry Association, a consumer advocate group and a toy retailer. It took place at the Chicago Toy and Game Fair, an exhibition that allowed parents and children to meet directly with toy manufacturers and actually get a chance to play with the latter’s toys. 

I expected to pull a big crowd for the discussion. Here is why: Well known Illinois Senator, Dick Durbin was on the dias with us; our panel discussion took place at a special area right on the show floor; it was taking place in November, right when toy safety was all over the news; and the Chicago Tribune had been running a series of very in-depth, front page articles on the subject.  

Well, we only got a handful of people. Where was everyone? They were with their children, out on the exhibition floor, playing with toys. 

I was intrigued by the response so, after this, when I would visit retail stores, I would ask owners and managers if they felt much of a reaction from parents. Most said that there were a few who were very upset but most were buying toys like usual.

So, here is what I think: Parents, like everyone in our media saturated culture, are by now used to amped up, scary stories from the press. They have learned to dial down the emotion and pay attention to the facts.

On their own, they determined that there was a problem with some toys, that it was being taken care of, and that they needed to be more prudent in which toys they purchased. They were not, however, going to panic and cease buying toys.

I hope that state legislators currently considering overly restrictive toy safety legislation will get the message. That message is that that their constituents do indeed expect them to protect them and their children from harm. They don’t, however, want them to pass legislation that is so restrictive that it will effectively ban categories of toys or make them so expensive that only the very wealthy can afford them. 

The parents have spoken. Are the legislators listening?