Manufacturers hoping customers have confidence in available toys

Gassy Gus has a rather obvious problem with his digestion, but at least he's not covered in toxic substances, manufacturers of the new gross-out game say.

Indianapolis-based Fundex Games recently unveiled the new product -- in which the belly of a junk-food junkie expands with gas until the inevitable happens -- at the Chicago Toy and Game Fair. This year's recalls of potentially hazardous Chinese-made toys were a topic of discussion at the Schaumburg event.

Fundex makes most of its games in China, but production samples are tested there in an American laboratory to gauge any defects or hazards, said Daniel Sabato, the company's director of marketing. Gassy Gus, for ages five and up, includes an inflatable figure of the namesake character and printed playing cards that participants use to advance the game. The object: Do not be the player who causes Gus to break wind.

"We actually have implemented much more testing than we have previously, even though we easily met or exceeded the standards for the industry," Sabato said.

"We do have retailers coming to us and asking us what's American made" from the company's inventory, he added. "Probably 90 percent of all toys are manufactured in China. So, if the retailers want to have anything on their shelves, they're going to have to buy some Chinese products."

Other game-makers at the toy fair said fallout from the recalls could help steer parents toward their less-flashy products. And a selling point for Buffalo Games is that the manufacturer's line of merchandise is made in upstate New York, company spokesman Christopher Thorpe said.

Buffalo Games' offerings include Monster Maker, a children's card game in which players race to assemble a cartoon picture of one of five creatures.

"We think it's a competitive advantage to not necessarily be dependent on China," Thorpe said. "It gives us the ability to respond quicker to market trends and conditions. We control our own destiny."

Consumers may also appreciate it if a domestically produced game is made with eco-friendly materials, said the makers of "Headliners," in which players compose headlines for offbeat photographs. Manufactured in St. Paul, Minn., "Headliners" is made from vegetable-based inks and recycled paper and glass.

"With the ongoing discussion of global warming, people are looking at eco-friendly goods as a feel-good alternative, and they're willing to pay a little bit more," said Tony Kvale, CEO of Kvale Good Natured Games.

The highly publicized toy recalls have rocked the multi-billion-dollar industry, which relies on the cheaper labor market of China. Millions of popular toys have been yanked from American shelves this year because they contained lead-based paint, had other dangerous defects or contained small magnets that could prove fatal if ingested by a small child.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., is among lawmakers calling for a boost in funding for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the federal agency that is supposed to screen a wide variety of goods. Currently, Durbin said, only one CPSC staff member is charged with testing toys.

Durbin said the national economy could suffer as consumers buy fewer toys.

Richard Gottleib, a toy industry consultant and columnist, said retailers won't begin to know the full effects until after the Thanksgiving holiday, a major Christmas shopping period. But he speculated that concerned grandparents may opt for "safer" kinds of gifts, such as clothing.

"I call it the 'sweater effect' because it would mean migration out of the toy department - not permanently, but for the season perhaps," Gottleib said.

"I think that we're also going to see some migration possibly out of the mass market into some of the specialty-store chains," he added. "Think about it: Your local toy store owner is pretty much the closest the average person is going to come to a toy expert. (There's) this feeling that this person should know what's in their store."

Also at the Schaumburg trade show was a relatively simple, French-made construction toy known as Kapla. The pieces are 5-inch-by-1-inch slats of pine - covered in a water-based, non-toxic stain - that children use to make buildings, towers or spheres.

"I have many consumer calls every day asking if we're a Chinese-based product (and) what is our safety standard," said Kim Keely, a representative for Kapla's American office.

"We are all about the art of play, teaching children how to play again," she said.

Mike Ramsey can be reached at (312) 857-2323 or ghns-ramsey@sbcglobal.net.

Toy safety tips for parents:

Adhere to the age restrictions that manufacturers place on their toys (found on the product's packaging).

Do not buy toy jewelry for children; it could contain a core of lead, a toxic metal.

If you are concerned about whether toy paint contains lead, affordable home-testing kits are available at stores.

Be cautious of toys with magnetic pieces; if you buy one, at least inspect the product for stability.

Check the government website www.cpsc.gov <http://www.cpsc.gov/> (the Consumer Product Safety Commission) for updated information about toy recalls.