Toy stories: parents can find entertaining toys that reflect the child's culture—and are made in the USA

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With toy safety now becoming an even bigger concern for parents, selecting Christmas toys this year may present even more challenges to fulfill that holiday wish list. According to the Center for Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), parents, grandparents and anyone purchasing toys will need to exercise caution when making like Santa this season. Last year, more than 147,000 children were treated in hospital emergency rooms due to toy-related incidents, according to the CPSC. In August of this year, a recall of 20 million toys made in China spurred toymakers and retailers (such as Toys "R" Us and Walt Disney Co.) to step up their game by independently testing products and increasing the number of safety checks made on toys.

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Many parents will opt for U.S.-made toys this Christmas because products made here have stricter standards regarding lead content in paint--the major issue in file toy recall.

WHERE TO START

Smaller toy stores that use U.S.-made products are ideal places to shop, industry experts say. If there arc no mom-and-pop toy stores in your area, the next best place to find locally made toys is online. Check out these Web sites that feature everything from lead-free train sets, wooden alphabet blocks, kids' furniture and "green dolls," which are made with organic products:

www.usmadetoys.com www.ourgreenhouse.com www.turnertoys.com www.unclegoose.com

FUNNY BOOKS

As a child growing up, Alonzo Washington loved comic books and action figures, but he says he couldn't identity, with some of the Black characters. "They were always of stereotypical ex cons or the sidekick of the main hero," says Washington. "So I created my own. I would put afros on my action figures and paint them black." Fifteen years ago, Washington, a father of seven, launched Omega Man comic books, which feature a Black superhero who battles such problems as racism and gang violence. Washington's comic books can be ordered at http://www.omega7.com.

WHAT A DOLL

Little girls love dolls--no matter what the time of year. Just ask Melissa Perkins, who began collecting dolls at age 7. Today the 46-year-old entrepreneur owns more than 600 dolls and has created an African-American doll called Princess Amira, along with a line of partyware and accessories she labeled as Uzuri Kid Kidz (www.uzurikidkidz.com). The former retail buyer plans to sell the soft-cloth doll for $20, but she admits that it's difficult to compete with big toymakers that mass-produce toys overseas. "It would cost $8 [per doll] in China," says Perkins. "It would cost about $10 to produce the doll locally." Because of some production delays, Perkins has delayed Princess Amira's debut until next spring.

There are other dolls that are safe, fun and reflect cultural identity. Gift shops at Black museums and art galleries often carry the work of Black artists mid dollmakers. Kimberly Camp is one such artist. Camp's dolls and paintings have been featured in more than 100 exhibitions, including the Smithsonian Institution and the American Craft Museum.

She fashions dolls out of stoneware for serious collectors, mad paper clay and fabric for children. Dollmaking has been Camp's passion since 1983 when she was asked to create dolls for a Kwanzaa festival. "I made those [first] dolls out of scraps of fabric," recalls Camp, who lives in Kennewick, Wash., and is from a family of artisans. "There were 49 [dolls], and they sold out in two hours." Camp's cloth dolls range from $30 to $150 (collectibles run from $200 to $5,000) on www.kimberlycamp.com.

Like Camp, Dawn Jones took ordinary household objects (such as cardboard cones, Styrofoam balls and pipe cleaners), mad transformed them into dolls for her four children, who she home-schooled. Fifteen years later, Jones is still making dolls. Her latest creations arc outfitted ha elaborate Afrocentric garb and can be purchased in the gift shop at DuSable Museum of African-American History in Chicago. Jones also conducts dollmaking workshops at schools, churches, libraries and child-care centers.

Whether you decide to purchase commercially produced toys and games, or to buy those made by smaller, local producers, make sure that safety is at the forefront of your holiday agenda.

Non-Toxic TOYS 4 TOTS

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CRAYOLA BURP'N MONSTER PENCIL SHARPENER

Makes chewing noises while sharpening colored pencils then lets out a burp!

AGES: 6 and up

PRICE: $16.99

www.crayolastore.com

UNCLE GOOSE CLASSIC 27-PIECE ALPHABET BLOCKS

Embossed block set comes in a canvas drawstring bag. Created in the USA with non-toxic ink, beveled edges, and animal pictures and names.

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AGES: 1 and up

Price: $36.95

www.unclegoose.com

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CRAYOLA PRODUCTS COLOR EXPLOSION FIRE & ICE

A new product that allows children to create colorful works of art with a single marker and special paper.