OK, how important could the Presidential elections be to the ‘Doll’ industry, right? I can here the groans now… Peter Please!
Well, depending on whose figures you use, Toys are a 20 Billion Dollars a year industry, with dolls about 2 to 3 Billion of that. And of course, 80% come from China. So throw big dollars, international trade, children’s toys all together into the mix, and yeah, the candidates speak up! (I’ve paraphrased and edited for conciseness… the sentiments are all theirs).
Of course every politico’s favorite bug a boo is lead in toys and recalls. Serious issues, knee-jerk comments
“I would stop the import of all toys from China” – Barack Obama
Chinese reaction : Squeal like a stuck pig
Retraction: “I meant the ones with lead”
Joe Biden wasn’t much better…
“If I were President, I’d shut down all toy imports from China”
Similar talk from McCain
“If I were President, the next toy that came from China that endangered the lives of our children, would be the last toy that came into the US”
So OK, Political reactions to a serious problem, one that the industry reacted to and Congress and Bush addressed as part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. It passed and it’s pretty strict. Of course neither candidate was actually there to vote; but they ‘supported it.’
So… Dolls, Chinese imports, Presidential Politics, Child Safety, Free Trade and the Doll Industry all did sort of collide in a jumble this year.
So what is my point? You gotta pay attention! And of course, VOTE!