Built to Last

A new book called Made Here, Baby! is hitting the shelves. Spawned by the recent recalls of millions of imported toys, the publisher touts it as "an essential guide to more than 400 American manufacturers of toys, games, puzzles, hobbies, sporting goods, apparel, furniture, baby gear, bedding, and other items for children." After I get my copy, I'll offer a full review here on The Playmakers Plog.

More and more people are looking for toys and games made in America. And they're looking... and they're looking. If they're going to Wal-Mart (ironically a company that once prided itself on selling American made products), they won't find much in the the way of American-made toys. But they are out there.

As we edit this documentary film on toy designers, it's like going back in time. We have filmed so much footage we've actually forgotten how much fun we had and where we shot. Before you call me senile, remember we've been shooting this thing for three years! Two of the coolest places we visited with our cameras in tow were Hollidaysburg, PA and Shelton, CT. Yes, two all-time classic toys are still made in the good ol' U.S. of A.

The Slinky was invented in 1945 by Richard James. His novel idea was a spring toy that could walk down stairs on its own. Richard was an engineer and built the machines that are still making Slinkys in the factory he once ran in Hollidaysburg.

Eighty feet of round, steel wire is fed into a machine that flattens the steel and "spools" it into a coil. Then workers crimp the end to the coil preceding it so there's no exposed wire to nick little fingers. Voila! Slinky. Next this marvelous thing is dropped into its box, packed in cartons and shipped. This process has repeated itself over 250,000,000 times since the first Slinky rolled off the line in 1945.



Wiffle Balls were invented by David Mullany in 1953. His novel idea was a ball that could curve on its own. After cutting holes in a spherical perfume bottle package and taping two hemispheres together (one with holes and one without) David invented an inexpensive, plastic ball that could "break" two feet or more when thrown. Backyard baseball was changed forever.

Today David's grandsons run the factory that still makes Wiffle Balls like mad. First, each hemisphere is injection molded. The picture above shows hemispheres with the famous Wiffle Ball holes popping out of the molds. Next, the two hemispheres are "heat sealed" together. After the seam is trimmed, the finished balls are dropped in the old-school looking boxes, packed in cartons shipped to sporting good stores and hardware stores all over the world!

America has become a consumer nation. We were once a manufacturing and consumer nation. This shift has all kinds of dire consequences, the least of which is other nations dictating our economy. It's exciting to see American companies, making great American products for Americans (and for export, imagine that). The best part? These great companies are providing jobs for American workers.

And jobs result in an economy that works on its own. What a novel idea.