When The Hound was a pup, he certainly liked his toys and when he mistreated them, his mother would remind him that he was a lucky pup because kids in China didn't have nice toys to play with. Of course not, they shipped them all here. With lead on them!
And because of the lead on toys scare, toy makers are saying toys are going to cost American parents and grandparents more. We may be a lot of things, but Americans aren't that gullible. Or are we?
Toys cost more? Kids are going to be getting fewer toys. But not until next year, according to The Associated Press, when price increases are expected. Shoppers, the AP says, can expect price increases up to 10 percent next year to pay for increased testing and vigilance by toy makers.
So what are we supposed to do? Here's what this dog's doing: Buying more toys this Christmas and squirreling some of them away in the attic for Xmas '08. That way, the kids get their fair share of too many this year and The Hound saves some money next year!
But then, maybe the toy makers are just toying with us.
I buy books and Play-Doh for my granddaughter...these simple pleasures are the best, and generally you don't have to worry about lead.
THE HOUND SAYS: Sure, no worries about lead, but have you ever tasted Play-Doh. Yuck! That's why The Hound prefers kibble.
My grandson is only 13 months old. I don't have to worry about the lead poisoning yet, unless they put it in the boxes the toys come in. He prefers those [boxes] over most toys right now!
THE HOUND SAYS: Actually, boxes are safer than toys. The Hound remembers when somebody on his block would get a new refrigerator or stove. The kids would play with that box for days, turning it into all sorts of fun forts and things. That was before kids didn't need to use their imaginations because now computers do it for them!