I saw something on aca not too long ago about Australian made toys : unfortunately I can't remember the name.

There are plenty of toys made in other countries if you don't mind. Here is an American one
http://www.fatbraintoys.com/specials/made_in_america.cfm?source=google&kwid=...

Australian handmade products, including toys
http://www.gundabluey.com.au/

You will have to pay more for them but I expect you won't mind as long as they're not made in China.

Absolutely appalling link! Such misery behind a smiley toy!

However, there are many alternatives. Simply try Googling the words 'toys made in england' (without the quote marks) in Googlle Advanced Search (web mode) - it will give you a seection of 1,260 pages of possibilities to play with.

There are manufacturers such as Chad Valley etc.

This link tells you which toys are not made in China.
You can buy them from Amazon but a lot of them are not in stock at the moment - maybe because it's Christmas advertising.
At least you know what to look for and if you google them I'm sure you'd find alternative suppliers.

http://www.chinafreechristmas.info/2007/11/top-12-toys-for-christmas-that-your.h...

How about Brio? Lego? Playmobil?

The horrible truth of the matter is that *most* toys and games are manufactured in China these days, the bigger the name the more likely it is to be made in China. If it has plastic in it at all, it's pretty well guaranteed to be made in China. Licensed products (such as Elmo) particularly are all about aggressively protecting the profit margin, which means manufacturing in, you've guessed it, China.

Boycotting Chinese made products is unlikely to change anything. The free market economy simply means that if everyone stops buying Chinese made products, India or Poland or somewhere else will step up to the plate and say "we'll do that" and problem of irresponsible manufacturing and human exploitation simply shifts to a different geography. The only way to actually change things would be for everyone to stop being so materialistic, and for demand to drop back down to manageable, locally producable levels. Not sure how to achieve that...

Really only small-time, independent toy and game makers take the brave (in economic terms) step of producing elsewhere, using different materials. You need to try to avoid plastic, and read the box.

Often games that only use paper and card will be manufactured locally, but any plastic components will probably have come from China.

Check out German brands - they use a lot of wood, and tend to sustainably source things. Maybe your kids can have a whole new set of toys - the bits they need to make their own... there are any number of books out there about how to make toys from recycled bits of household stuff - an activity in itself and a toy at the end of it!

It is a horrible situation, but the bald facts are if you want Elmo, you're buying toys Made in China.

This looks like a good starting place for you if you want to keep it local: http://www.peanutgallery.com.au/information/Childrens_toys_australia.html

for anything simple, perhaps a look in the local arts and crafts matket will help.

I'm with Redslap on this...

There is a lot of pressure on adults, to provide the "toys" kids want. As opposed to the ethics of such demands. perhaps education is the key and this needs to start in the cradle, methinks. But, also, we can apply the principles ourselves as adults... When we in turn want cheap consumables, brand name clothes and a host of other things, most of us simply couldn't afford in a "real" world of fairness!

It is no good just one parent saying no to supporting industrial profit driven greed. We all should do it, otherwise the one will be shamed and villified for all the wrong reasons.

Modern children do not know how to play and have never experienced the fun of having 6-8 kids, ride on one "homemade" gocart!

It is sad Rainey... That so many of us fail to see, that it could be "our" children exploited by tomorrows money driven profiteer and, sadder still, that they in turn. Will probably blame the Chinese for all the pollution, when the reality is. That we are the customers!