Happy Birthday Kids and One Gnome
December 28, 2008 | Daily News, Happy Little People | No Comments
Several smiling faces have joined the liliputians happy customers. And as always, seeing these happy boys and girls makes me love my job even more. Here’s a preview, or go to the gallery to see them full scale – a 1st birthday girl in a liliputians polka dot number shirt, a Finnish boy in his gnome shirt, a 3rd birthday girl in her birthday roses pants set, a 5th birthday girl in her retro birthday kids pants set, sisters in their special tutus, and another 3rd birthday girl in her birthday roses skirt set that was the inspiration for her entire birthday party decor. Fabulous!
CPSIA and The End of Children’s Products & Businesses in the USA
December 14, 2008 | Daily News | No Comments
Has anyone heard of H.R. 4040 or the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008? Well this is legislation with a noble intention that was just not properly thought out before enacted. The creative livelihoods of thousands of cottage-industry entrepreneurs (small businesses like liliputians) are threatened with extinction when the CPSIA goes into effect on February 9, 2009.
Everyone will pay the price. Small businesses and manufacturers will be forced out of business since unable to afford expensive and burdensome testing requirements on their products. (I’d be more than happy to have each of liliputians design tested, if it wasn’t so cost prohibitive. It is the COST involved in testing that will shut us down, it isn’t that anyone refuses to have their work tested.) Retailers of children’s goods, both online and brick and mortar, will be hurt if not also put out of business (the law is retroactive and applies to existing inventory that will now be deemed hazardous goods if not tested by 3rd party government certified lab). And ultimately the consumer will have little choice of products (many favorite brands will cease to exist or no longer be sold in the US such as wooden toys made by German toy manufacturer Selecta) and the cost of redundant 3rd party testing will be passed onto to the consumer in the pricing of products.
As a mother, I strongly support testing to ensure safe products for children, but the law written as it is does no benefit to anyone. Ultimately I feel children will be no safer and ironically the only toy manufacturers most likely left will be the ones that imported the offending toxic toys. Only they will be able to afford 3rd party unit testing for all of their products. Keep in mind that this affects ALL products -toys, clothing, furniture, household goods, books, art supplies, etc., etc.- made for use by children under the age of 12. Say good bye to made-to-order, handmade children’s clothing in America.
Thanks for taking the time to let me help spread the word. Please help so February 10 isn’t really National Bankruptcy Day!
The act itself:
http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/faq/faq.html
easy form letter to write your representatives:
http://capwiz.com/americanapparel/issues/alert/?alertid=12274476
sign the petition:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/economicimpactsofCPSIA/index.html
write the cpsc:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/newleg.aspx
Sites focusing on this legislation and its ramifications:
http://nationalbankruptcyday.com/
http://www.fashion-incubator.com
http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/
http://cpsia-central.ning.com/
http://www.change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia
3 you-tube videos from Rick Woldenberg, Educational Toy Company CEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUlY6zOMPqQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlMh7MJiodY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk0Vr0yDrXc
