How We Select The Best, Most Unique Toys
From Hard To Find European Toys To Handcrafted American Classics
We start with the understanding that it takes a lot of work to find positive, natural toys among the mass-produced and throwaway products that represent the state of the toy industry today. Star Bright Kids Company attends industry trade shows such as the New York International Toy Fair and the Nuremberg International Toy Fair where thousands of new products are unveiled each year. In addition to sourcing products at trade shows, we scan multitudes of parenting and industry magazines and receive suggestions from customers to find unique toys that cannot be found anywhere else. Whenever possible, we visit the manufacturer and/or distributor to ascertain the quality of the materials, craftsmanship, working conditions, and distribution.
First and foremost, however, we keep our customers in mind when adding new products to our portfolio and have developed the following criteria for product selection:
Play Value
We look for unique toys that are naturally engaging for babies or children. We select natural toys that encourage interaction, imagination, development, logical reasoning, and open-ended play.
Quality
We select toys that are thoughtfully designed, made of high quality materials, and skillfully crafted. We have found that many parents prefer fewer toys of higher quality than an abundance of toys that are quickly broken or thrown out. Many of our American and European toys are of heirloom quality, crafted with hardwoods such as birch or maple.
Eco-Friendliness
We offer several lines of toys that cater to the growing demand for natural, organic and/or eco-friendly products. Several of manufacturers that we represent have developed innovative processes for using recycled rubberwood or replenishable bamboo in lieu of plastic or traditional wood. In addition,we also feature soft toys that are organic or constructed of completely natural materials as well as PVC-free melamine tableware.
Artistic Qualities
We seek toys that are visually appealing to both children and adults. All Star Bright products have an artistic edge and some of them have been designed by children's book artists.
Awards
Many Star Bright toys have won awards in the United States and abroad. We particularly pay attention to the Oppenheim, Dr. Toy, and Spiel Gut Awards as they are independent organizations that do not benefit from advertising revenue from toy companies.
Safety
All Star Bright products conform to American and/or European Toy Safety Standards. We specifically seek products made in Europe or the United States; however,we have found several brands that originated in Europe and have moved production to Asia. We do not carry products that are mass produced, and the products that are manufactured in China are tightly overseen by key personnel (including owners) of the parent company. We require safety statements from all vendors.
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