Toy manufacturers continue to create real holiday pain for parents

Our family celebrates two major winter holidays – Christmas and Chanukah. Combine these two holidays with three small kids and you end up with dozens and dozens of toys that need to be opened, assembled, charged and/or need to include a variety of different types of batteries.

Having Christmas still fresh in my mind, it makes me reflect about how over the years I’ve seen these manufacturers continue to change the ways (and levels of difficulty) that parents have to follow to actually ensure that these toys work. But one consistent reality remains steadfast – lots of pain is always involved and these companies just don’t get it or care.

About three to five years ago, the big issue (and fear) always involved making sure that we had a truckload of every type of battery imaginable on hand because no toy manufacturer ever included them with the toys. As much as we prepared, inevitably one or two random toys wouldn’t work because we ran out of the right type of batteries before the day was over. This led to screaming children and a few tense moments. I always thought that the toy companies must have struck a great financial arrangement with battery companies because of how much business is sent their way.

The toy manufacturers have seemed to ease our battery burden over the last couple of years. I’ve actually noticed many toys with batteries included now. So, of course, they’ve shifted pain to an entirely new area – our hands. The hard plastic packaging combined with many sharp metal ties on each and every single toy has created puncture wounds and cuts that are usually associated with some form of manual labor. Some of these packages are so hard to open with a scissor or knife that I feel like the contents inside should include a dangerous medicine or something that could be poisonous to kids. It‘s quite ironic that they only serve to keep us from removing toys instead.

I can only imagine what changes are coming next over the next few years. Regardless of this, you really have to wonder what these companies are thinking of when they develop components for toys that are just so consumer unfriendly. To steal my blog’s theme, these companies simply don’t measure up for the customers they serve. 

I’ll admit that my brother was handed all of our family’s mechanical genes in this department, but making toys work just shouldn’t be so hard!

Comments

[Medical Supply Executive]

couldnt agree more. having just had each of my 2 kids have birthday parties plus all the chanukah parties added up to 60 or so toys that had to be opened and sometimes assembled. the assembly is a huge pain, but untying those wires from every side of the toy is pure pain! I dont know what purpose they serve, other than me swearing never to buy somnething from the company again. the worst offender are those power ranger figures and toys. one box took me 10 minutes to get through!

[pretzelcityusa]

My kids are now officially past the age of wanting toys that require batteries, but I remember the years of going through the same problems -- and the twist ties too, Med. But I guess we're doomed to the horrible plastic packaging regardless of what age our kids are. My son got a wireless adapter for his Xbox 360, predictably in the horrific plastic packaging. I had to cut through it with scissors, which was really difficult regardless -- only to discover that I'd cut through the directions too.