Uncle Goose
Trying to buy American-made can be frustrating in just about any store aisle, but it's especially difficult when it comes to toys. According to CNN Money, almost 90 percent of toys sold in the U.S. are actually made in China. Although that makes finding that "Made in the U.S.A." label in the toy store tricky at best, here are 25 of the best toys made in America, from Slinky and Crayola to little-known small business brands.
Little Tikes, founded in 1970, is known for its large, outdoor-friendly plastic toys, including playhouses, sandboxes, water tables, and the iconic Cozy Coupe push car. Based in Hudson, Ohio, the company still manufactures toys there — 141 toys, to be exact, according to the Little Tikes website.
Based in Streetsboro, Ohio, Step2 claims to be "the largest American manufacturer of preschool and toddler toys." It has two manufacturing plants in northern Ohio, where it makes a number of popular toys including outdoor climbers and slides, ride-ons, wagons, and kids' furniture. Branded items made in the U.S. include select Corvette, Thomas the Tank Engine, Hot Wheels, and Paw Patrol toys.
True to their name, Green Toys are mostly made from recycled milk jugs — in fact, the company says it has reused more than 127 million (and counting) jugs to date. Based in Sausalito, California, the company also boasts that all toys are entirely made in the U.S. "from manufacturing to assembly to distribution." Products include toy trucks and cars, puzzles, blocks, tea sets, stackers, and children's dishes.
Crayola, founded in 1903, is nothing short of iconic. Though the company also has a factory in Mexico, many of the crayon-maker's products are still made in Pennsylvania, according to the company's website.
K’NEX have long inspired little builders-to-be, and the company behind them, Basic Fun!, makes the toy's rods and connectors at its factory in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, after moving manufacturing back from China in recent years. Lincoln Logs are another popular Basic Fun! toy made entirely in the U.S.
Few toys are better known than the classic Slinky, introduced in 1945 and made by Just Play. While the Altoona, Pennsylvania factory that manufacturers Slinkys closed down in 2020, Just Play revived the plant that same year after purchasing the toy brand.
American Plastic Toys' products have been "proudly made in the USA since 1962," and the company makes more than 125 different products at four plants in Michigan and Mississippi, though it notes that some small sound components and fasteners are imported. Toys include play kitchens, dollhouses, sand toys, snow toys, and ride-ons.
Founded in 1981 in Burlington, Vermont Teddy Bear is known for its heirloom-quality stuffed bears of all sizes — it even makes a "Giant Hunka Love" bear that is 6 feet tall. The 15, 24, and 36-inch bears are cut, sown, stuffed, and stitched exclusively in Vermont, while larger bears are made overseas and then stuffed domestically.
It doesn't get any more classic than wooden blocks. Uncle Goose makes dozens of sets, including simple alphabet blocks, whimsical animal blocks, and blocks in other languages, including Arabic, Chinese, and even Braille. They are made with sustainable wood, and all are handcrafted in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
You'll find Dirt King's pricey but ultra-durable tricycles, wagons, and carts at daycares, Head Start centers, and other spots where toys that can withstand daily use and abuse are essential. The company even makes trikes for bigger kids and adults. All of Dirt King's products are made and assembled at a factory in WaKeeney, Kansas.
If you're wishing for the simple wooden toys from times past, take note: Maple Landmark is still making them at its factory in Middlebury, Vermont. Available at a few thousand toy and gift shops across the U.S. and abroad, products include building blocks, cars and trucks, marble runs, pull toys, puzzles, trains, and more.
Calling all creative kids: Beka manufactures preschool and kindergarten staples including wooden easels, art tables, weaving looms, puppet theaters and more. This family-owned company has been hand-making its toys in its St. Paul, Minnesota, workshop for more than 40 years, and uses high-quality maple and cherry.
These STEM-friendly building sets, made of spokes that can be connected through small plastic balls to make all sorts of geometric shapes and structures, have received numerous accolades from magazines and websites, and received a coveted gold seal from the coveted Oppenheim Toy Portfolio in 2000. They are made in the company's factory in Longmont, Colorado.
Though it makes mainly children's furniture, Little Colorado also includes some toys in its manufacturing mix — play kitchens, pull carts, doll cradles, play stands, and Lego-compatible play tables included. Their durable, sustainable products are made only from wood and are assembled in the company's factory in Denver.
Spooner balance boards, invented by some surfing buddies from California, are a first step in developing the coordination necessary for activities like skateboarding, snowboarding, and surfing, and can be used both indoors and outside. They've appeared on "Shark Tank" and are manufactured in San Diego.
Bendable and stickable, Wikki Stix are a molding toy made from knitting yarn and non-toxic wax that can be shaped into just about anything. The company's products include various activity kits, including holiday themes, travel sizes and classroom fun. They're made from U.S.-sourced materials in Phoenix.
You'll often find colorful, durable Anatex activity tables, wall-play panels, play cubes, and kids' furniture in the waiting rooms of doctors' offices, preschools and daycares, or other high-traffic play areas. The company is based in Van Nuys, California, and makes almost all of its toys in the U.S.
Budding scientists and naturalists will love DuneCraft's kits, which include kid-friendly terrariums, plant-sprout kits, moldable Space Sand, and even LED-light gardens. Founded in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, in 2002, DuneCraft still makes its toys in the United States.
Channel Craft's products are nostalgia heaven: balsa wood planes, marbles, wooden tops and whistles, checkers, bingo sets, and much more. The company has grown from a one-man operation in 1983 to dozens of employees and a factory in Charleroi, Pennsylvania.
From the same founder behind Little Tikes and Step2, Simplay3 is Tom Murdough's most recent venture, and like his previous companies, all of its products are made in the U.S. Although half of Simplay3's products are adult home and garden products, the manufacturer also sells sandboxes, activity tables, and toys like the Carry & Go Farm.
Bunny Hopkins offers a variety of toys and play structures, all of which are made in the U.S. with American materials and labor. The company's products, like their wooden wobble board, consistently sell for over $100, but that's a fair price for handmade, domestically produced toys.
With a little creativity and time, kids will manage to make a fort out of anything — from pillows and blankets to old Amazon boxes. But if your kids are master fort builders who crave an upgrade, then Make-A-Fort's reusable, American-made building kits could be a good fit. A kit includes reinforced cardboard panels, foam connectors, braces, a carrying case, and a guide.
This company boasts "the most eco-friendly dough on the planet," making this a more sustainable, American-made alternative to Play-Doh. The company's "over-the-rainbow" is its bestseller, though Land of Dough also offers rolling pattern kits.
This Pennsylvania-based company produces unique glittery and scented putties, all of which are produced in the U.S. Crazy Aaron's Putty also works to cultivate an inclusive workplace by employing people with disabilities. Liquid Glass, a transparent, gooey putty, is among Crazy Aaron's most popular offerings.
Dr. Lawrence Mestyanek founded TAG Toys in 1976 to fill a gap in the market: toys specifically tailored to children with learning deficits. Today, the Compton, California company produces American-made toys that are friendly for all children ages 1 to 6.
