Germany Sells Vision for “Green Toys” to World

Germany leads the world in developing a range of renewable-energy products – and its toymakers are no exception. They are creating products to prepare children for a future requiring new energy sources. Designed to direct children’s focus on energy conservation and sustainability, the green toy “make up only a sliver of the nearly $84 billion international toy market, but their share is growing, studies indicate,” reports Melissa Eddy for the Associated Press. Eddy describes an array of toys on display at the annual Nuremberg toy fair: hydroelectric toy cars, helicopters made of bamboo, dollhouses that conserve water, tea sets or tugboats made of recycled milk jugs, stuffed animals and dolls made of organic or recycled materials. The goal behind the toys is to get children thinking about how much energy they use or save. – YaleGlobal