Generations of children have grown up with toys made in –and by-Hong Kong. If those toys could talk what a tale they would tell of the people, and place that, year after year, made sure Santa delivered.
The story began some 60 years ago with a few entrepreneurs, most of them refugees from upheavals in China, struggling to survive in beleaguered Hong Kong. Through trial and error they learned to make toys from plastics, the wonder material of the post-war era. As baby populations boomed, Hong Kong’s canny toy manufactures partnered with Western traders and overseas toy companies to secure export orders. Together, they turned tiny Hong Kong into the world’s largest you exporter. It became Toy Town.
There are funny stories, sad stories and inspiring stories in this unusual industry biographer, as told – at last – by veteran Hong Kong toymakers and international “toy biz” insiders. They recall Hong Kong’s Herculean efforts to overtake Germany then Japan in toy exporting, to overcome Western prejudice and protectionism against toys from “the Orient” and to achieve a hard-earned reputation for reliability, quality and product safety. They tell the stories behind the stories of iconic toys, from Barbie to her European rival Sindy to G.I Joe, Matchbox cars, Cabbage Patch Kids and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Check out our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Toy-Town- ... 2670547777, the first 100 people to “LIKE” the page will receive a free E-Version! (Ed Note- Last time I checked they only had about 20 people so far- if you want a free e-book now is your chance!)
The Toy Town website
www.toytownthebook.com has images, excepts and other information.
