November/December 2010 Issue

8 Dates in Toy Sweatshop History

For the people who make plastic toys, some years were worse than others.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28876688@N03/2697297098/">marissaorton</a>/Flickr

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Read also: The Good, the Bad, and the Snuggly, MoJo’s gift guide for the little ones on your list. 

Low points in recent toy-sweatshop history, as documented by the National Labor Committee.

1996: Haitians earn 7¢ for each Pocahontas T-shirt sewn; Wal-Mart sells them for $12.

2002: 80% of US toys now made in China.

2002: Guandong workers making toys for Mattel, Sega, and Wal-Mart use bare hands to handle toxic paints, glues, and solvents.

2004: Wal-Mart gives its Chinese toy factories 20 days’ advance notice of inspections.

2007: Chinese workers earn 53¢ an hour making Mattel’s Barbie Hug ‘n Heal Pet Doctor kit.

2008: Chinese teens found working 14 hours a day making Sesame Street toys.

2008: Employees of the Yongsheng Toy Factory spend 93 hours a week making Bratz dolls, with no extra pay for overtime.

2010: The International Council of Toy Industries, toy makers’ “social responsibility” group, still condones the use of 14-year-olds to make toys.

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From the desk of Mother Jones CEO, Monika Bauerlein...

Newsrooms can be funded in many ways. One of the most controversial (and volatile) ways is by a for-profit corporation or a billionaire owner. We see it across the headlines on a weekly basis: the claw backs in public media, the gutting of The Washington Post, the bending over backwards to appeal to Trump and his allies.

But not here.

When Mother Jones first started publishing 50 years ago, our founders made a critical decision: to be a reader-supported nonprofit. They knew that no corporate owner would be interested in a muckraking newsroom; they also knew that no muckraking newsroom would be interested in following the agenda of a corporate owner.

And so, we’ve been reader-funded for half a century. We rely on contributions from our readers—readers like you—whether it’s $50, or $15 a month, or whatever fits your budget. People give what they can, and every donation makes a difference for our newsroom, which has grown tremendously—in size and reach and renown—since its inception in 1976.

You may be wondering: What does it take to publish an investigation? And what does my donation actually fund? The answers are one and the same: It takes people, resources, and time. And that’s what your donation funds directly.

Every donation Mother Jones receives from readers fortifies our newsroom, whether we’re covering underreported scandals out of Washington, DC, or the most important news of the day. And right now, each donation will be doubled because of our $50,000 match. So when you make a donation—$5, $50, any amount—it’ll go twice as far.

Your support keeps us going. If you’re able, donate today.

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