To All Concerned about Child Safety and Products the Youngsters Will Enjoy:

The associates of Middleton Doll are pleased to share with you today news on two fronts regarding the all-important, all-consuming subject matter of "testing."  Testing in the real world, we believe, is conducted on two fronts:

1. By laboratories that test for compliance with safety standards, and
2. By children who conduct a quick out-of-the-box test to determine if a toy will be used (and quite possibly abused) on a frequent basis or relegated to some "dark neverland" (that is, a back corner of the closet or bottom layer of the toy box).

Regarding point 1 above, Middleton Doll is pleased to issue the following statement:

Lee Middleton Original Dolls, Inc. commenced development of play dolls to augment their adult collectible line almost a decade ago.  Recognizing the legally mandated requirements to market products that will be used for play by young children, Middleton Doll Company contracted Specialized Technology Resources (STR) to evaluate safety and regulatory compliance for its product line.

STR is an independent, U.S.-based company that provides consumer products testing, inspection, auditing, and consulting services to major manufacturers, importers, and retailers around the world.  Established in 1944, STR is headquartered in Enfield, Connecticut.  In addition, STR has wholly-owned laboratories in Europe, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, China, and India - as well as inspection offices in over 30 countries and five continents. Each laboratory has obtained and operates under the appropriate accreditation scheme for their country.  The majority of testing of the Middleton Doll product line is performed at either STR's Hong Kong laboratory, which has HOKLAS accreditation, or their China laboratories, which have CNAL accreditation (China National Accreditation Board for Laboratories).  To learn more about STR, one may visit their website www.strlab.com.

Testing of the Middleton Doll product is conducted in accordance with US Federal regulations as well as the toy industry's voluntary standard for toy safety, ASTM F963.  Testing includes "Total Lead" content of all accessible surface coatings to ensure they comply with the requirements of 16 CFR 1303, and do not contain unacceptable amounts of lead.  In addition, testing is also performed for presence of other heavy metals (antimony, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, mercury, selenium) per the voluntary toy safety standard. In addition to the chemical testing as described, Middleton Doll product is further evaluated for mechanical safety.  This process ensures there are no hazardous conditions both before and/or after use and abuse (intended to simulate foreseeable child maltreatment). Finally, tests are performed to determine if there are potential violations of flammability standards.

Middleton Doll is proud of its safety record and has not purveyed product requiring a Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recall.  We are committed to ensuring safe product through the diligent pursuit of appropriate design and manufacturing testing.

Not sure I need to say more here...Middleton uses the best at what they do and if they say PASS on all criteria, we believe we're "good to go."

Those of us in toy business know, however, that "good to go" doesn't necessarily mean "great for play", a critical element in successful sales.  For the "great for play" factor we refer you to two recent mothers and daughters, grandmother and collectors and dealer reviews posted in TDmonthly™, trade magazine for the toy, hobby and game industry.  Four dolls, three from our PlayBabies line and one from our new NOW collection, have been reviewed for their aesthetic appeal, playability, value and collectibility.  A sensational "Five Star" rating was issued on all four dolls.

Last November, contributing writer Ms. Emilie Hill and her four children fell in love with our 18+ month play doll, Little Skylar.  Some quotes from Ms. Hill highlight her review:

• "Little Skylar looks like a collector's doll, but feels like a play doll.  Lee Middleton puts out high-quality collector-edition dolls...  They have put the same high-quality features into this doll, but made it affordable and child friendly."
• "Comparing this doll to others in her category, it is easy to see its superiority."
• "I give Little Skylar my highest recommendation, as she is both a high-quality product and a great value.  Any little girl who is even remotely interested in baby dolls is sure to love Little Skylar."

In this September's issue, under the heading Dolls: A Lee Middleton Trio - Three Cuddly, Collectible Dolls Earn Highest Rating", the Dolls Roundtable of TDmonthly™ (grandmother with granddaughter, doll collector with daughter, mother with daughter and three granddaughters, one doll dealer, and two doll collectors) issued five-star ratings for our Bailey and Reagan PlayBabies and Tiny Cheer of our NOW collection.  Some poignant quotes follow:

PLAYABILITY

• ..."lifelike expressions"
• "Mommy, these are the best dolls ever."
• "They found the sizing perfect, as the dolls fit snugly into each child's arms."
• ..."loved their expressions and especially the clothes made for today's generation."

VALUE

• "The dolls are so beautiful and they have educational value, too.  They teach the children to be loving and nurturing.  They are almost like real babies to care for."
• ..."the dolls are great for the price."
• ..."and I think these dolls will be the big seller this holiday season."

We are so delighted with the reviews from this esteemed periodical.  Middleton Doll is not an advertiser in their piece and has over the past few years had very little contact with this organization.  One can then be assured they have no overriding bias for our company products.

So, folks, that's our scoop on testing concerns.  We hope this helps you to make informed decisions when considering the purchase of our products.

Happy Trails 'Till We (Test) Meet Again,

Ken
Chief Baby Doll Guy