RANDOLPH, NJ, October 17, 2024 – Cra-Z-Art, a leading U.S. manufacturer and innovator in the toy, activity, art, and school supply industries, proudly announces the acquisition of Top Secret Toys. Cra-Z-Art, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year, continues its trajectory of rapid growth and with this strategic investment, significantly expands its footprint in both domestic and international markets. Founded in 2015 in Chicago, Top Secret Toys has established itself as a trusted name in the toy industry with its popular Dissect-It, Giga Pet Brands and Spin Pop brands. Known for delivering toys that blend creativity, education, and fun, Top Secret Toys has earned the trust and loyalty of both children and parents alike. The company’s diverse product portfolio spans categories such as flying toys, STEM activities, and games.

Toy Association staff recently attended meetings of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee 181 on Toy Safety (TC 181), along with consumer product safety professionals from around the world, to advocate for global toy safety standards alignment and discuss areas for improvement.   Held in São Paulo, Brazil, the annual meetings of the technical committee and its various working groups discussed the ISO 8124 series of toy standards, which are intended to be usable as a common basis for regulations around the world.   Toy Association staff and experts from its member companies, as well as ASTM International, represented the U.S. delegation in the discussions, advocating for changes to the international toy standards to further promote child safety and to better align them with the stringent requirements of ASTM F963, the U.S. toy safety standard that is widely emulated by other countries. In all, 20 ISO member countries were represented in the meetings.1 Delegates included representatives of governments, private sector companies, testing laboratories, consumer representatives, standards development organizations, and others.   Collaborating with global toy safety experts and fostering stronger partnerships remains a key component of The Toy Association’s safety and advocacy efforts. Questions about the ongoing ISO activity may be directed to The Toy Association’s Joan Lawrence and Jos Huxley, who were present at the meetings. Lawrence serves as chair of the ASTM Subcommittee on Toy Safety, and Huxley serves as convenor on the ISO working groups on mechanical and physical properties of toys and age determination guidelines.   1Under the ISO standards process, countries and their national standards body (rather than individuals or companies) are the members of ISO. American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is the U.S. member of ISO and The Toy Association coordinates the activity on behalf of ANSI as administer of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group to ISO TC 181 on Toy Safety, bringing together U.S. subject matter experts to formulate U.S. positions on matters before TC 181.

YOUR KIDS CAN NOW TAKE CHARGE OF PLANNING YOUR LOS ANGELES WEEKEND ADVENTURES THANKS TO TRIP JONES NEW KIDS’ GUIDES Here We Come LA With The Brand New Kids’ Guide to Los Angeles featuring the Best Places to Explore, Play, See and Eat From A Kid’s View Chicago, IL (October 14, 2024) – If a parent had to guess which future memory would become the most vivid for their child, would they pick a birthday? December holidays? No, according to the US Family Travel Association. It’s a vacation! It might be spending a day at a hidden gem discovered in your own city. Or the day that everything seemed to go wrong but turned out to be an incredible adventure.