Culture & Celebrity (kids)

Can the kids of the future be happy with low-toxic toys in plain paper packaging? Visiting any toy superstore you sure wouldn't believe it, as excessive packaging and bad plastics are the clear and present norm. But if kids could grasp the enormity of the consequences of our plastic addiction (and see for themselves the Great Pacific Garbage Patch) perhaps their ardor for Lego plastic bricks and Wii sets would be slightly dimmed. OK, maybe not.

Swedish designers at Playsam are hoping that parents (adults are the biggest market for their sleek and irresistible wooden cars) will be concerned enough by the continuing reports of lead paint and other toxics in hastily built toys from China to look into alternatives such as their newly repackaged (100% recycled fiber), unpainted Streamliner wooden cars. Though Playsam can't say that the German beechwood used in the new Streamliner "miljöbil" is sustainably harvested, the car's finished is a non-toxic lacquer, according to designer Carl Zedig.

"We did this because we thought people needed to see that underneath the paint is a very safe toy."

Playsam's Green Line Organic will be available in an extremely plain brown paper box in April at upscale toy stores. Via ::Form designtidskriften (Swedish)