BAD RODACH, Germany -- Saws clatter on the workshop floor, where craftsmen stamp out the rounded sides of what will become a red, toy pushcar and slice dozens of dragon figures out of a 2-foot-long dowel.
One building over, large drums rumble, shaking hundreds of wooden grasping rings beneath a steady drip of water-based lacquer. The process, which can take up to 18 hours if the wood is colored, renders the rings smooth, shiny, and safe for curious young mouths.
With about 80 percent of all toys sold in the United States made in China, German toy maker Haba knows it supplies a tiny market from its base in Bavaria. But the recall of millions of Chinese-made toys tainted with lead-laced paint has brought more attention to smaller European toy makers that stress natural and safe materials -- if parents are willing to pay the price.
"It's scary. First cat food and dog food, and now the kids' toys," said Whitney Settle, of Petroleum, W.Va. "I have a 2-year-old boy who chews on everything. I doubt I am going to buy [Mattel] anymore -- or it's going to make me look twice."
Toy experts say that European makers adhere to higher safety standards than in the United States, and many of the companies, such as Lego in Denmark, Brio AB in Sweden, and Haba or Selecta in Germany, stress that their in-house safety standards exceed the industry norms.
Customers have become noticeably more careful, said Thomas Brautigam, chief executive of Brio, which is known for its wooden toys.
"Since the end of June we've noted a much larger awareness among our customers," he said. "There are a lot of questions and they are seeking out safe and quality products to a much larger extent."
While Brio maintains some of its toy production in Europe, Brautigam said most of its production lines are, like other companies, in southern China, where costs are demonstrably lower.
That's a move that Haba, a division of the family-run Habermass GmbH, said it won't consider.
The company, best known for its brightly colored wood infant rings and grasping toys, as well as colorful board games such as "Animal upon Animal," or "Tier auf Tier" that have become increasingly popular in the United States, reported sales of $321 million in 2006. That compares to $5.65 billion for Mattel.