HearthSong


HearthSong Toys
Barbara Kane founded HearthSong in 1983 because of a growing conviction that, ".too often, in our culture, children are pushed to grow up too fast. I started HearthSong to make a statement reinforcing what parents themselves know is true, right and healthy--that childhood is a very special time." Children need time to be children.
A catalyst for Kane was a major national news magazine's cover story on "superbabies." This article, and her own observations, made her more aware of how our society pressures parents to teach their children more and more facts, at earlier and earlier ages. In Kane's view, "Earlier is not necessarily better. It's important that children learn basic skills, but at the right developmental age. Most of all, children need time for creative, imaginative play. In fact, it is through play that children learn most readily."
Kane chose the company's name to reflect her values: the hearth, a traditional symbol for the center of the home, and song to symbolize the family spirit, the joy that parents and children can experience together.
Originally printed in black and white, with pencil drawings of carefully selected toys and books, and mailed out of Kane's house by her family, the first catalog was a success. Circulation has grown from a mailing of several thousand catalogs to the current mail quantity of 19 million.

Our merchandise selection and product development goals are inspired by Kane's philosophy of child development, drawn from a broad base of child psychologists, parents, religious teachers, toymakers, and educators-especially those from the Waldorf school of thought. Kane felt strongly that childhood is a unique period in the life of an individual, that the consciousness of a child is completely different from that of an adult, that there is a specific purpose and a specific pattern to childhood and to the development of a child's consciousness, and that adults can help or hinder the accomplishment of that purpose and pattern.
With a love for children, a reverence for life, and a desire to support you in your task of parenting, we offer you our service and our products: toys you'll feel good about giving.
HearthSong Travel Games
Barbara Kane started HearthSong in 1983, partly to see if other parents were experiencing the difficulty she was in finding good, wholesome toys for her children. Mostly she was motivated by her strong conviction that childhood is a special time in each human lifetime, and she wanted to make the best of it for her children. In Kane's view, "Earlier is not necessarily better. It's important that children learn basic skills, but at the right developmental age. Most of all, children need time for creative, imaginative play. In fact, it is through play that children learn most readily." The best way to express this reverence for the human experience, she felt, was through quality products.
Kane chose the company's name to reflect her values: the hearth, a traditional symbol for the center of the home, and song to symbolize the family spirit, the joy that parents and children can experience together.
In addition to its collection of "classic" childhood toys and games, HearthSong also designs and develops its own toys, family games, unusual craft kits for parents and children to make together, and decorations for seasonal celebrations that reinforce the "family" theme.


In choosing items, HearthSong merchants ask the following questions: Does this item have beauty, durability and usefulness? Does it represent a cultural heritage? Is it made of non-toxic materials? Is it developmentally appropriate for the age group for which it is intended? Does it encourage a sense of family or community? Does it have a timeless or classic quality? Only products that meet these criteria are offered in the HearthSong catalog or on our web site.
In addition, our Quality Assurance Department conducts rigorous testing of every product we carry to make sure every aspect is in strict compliance with federal guidelines. And we ask children to test them too. We write careful, explicit instructions for our kits and ask that children test those, also, before we publish them.
Through the years HearthSong has established a reputation for quality products, with more than 25% being developed exclusively by us. HearthSong has been awarded numerous Parents' Choice Awards for these outstanding original products.
For further information on the Parents' Choice Foundation, visit their website at www.parentschoice.org.
In 2001 HearthSong was purchased by 1-800Flowers.com. We moved from California to beautiful Madison, Virginia, where our sister company Plow & Hearth is located.


A Message About Product Safety and Quality Assurance
Product safety is of the utmost importance to all of us at HearthSong. Our dedication to finding the most unique and enduring products for our customers takes us all over the world, and every toy-no matter its country of origin-is submitted to the same stringent safety testing.
Our Product Safety and Quality Assurance team works closely with our Merchandise Team to analyze each prospective toy's safety from every possible angle before it can be considered for inclusion in the catalog. Our QA associates are all members of the American Society for Quality and regularly review Federal and State requirements to make sure our testing standards conform to the most current mandated regulations.
We require that every product be tested to the most rigorous criteria of the American Standards for Testing Materials (ASTM F963) and the Code of Federal Regulations (16 CFR 1303) for Lead In Paint. In addition, we require that every toy comply with the strictest standards for material safety, flammability, choking hazards, sharp points, pinching, and more.


Our vendors, too, are required to submit documentation from independent testing laboratories proving their products conform to the appropriate safety standards. All products are routinely reviewed and updated documentation requested, guaranteeing consistent quality and adherence to safety standards for as long as we carry each item.
As always, all of us at HearthSong are here to support you in your effort to provide safe and quality toys for the children in your life-"Toys You'll Feel Good About Giving®.
We hope the above addresses all concerns about the safety of the products we carry. If you have additional questions, please contact our Quality Assurance Manager
