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MADE IN CHINA ALTERNATIVE

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 22, 2007

•The Fur Real Friends Butterscotch pony that whinnies, wiggles its ears and blinks is in a toy category all its own. Parents might prefer a $74.99 U.S.-made Flying Turtle scooter; the insanely popular pony costs $249.99.

•Fans of Sesame Street's Singing Pizza Elmo may have to settle for a character book and stuffed animal that looks nothing like the furry red Muppet. The $24.99 toy could be replaced with Elmo's Big Lift & Look Book from Mexico and Aurora stuffed pig from Indonesia. The two cost a total of $26.98.

•A little one wanting the $39.99 Thomas the Tank Engine train starter set may discover a completely different product under the tree. All official Thomas Character Trains at Learning Express are made in China. An alternative, Vermont-made Name Trains, operate much the same, but the $4.99 hand-painted trains come in the shape of letters and don't include wooden tracks.

•A decent equivalent for the $17.99 Transformer Cyber Stompin Bumblebee robot is the $29.99 Bioncles Piraka Outpost. It took several tries to find a Lego model kit sourced completely in Denmark and the Czech Republic.

•Girls and boys wanting to create a magical world with the $29.99 Littlest Pet Shop Round & Round Pet Town may discover Playmobil products under the tree instead. The German-made Princess Castle retails at $129.99 but is known for a level of quality that now includes being made outside of China.

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