Quality seal for children’s toys

What do you have to look out for with toys?

• The toy should be tested for toxicological ingredients. This means that colors must be saliva-resistant so that they do not rub off and plastic parts must not contain any plasticizers and must not outgas.
• In addition, a seal of quality should include a guarantee against the risk of injury. Appropriate use of the toy must therefore not involve any risk of injury. This includes ensuring that the toy with a seal of approval guarantees the resilience of the material. A good toy should be so resilient that it can be used for several years.
• Toys made of wood are particularly suitable for longer use because they are very stable. Children put everything in their mouths, which is why you should make sure that wooden toys in particular have a seal of approval, as wooden toys sometimes emit a lot of dyes. Plastic toys are therefore less of a concern for smaller children.

Unfortunately, however, many toy manufacturers do not adhere to these important criteria for child-friendly toys and even print false seals of approval on their goods. There are standards for these criteria both in Germany and in Europe. If you want to be sure that you are buying a harmless toy for your child, you should definitely choose a toy that has the German or European seal of approval.

Quality seals, TÜV-tested toys and other quality seals can be very confusing for consumers. For this reason, we give you an overview of the most well-known seals of approval for toys.

Quality seal at a glance

Seal of quality for safety (GS) 

The abbreviation GS stands for seal of approval for safety. This seal is awarded by TÜV and other independent testing bodies. It is checked whether the respective toy complies with the legal requirements. The toy must not have sharp edges that could injure the child or small parts that could fall off during use and be swallowed by the child. In addition, batteries must not be accessible, but must only be accessible to adults using tools.

CE 

The CE mark is not a real seal of quality. It simply states that the product conforms to European regulations. If this is not correct, the manufacturer is liable to prosecution. The European safety directive specifies which goods must bear the CE mark. Toys may not be sold in Europe without this mark. However, the manufacturers stick this mark on their goods themselves, which means that the consumer cannot tell the difference between genuine and fake CE products. Unfortunately, there is a very well-known counterfeit of this CE mark from China. On the counterfeit, the line on the “E” of the CE mark is slightly longer than on the original mark. So caution is advised here.

Oeko-Tex Standard 100

Since young children put everything in their mouths, it is important that toys do not rub off or release toxins into the child. The Öko Tex Standard 100 seal of quality stands for textile quality and is mainly found on stuffed animals. It is a globally recognized seal for textile products. The toy is tested for banned substances in the pollutant tests, such as carcinogenic dyes, legally regulated substances such as formaldehyde, plasticizers, heavy metals or pentachlorophenol, as well as chemicals that are harmful to health such as pesticides, allergenic dyes or organotin compounds. This sign is also only valid in connection with the naming of the examining institution.

VDE mark 

Electrical safety is awarded the VDE seal of approval. This seal is issued by the Association for Electrical, Electronics and Information Technology (VDE). This seal can be found on both electrotechnical and medical devices. Anyone wishing to use this seal of quality must undergo an inspection of the product and the production facility. If the test is passed, the seal certifies the product’s safety with regard to electrical, mechanical, thermal, toxic, radiological and other hazards. For toys that work electrically, for example with a battery, the VDE mark provides information about the safety of this toy.

TUV proof 

The TUV proof mark is a seal of TUV Rheinland. It states that the award-winning toy meets the requirements of the GS mark for tested safety.

Tox Proof 

TÜV Rheinland awards the Tox-Proof mark, which distinguishes low-emission products in the area of ​​paints, varnishes and textiles. In the control process, both the saliva and perspiration fastness of the product and compliance with low limit values ​​for azo dyes, plasticizers and nickel are tested. This seal is also only genuine in connection with a test station.

Blue Angel

The Blue Angel seal of quality is the oldest award for environmentally friendly products and services. The Federal Environment Ministry is the owner of the mark. Among other things, manufacturers can have wooden and textile toys certified with this seal. The product awarded this seal must meet strict criteria. For example, synthetic fragrances, flame retardants and wood preservatives must be avoided in the manufacture of wooden toys. Ecological criteria in wood production and social conditions in production are also taken into account when testing for this seal. Textile toys must be made from organically grown natural fibers and must not contain any materials that are harmful to health so that they can bear the Blue Angel label.

LGA 

This independent test mark is awarded by a subsidiary of TÜV Rheinland and guarantees compliance with legal guidelines and thus stands for tested quality toys. However, this seal says nothing about the pollutant content of a product, since the control only ensures compliance with legal requirements and these usually set high limit values ​​or no limit values ​​at all.

Seal of quality for educationally valuable toys

In addition to the seals of approval for safe toys that are not harmful to health, there are seals of approval that say something about the learning and teaching content of the toy. There are toys that are designed in such a way that they promote the child’s abilities while playing and can thus achieve a learning effect through play.

play well

This seal of quality is awarded by the working committee Kinderspiel + Spielzeug eV and is independent of the toy industry. A panel consisting of doctors, parents, educators, psychologists, design experts, chemical and electronics specialists and environmentalists tests the products in families and kindergartens. Criteria such as play value, environmental compatibility, durability, value for money, material and safety are checked for the award of this seal. This seal is primarily intended to distinguish toys that encourage and challenge children while they are playing. Since more and more parents are paying attention not only to functionality, appearance and quality, but also to the educational added value of toys, the spiel gut seal is a good guide when making a purchase decision.

plays fair

This seal of quality was created by church institutions and non-profit associations. It gives information about fair working conditions in manufacturing. Humane working conditions in toy production in factories in low-wage countries are hereby guaranteed.

It is important for some quality seals that these seals are affixed together with the testing institution such as TÜV Rheinland or TÜV Nord. If no testing institution is awarded, the seal is definitely a fake. The information pages of the European Union publish monthly toys that do not comply with EU safety regulations and that parents should be warned about.