(Valencia) -- I searched the toy aisle at a Walmart here for products that are made in America, and I came up empty.

There were none that I could find.  The classic toys of my boyhood now all come from the same place: China.

Play-doh, Etch-a-Sketch, Tinkertoys, replicas of U.S. warplanes -- all are now made in China.  Lego still makes some of its products in Europe, but that was the only example I could locate.

The recent recall of Chinese-made Mattel toys shows how dependent we are on that one country across the Pacific where the labor is so cheap.  China now produces just about everything we need and want.

U.S. safety regulations don't apply in China.  So if lead paint somehow makes its way into a toy, we may not find out about it until AFTER that product is already in our children's hands.

That's what happened with the latest Mattel recall. I spent last night searching my 7-year-old daughter's room looking for unsafe Polly Pocket dolls that are made in China.

By the way, lead paint has been banned in this country for 30 years because it can cause neurological problems.

There are a few U.S. manufacturers of toys.  Look for them on the web.  An article in today's NY Times says they're taking advantage of the backlash against Chinese products, by boasting that all their goods are "made in America." 

One Vermont-based company even has this map of China (on your left) posted on its website.