What was under the paint? My flanges had black stains on them. I’m wondering if that’s what they were covering up and it just washes off with the paint?
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There was nothing under my paint that I could see 
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It’s all just so weird
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I believe so too. I just re inspected my Blake awake that I got a few weeks ago and found one leg and one arm had paint on them and when I cleaned it off there were black dots under both.
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I’m not sure on that. I’d have to research. I think many vinyl type products at least used to be made here quite a lot, even 15 years ago. From what I’ve read, it is a cost issue for large corporations. They want to save as many dimes as they can, so they have farmed out most of their manufacturing to Asia over the past 20 years (not to mention how many American jobs and skills this has stolen away). This has caused quality to become inferior, as it’s hard to do quality control from across the ocean or across the globe (and some of those companies in Asia know this and take advantage, I believe). Stuff made in Asia is far from the standards of items I remember when I was growing up in the 70s and 80s, i.e., lamps, pots, pans, electrical appliances, etc. It’s made cheaper as the factory workers are paid far less over there and work 16 hour days in many cases (like slaves), and often have to work 6 to 7 days a week (ethical issue for me). Stuff was built to last longer and in many cases safer than the stuff being built for us by other countries now. It’s become a real soap box for me. Because manufacturing was sent overseas by large corporations, over time, this has caused smaller companies like BB to have to use those foreign factories to have their products made, i.e., vinyl doll kits. So, there may be an excuse about chemicals being used by some large corporations in the US, but I believe it has more to do with them (the large corporations, not BB) making more money off us who buy their stuff than whether or not they care about material toxicity.
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I think I saw that it is the materials used in the mold making process that is not prohibited here
Here is the FDA on phthalates in the US. They have not been “outlawed”, just “reduced”, as they say. You can still put phthalates on/in your body in the US, if you use makeup, hairspray, etc. So, I don’t believe the excuse for not having our own factories is due to them caring about our “phthalate” exposure has much, if anything, to do with it, but more to do with finding excuses to farm out our factories overseas to put more money into the pockets of huge CEOs. That’s how I feel about it. If more Americans knew about this, maybe something could be done to make them stop farming out our jobs and products to other countries. Quality standards would improve, among some other things. And jobs that were taken away could be re-created. This has been a really strong thing for me, for almost 20 years. I don’t want to change the theme of this thread, however. Just mentioning it as a thing that is a major root of the many increased problems we have had since getting products made overseas.
https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetic-ingredients/phthalates
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Somebody said it would be much more expensive to open a factory in the US and that’s why there aren’t any.
Take a look into NAFTA and you’ll see a bit why so many things are made in China and other countries and not in in the US.
I’d like to take the time to remind y’all that any imports are subject to the importing country’s rules. These cheap, inferior products (whether they be vinyl doll kits, shirts, shoes, or appliances) ALL MEET the UNITED STATES’ guidelines and regulations to import into the country. This isn’t China trying to screw over Americans, this is the US not giving a ■■■■ about their citizens as much as they do a profit.
It is what it is but I hate when I see people erroneously blaming the foreign countries who produce our imports for things being how they are. Whether they’re taking advantage or not is not for me to say but just know they’re able to get these things into this country BECAUSE of our country.
That’s as close to politics as I’ll get on the forum, I swear!!! 
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Yes. That’s what I was trying to say. It’s about the almighty dollar, to the expense of lost jobs for Americans and inferior products for Americans to buy and use, and it’s the American CEOs who are responsible for not making sure the products are not inferior. But few of them care. There are some who do but they can’t get quality products made here for their businesses because corporations who make those things have farmed out to keep more money in their own pockets. I feel for the Chinese workers who are stuck in a grid of corruption due to their government. They are worked as slaves for minimal pay, for long hours a day, in poor working conditions, and are used as if they are machines and not human beings. Most of the corrupt corporations are in bed with our corrupt government corporation. They do kickbacks for each other, watch each other’s backs. I agree. Something has to change.
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That’s only because of the comparison that a huge corporation that has no loyalties to the American people or the American buyer (except for taking their money) will have to pay American workers more per hour than they have to pay slave workers in a communist country that has no respect for its people. In a communist society, a person is seen as a cog in a system, not as a human being with value, feelings, needs, and so forth. I could go on, but don’t want this thread to become a political jungle. 
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It is about money, all the way around. I’m guessing that most Americans don’t want to pay excessively high prices only because the products are made in the US.
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Especially now that so many have become accustomed to paying less because it’s coming from Asia. But the quality is declining in some products and the prices are going up. So, soon we may be paying what the made in America prices would be for the junk coming from Asia, and the top corporations who don’t care will still be stuffing their pockets.
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Yeah, that’s what I heard. I am in no way hateful or prejudiced against Asian people but I despise their government and some of their culture because of it. I hate that their people have to live under that
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The western countries make a lot of abuse of poor countries
Look at H & M young girls in Bangladesh work 12 hours a day for our clothes 
I have refuse to buy clothes from them for that reason
The circumstances of there factories are terrible to
A lot of people don’t know what’s behind cheap products
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Has anybody noticed this factory coverup paint on Felicity asleep, Pearl awake, or Dustin asleep? I want to check my kits, but I can’t currently get to my stash. I don’t know which factories they came from.
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I have check Felicity asleep and it seem ok, I have not wash it though.
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My Dustin asleep 2nds was fine
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On behalf of the USA factories I can say that it is VERY costly to manufacture ANYTHING in this country. Reason being—our EPA Regulations. I have worked in the offices of two different types of manufacturing: 1. The Aerospace Industry. 2. The Electronics Industry. Although they are both VERY different the regulations you have to meet just to run a factory are astronomical!! The Haz Mat regulations alone make it nearly impossible to operate. Then you have the Actual cost to operate a business, rent, utilities (machinery is really expensive to run), Insurances (will kill you), payroll, etc. on and on it goes. A lot of parts that you need to operate will come from China and you better be willing to order Way More than you need because half of them won’t be any good and you can’t return them. Everyone in the industry knows how China operates, so you just learn to deal with it. AND too many things just aren’t made here anymore so you don’t have a lot of choice when ordering parts. When we had an option to purchase parts that were made in America, we did so, but that is kinda rare these days.
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Yes, ridiculous government bureaucracy and overreach. I could say more. This has been going on for decades, and it doesn’t help our country one bit. It has caused us to become reliant on foreign countries instead of maintaining our own sovereignty as a nation. If the so-called Gov really listened to and cared about what “we the people” have to say, this wouldn’t have happened. Things have been out of control for a long time.
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