The pink-colored toolset, made from food-grade plastic from Green Toys in the US, is designed for girls. Photos provided to China Daily

Safe toys that can be passed on for generations are now as rare as gold. But Donna Mah says there's something in the air and things may change.

For a great number of parents when they first arrive in Hong Kong, the abundance of cheap toys available for sale can be overwhelming. After a while though, the novelty wears off when you discover that your home is crowded with broken toys or toys that no longer look very good. Also, one starts to wonder what these toys are made of and why they are so cheap. That's why the owners of Hocusadabra, Kristen Zaki from New Zealand and Tarlan Amigh from Australia, decided to source toys for their own children that were safe, long-lasting, and of high quality. According to self-professed passionate employee, Georgina ("George") Lyons, the toys they sell give children the opportunity to "use their imagination and play with them for a long time." The toys are "toys for life," that you would want your children to pass on to their children one day. In my home now, I have found a few toys that actually belonged to my husband and brother-in-law when they were children. Their parents hung on to these toys and stored them for all these years and now their grandchildren are able to play with them in their respective homes halfway around the world. For me, I'm overcome by a lovely warm feeling when I see this.

Hocusadara sells some lovely wooden toys, and wood has always been a favorite material of mine. Sadly, all my wooden toys were given away once my brothers and I outgrew them. I loved our wooden train set.

Wooden blocks made from sustainable wood and painted using non-toxic paint from the United States have Chinese characters, the English meaning, and how to write the characters on them. Put them together and build a map of China. This is a durable and safe toy that is also useful for teaching language and culture. Aside from being a toy, these blocks can also help parents talk to their children about the world they live in.

Hocusadabra also sells BPA-free, non-toxic toys made from food-grade plastic from Green Toys in the US, which are made from recycled milk cartons. They include traditional boy toys like a dump truck and tool box, but are pink for girls. After all, girls also enjoy playing with dump trucks and should be just as handy as boys.

As the mother of a little girl who likes Thomas the tank engine, I've had people asking me over and over, "How old is your boy?" simply because she is wearing a Thomas backpack (and it doesn't matter that she is wearing a top with flowers embroidered on it and has longish hair). Boys and girls should be allowed to choose what they would like to play with and not have someone tell them that it's a boy or girl toy.

The toys at Hocusadabra are found by mothers from usually small companies around the world, including Australia, Germany and the US.

One Australian brand, Makedo ("make" + "do"), was established by a man who noticed that his kids played with the boxes their toys came in sometimes longer than they played with the actual toys. He created a series of connector pieces, hinges, and tools to poke holes with that children can use to make their own toys. Children can "find and make" toys for themselves using their own imagination - they are inspired to look at things around them differently.

Hocusadabra is a small business that relies mainly on word-of-mouth for promotion. They have Facebook and Twitter accounts and work closely with mom- and baby-related groups and organizations. They are a for-profit business, but they support independent designers and other small businesses by stocking their products.

When you place an order with Hocusadabra, they say they deliver to anywhere in the world. They try to use eco-friendly packaging when possible and, in fact, many of their products are packaged in eco-friendly or recycled packaging.

Everyone working at Hocusadabra is a mom. They provide a work environment that is flexible enough for moms to be able to work as well as take care of their children. The products they choose to carry show the same care and commitment that moms show their children.

You may contact the writer at sundayed@chinadaily.com.cn.

Wooden blocks made from sustainable wood and painted using non-toxic paint from the United States feature Chinese characters, the English meaning and how to write the characters on them. Put them together and build a map of China.

(China Daily 01/29/2012 page13)