The Game Nobody Wanted on the Shelf: How One Man Fought Prison Labor and Lead-Tainted Toys 

In 1992, I created a board game with the intent of it being a teaching tool for my son. I showed it to Bobby Bonds, and he agreed to put his name and likeness on the product. I informed Bobby that I wanted to manufacture the game here in America, even though it would cost more, because toys being made in China were being produced with prison labor — and that affects free competition here at home, since American manufacturers have to compete against essentially zero labor costs. I also told Bobby that while I was introducing the game at Toy Fair in New York, I learned from whistleblowers inside China that many of the toys coming to America contained lead, and that America's regulators were either incapable of stopping this or were simply ignoring it. Bobby agreed: the game would be made in America.

That was the beginning of my attempt to expose the prison labor and lead contamination in toys that children were receiving for Christmas — toys dangerous to their health. What Bobby and I didn't yet understand was how the leagues themselves were involved. The companies that licensed the MLB emblem cared only about the cheapest manufacturing price. When Bobby and I brought these concerns to Bud Selig and others as we applied for MLB endorsement, our communications, licensing opportunities with Hasbro and Mattel suddenly stopped.

Neither Bobby nor I understood why distribution for the game was becoming so difficult. So Bobby asked his son Barry if he would allow his likeness on the game. Barry agreed to do so with zero compensation. My assumption is that Bobby explained the prison labor and lead issues to Barry.

When Bobby and I brought the game to the San Francisco Giants, they declined to create artwork representing the Bay Area and the Giants alongside us — even though Barry was their most popular player. Neither of us could figure that out, so we decided to market the game independently. What we didn't realize was that the forces working against us were significant: the toy manufacturers held powerful influence with distribution and  league ownership, and vice versa.

Fast forward: Distribution became an impossibility, even though the game featured one of the best players in baseball on the cover — a likeness that would normally cost a game manufacturer millions.

With the internet starting to move to broadband, I decided to form ToysUSA and wrote a strategic plan to become the Internet's premier distribution platform for toys manufactured in America. It never gained momentum. 

I had also created another game during this period, designed to teach kids how to understand card games that utilize tricks and trumps. I could not find distribution for it either. 

Fast forward to today: America is still purchasing toys in huge quantities from China, but manufacturing is making a comeback domestically. I have now negotiated land rights for companies so they can begin manufacturing toys here in America. We have been successful in helping educating companies such as Mattel and Hasbro on why they should leave China. Currently, Mattel has dropped their toy manufacturing  in China from 80 percent to 40 percent and Hasbro from 80 percent to 50 percent of their manufacturing. While Mattel and Hasbro has moved very little to America , at least they have moved it out of China. With Bobby Kennedy Jr. at HHS, I believe the time has come for the government to finally address the dangers to children of toys made in China and elsewhere.

My legacy may not be one of being a toy giant, but as a capitalist humanitarian I feel I have achieved much success fighting against the collusion and corruption of socialistic and communistic peoples around the world and here at home in America. Capitalism is an economic system, not a political system and the Sins In Charity of America doing business in lands who receive our economic charity of capitalism, yet propagandize their citizens and others around the world and here in America that Capitalism is evil alongside burning of our flag has lead to Americans waking up. We thank Mattel's and Hasbro's executive management for its transition away from manufacturing in China and I will do everything possible to help bring toy manufacturing back to America. 

I recently recreated the second game I developed back in 1997 and will be making it available to play here for free. One would hope that Hasbro or Mattel would license it and produce it in America as a board-game and an online interactive, game, continuing the process of transitioning more toy production from overseas to domestic soil. I've also created another game that will be featured this coming Christmas. Its Called "My Friend Leo" who spent 12 years in a prison and labor camp in China for nothing more than expressing his spiritual belief.  

I have learned over time that if you speak truths and continue to persevere in your efforts, the old adage of "its the journey that matters" becomes a reality. My destiny following this allowed me to learn more about the human rights abuses in China and help those that are victims and in so doing, I realized over time, focusing on what evil does to someone and their family is hard to overcome, yet the journey never holding vengeance gave me paths I never would have encountered otherwise. There is an old Chinese saying from spiritual lineage of China  passed down from generations to current day. 

"Good Luck -Bad Luck - Who Knows - But We All Know Mao Being Indoctrinated by East European (Stalin) of Atheist Marxism Is Not The Chinese Culture Prior Too, And Certainly Was Not Good Luck For China or The World or Those Who Enjoy Toys. 

Join Us In Bringing Toy Manufacturing Back To America 

Scott Shields