Sarah, the explanation to our being assaulted by twist ties is simple. When they send all those toys over from China, which are manufactured by people earning $1.50 a day, it is of paramount importance that every one of those profit generating toys arrive at their destination unharmed and ready for sale.

I worked in the packaging industry for 12 years. I worked for Great Northern Corporation in Appleton Wisconsin. We manufactured packaging for everything from faucets and light fixtures to Weedeaters and what have you.

I can tell you this:
Packaging manufactured domestically for product sold domestically DOES NOT pose the same threats to your safety as packaged goods shipped from abroad. It's a plain fact. Imports are packaged differently than domestic goods.

I too hate how hard it is to open some packages but can also understand why they are...There was a time if it wasn't yours you kept your hands off of it . But not any more.. How many times have you gone to the store and found packages open and the contents gone or broke?? If it takes a long time and special tools to get it open I'm sure they cut down on shoplifting and get a heads up on damage control !! If people would teach themselfs and their children to respect things and leave it alone if it doesn't belong to them It wouldn't require steal proof packaging !!!... Ginny

All seriousness aside, your post was just downright funny.

Sarah, you need to reread your own blog since it contains the answer to your question. You acknowledge that "parents, aunts and uncles, and grandparents, ... barely glance at the toy before shoving it in the cart". That is your answer. When consumers start caring about what a toy does, how well it is made, or how much their children will actually enjoy it, the packaging will change. As long as consumers care only about how it looks, the packaging will be designed to portray that "perfect" look at all costs. The 4x4 vehicle will have to be strapped in to look like it is climbing a hill. That action figure will have to be strapped in to ensure that it faces directly forward with little eyes staring out to greet one and all. It is the same reason that the produce in the supermarket is sprayed with "wax" to keep it looking fresh, it is the same reason that the meat is sprayed to preserve that "freshly dead" coloring, and it is the same reason that auto manufacturers spend millions of dollars developing the perfect color for next year's cars. Consumers impulse buy, and so, manufacturers make sure the packaging serves that market.

I feel your pain. The Little Tikes Rugged Riggz dump truck came with several of these same twisty ties. I used regular scizzors to get them partially off, then Auntie Laura got down on the floor and pulled with all her strength to get the remnants off from inside the underbelly of the truck.

My main problem with them is not so much how annoying they are to remove. As an artist and crafter I have a lot of tools at my disposal. My problem is that after they're removed they're such a choking hazard. You inevitably lose a tiny piece of twist tie, and those black parts with the holes (the washers?) are just the wrong size for children who are the target age for these toys. Thanks a lot, toy packagers.