Toy dolls have become the latest rhetorical poster child for President Donald Trump's tariffs crusade. Trump asserted that children will be fine having two or three dolls instead of 30 if U.S. import taxes increase consumer prices. The response on social media included memes of him portrayed as the Grinch. The president's comments also touched a nerve with parents who acknowledged their own kids have more toys than they need. Either way, the U.S. toy industry has a lot riding on a possible deescalation of the administration's trade standoff with China, which produces most of America's playthings. Some smaller importers say they won't have enough holiday inventory without a reprieve in the next two weeks.

As toy inventors, toy manufacturers and buyers for stores that sell toys met for an annual trade show in New York last weekend, a topic besides which items were destined for holiday wish lists permeated the displays. President Donald Trump had announced he planned to further increase his tariff on Chinese imports. Would he? By Tuesday, Toy Fair attendees had their answer, and the talk about how it would affect the prices of playthings grew more urgent. The Toy Association notes that nearly 80% of the toys sold in the U.S. are sourced from China. The trade association's president says retail prices are expected to go up 15% to 20% by the back-to-school shopping season.