November 29, 2021by ppearls1 CommentToy News

Mouse-Gate – Part II: How Deep Does the Mouse Hole Go?

Necessary background information: Maileg is generally used to refer to the brand itself, but for our purposes we will distinguish between Maileg Denmark (the parent company) and Maileg USA (the subsidiary that ships to both North and South America, as well as Australia).

As many of you remember, Maileg engaged in some pretty reprehensible social media behavior earlier in the year. If you’re unfamiliar, please take a moment and read here. For me, personally, this was a blow to my psyche. We were big Maileg fans here. My daughter still sleeps with several mice at night and it pains me that I can’t continue to add to her collection. However, when someone shows you who they are, it’s important to listen the first time. Thankfully, we haven’t bought any since this interaction. For that I am glad, since the story has since developed and I would be physically ill to know I supported this company.

Anywho, this past September, here I am, an insomniac in the Blue Ridge mountains, minding my own bleary-eyed business, when an email pops up on my phone.

“I am a former Maileg employee… Your article only touches the outer most surface of a much deeper problem hole that exist at Maileg.”

Well, that’s definitely an opener, right? Over the course of several months, my source, who will remain anonymous, detailed some very disturbing claims. Before we go any further, I confirmed this person’s authenticity as a former Maileg employee. They will be referred to hereafter as Deep Cheese.

The easiest way to go through this is to tell you what Maileg says and then show you what Maileg does. I’ll follow each allegation with my own perspective.

Maileg says: “We work intensively to improve our production by using only the best and most environmentally friendly production facilities. We call it responsible sourcing/production.”

Deep Cheese: “I can tell you about is how much stuff they threw away while I was there and continue to throw away all because they don’t want “bad” product out in the wild tarnishing their brand name.”

Rachel’s Hot Take: My informant went on to further describe what would qualify as “bad” product. A pulled string, a tiny dent, all of that…would be thrown away. When my informant suggested charitable opportunities and rehoming the toys to those in need, they were immediately shot down. This is pretty reprehensible, in my opinion. A lot of us were drawn to Maileg because they appeared to be an ethical company. It doesn’t reason that a company concerned with the common good would find it at the bottom of a dumpster.

Maileg says: “At Maileg, we work closely with our suppliers and partners. We value and prioritize the long-term cooperation that has been built up over several years.”

Deep Cheese: “They started to send the majority of returned items to the boutiques they dealt with so they could deal with the items instead. As to why they started doing this is unknown.”

Rachel’s Hot Take: This one requires a little bit more narrative. Deep Cheese detailed two different income streams for the business: wholesale and e-commerce. The idea on this one is that the e-commerce site won’t have to deal with angry customers and the processing of returns. By shoving “deficient” product onto their retailers, Maileg ensures it isn’t a problem they need to deal with anymore. Out of sight, out of mind.

Maileg says: “All great stories begin with a mystery! The Maileg Mystery Box includes a variety of designs from many different collections. Each box is unique with different items in each box. The items are beautifully wrapped with Maileg tissue paper and gift bags. The unboxing experience truly feels like Christmas morning!”

Deep Cheese: “Some of these items were returns from customers or were damaged during shipping to the warehouse. However, the items were never really that damaged at all. They just said they were because of small minor defects like uneven paint, a small scratch on the oven door window for their retro or mini kitchen or even uneven paint on the Mouse in Car with Garage.
Somethings that were actually up to their standards of saving were/are used for their mystery boxes.”

Rachel’s Hot Take: Fork me, this is a doozy. I think when people purchase a mystery box, they occasionally expect an item that perhaps didn’t sell as well. Maybe a loose screw on a tiny motorcar. They don’t expect that the box itself is filled with returns. Yes, that box you’re holding…you aren’t the first owner. I think there should be some truth in advertising here. In a post-COVID era we are all mindful of what we bring into our homes and where it might have come from. Also, children with allergies could be exposed to unnecessary risk. You have no idea if the former owner was a smoker, had pets, etc. It’s a very dangerous gamble. But aside from all that, is the blatant omission of truth. If they told you that you had a box of returns and that’s what you were giving to your child, you probably wouldn’t pay as much.

Maileg says: “Maileg [Denmark] believes protecting our environment is an important issue and takes the responsibility very seriously. Maileg complies with the legislation for the environment, and we work intensively to improve our production by using only the best and most environmentally friendly production facilities. We call it responsible sourcing/production. At Maileg we believe that even small steps matter and by securing the right mindset for our employees and business partners we believe that we can do what we do today, even better tomorrow. Maileg supports the 17 Sustainable Development Goal defined by UN and has a project running to secure the company is performing towards the goals with a strategic approach.”

Deep Cheese: “When Maileg Denmark decides to throw something away they don’t just throw it in the trash or recycle it if it can be recycled. They burn it out in a backlot they have there. When all is said and done they scoop up the ashes and anything that didn’t fully burn up and thrown it into their dumpster. There were several times that retro and mini kitchens were thrown into the main trash dumpster instead of being taken out of the box and separated to be recycled since they are metal. Same with Mouse in Car with Garage cars that were defective.”

Rachel’s Hottest Take: When I read this, I knew this article had to be written. Maileg Denmark has a whole landing page dedicated to their environmental initiatives. Furthermore, they purport to be running a project to make their company in line with United Nations’ “17 Sustainable Development Goals”, which seek to achieve a better future for mankind. In these goals, which I won’t rehash here, are listed:

#12 – Responsible Consumption and Production – addresses amongst other things, reducing waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse. Further, it encourages companies to adopt sustainable practices.

#13 – Climate Action – address, amongst other things, greenhouse gas emissions …such as the carbon dioxide released by burning product outside.

Burning of items, especially metal, is the antithesis to the global initiatives they purport to live by.

Theoretically, if you were still a Maileg fan after the homophobia and blatant bullying, I am probably not going to change your mind with environmental and retail concerns. However, it is really important to me that this information is out in the ether. Consumers deserve to be informed about the shopping choices they make. As we get closer to the holiday season, my hope is that you won’t purchase Maileg. Instead, my I encourage you to peruse these alternatives:

Screenshots (So as to not clog the article…)

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