Made in the U.S.A.: Lincoln Logs come back home just in time for the holidays

Lincoln Logs, a classic American toy invented in 1916 by John Lloyd Wright, has been a popular iconic toy for many years.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The toy is made out of 100 percent real wood, cut straight from tree logs during the manufacturing process.

For the last 60 years though, Lincoln Logs have been manufactured overseas, in China.

Give a gift that keeps on giving

K'Nex, toymaker of Lincoln Logs, has been fervently working on bringing this toy back to the United States.

"We're seeing products come back into the U.S. Some of our retailers want 'Made in the U.S.A.' products, and we've been in a position where we can certainly provide that, and that has helped us secure some important business for our operation," said Randy Dicker, senior director of manufacturing at Pride Manufacturing in Burnham, Maine, to NBC News.

Pride is now an important part of maunfacturing 'Made in the U.S.A.' Lincoln Logs.

After opening up more employment opportunites, 17 months of planning, building machinery and testing paints, strength and tensility of the Lincoln Logs, Pride is ready for full production in January 2015.

"You can't completely give up manufacturing and let it go across the waters for pure price and expect your country to be as strong as it can be. So, I think the whole country is looking at how we get it back here, how to make it a little cheaper," explained Dicker. "We won't be the best price, but we'll probably be a lot better quality, and that's going to save the customer money in the long run."

85 percent of Wal-Mart customers told the retailer that where the product is made rates second on their list when evaluating a purchase; immediately following the price.

"What we've learned when [the news] got out there, that iconic name 'Lincoln Logs' meant a lot to people and the fact that it was going to be made in the U.S.A. again sparked interest from the people and generated interest from other manufacturers that are looking to bring manufacturing of other products back to the U.S.," said Dicker.

Although devices like tablets and smartphones remain at the top children's holiday wish lists, K'Nex CEO, Michael Araten is not worried.

"One of the great lessons out of the recession has been that families with discretionary income, who are buying things during the holiday season, like ours-especially for young children, love to buy things made in America," expressed Araten. "There is no more powerful brand in the world than 'Made in the U.S.A.'"

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