Reaching for an apple-red fire truck Wednesday, March 18, Joanne Whiting lifted the children’s toy from a shelf. The store manager for The Toy Tree on Church Hill Road, she and store owner Tracy Schmid waited for parents to arrive and meet the makers of the toy: Sandy Hook father and son Jim and Luke Barber.

The Barbers started Luke’s Toy Factory several years ago. About the eco-friendly and “made in America” toy trucks, Luke Barber wrote on the website (LukesToyFactory.com): “Four years ago, following a number of high profile toy recalls from major toy manufacturers, my father Jim and I set out to make a better toy.” His goal, the post continued, is to make toys that are fun, but also made in the United States both “responsibly” and “sustainably.” Trucks are sold through the website as well as at The Toy Tree.

While children took the display toys for a test drive last week, parents soon greeted the Barbers, and together they all waited for a CPTV television crew to arrive. The network had filmed briefly that day in Southington and Danbury where the toys are manufactured, then packaged, and sold, and then traveled to Newtown to film for a segment about products made in Connecticut.

CPTV Producer Christina DeFranco confirmed this week that the Made in Connecticut segment featuring Luke’s Toy Factory will air at 6:56 pm on Thursday, March 26, and will then be available at madeinct.cptv.org.

As Ms Whiting had said last week while waiting for the television crew to arrive, “This is not just another toy on a shelf.” She watched as father Eric Dolce and his 16-month-old son Michael lifted the truck’s ladder and rolled it across the floor.

Lois Barber was pleased, she said,  to see the turnout for toys made by her husband and son.

“It’s a unique toy,” she had said. With two other models — a dump truck and a flatbed — also coming out, the parts for all three trucks will be interchangeable, she said. And, it’s “green,” she added, since toys are made from recycled materials.

Toys made by the Sandy Hook residents work well for The Toy Tree.

“We try to buy as much local products as possible,” Ms Whiting said. When they learned about Luke’s Toy Factory, Ms Whiting said, “We chose to carry it.”

Talking about the concepts behind the trucks, Luke said he thought of puzzles when considering the toy’s removable pieces. Jim had said that so far, the toy has been successful, but the “big thing now is to get the word out to the public.”

Prior to the television crew’s arrival, the Barbers spoke with guests about their toy and waited near the register to assist Ms Schmid as she answered questions and made sales. The trucks sell for $20 each.