Hush Puppies shoes have been an American staple since 1957 due to their comfort and classic style. The Hush Puppies brand is owned by Wolverine Worldwide and has headquarters in Rockford, Michigan. The brand became famous for selling comfort. They never said they had better-looking shoes or attractive prices, they emphasized the comfort of their goods, which was incomparable.
Unfortunately, the beloved leather shoes are not manufactured in Michigan but are instead produced in a Chinese factory. Still, Hush Puppies shoes remain beloved by many Americans to this day. The brand operates in over 130 countries and shows no signs of stopping.
Made Overseas: Oakley Sunglasses
Oakley sunglasses contain a “Made in the USA” label, but the brand has created some controversy about where their goods are actually manufactured. Initially, it was thought that the label indicated that they were made in the United States, however, there are other speculations.
Headquartered in Foothill Ranch, California, Oakley was bought by Luxottica in 2007, which moved some of its production to a Chinese factory. It was finally revealed that 70 percent of Oakley’s parts are made in the USA, which is a respectable percentage, but that still leaves a weighty 30 percent that is outsourced from other countries.
Sold Overseas: Spotify
Digital music listening platform, Spotify, allows users access to millions of songs and albums as well as customized channels to suit individual tastes. All within the comfort of their own smartphone. Such simple creation that anyone could have thought of, except no one did.
In 2013, Tech Crunch noted that the music platform announced a share swap with China-based company Tencent Music Entertainment. True, the product is not tangible, but in plain language, this means that Spotify is now partially owned by China. So, as it turns out, the only thing Americans left from Spotify are the artists listed on it.
Made Overseas: Huffy Bikes
Huffy Bikes have been headquartered in Ohio since 1887. Huffy was revolutionary in their development of a convertible bike in 1949 with the first-ever training wheels for children. To this day, the brand is considered one of the best products designated for children, however, they have a long way to go when it comes to competing against the big boy bikes.
Many bike models and years later, Huffy sadly closed two of its U.S.-based factories, moving their production to China in 1999. Huffy also has factories in Mexico and Taiwan, with 70% of its materials coming from these off-shore locations.
Made Overseas: Fisher-Price Toys
Toy brand, Fisher-Price, has filled homes for years with its wide variety of toys for kids of many ages. Fisher-Price falls under the umbrella of the larger toy brand, Mattel, which outsources production from Chinese factories. Disturbingly, the brand has had to issue many recalls of their toys made by Chinese vendors in 2007 and in 2020 due to dangerously high levels of lead.
The company has since promised to regain its customers' confidence once again. They are globally known for the best lie of products, Little People toys, which delivers various play sets such as a house, school, garage, and more.