Toys have been around for thousands of years. They provide entertainment and aid in the development of physical, mental and social skills in children. Some people like collecting them and our favorite ones can bring back good memories. The United States has created many unique toys. Following are some of the highlights of toys in America.
Early Toys
Even in early colonial times, when children spent a good amount of time helping with daily chores, there was still time to play. Children played with apples, corn cobs, shells, flowers, walnuts, fruit pits, and gourds.1 Toys were made using natural objects and scrap materials by children, parents or local craftsmen (e.g. carved wooden toys). Dolls could be made with rags, wooden spoons and corn husks. A game called knuckles (knucklebones, dibs, or jackstones), used sheep knucklebones.
The whirligig was made with a string and button. By twisting and pulling the string, the button whirled back and forth. The buzz saw, which makes a buzzing sound as you play, was a variation of the whirligig.2 For directions on making your own whirligig, CLICK HERE.
Another toy was the cup and ball. A ball was attached with a string to a handle with a cup on one end. Players would try to catch the ball in the cup. A variation of this toy was called a Bilbo catcher. Instead of a cup, the object was to catch the ball on the spiked tip of the handle. There was a hole drilled into the ball opposite to the string which would allow the ball to fit on the tip.3
They also had a game like bowling called tabletop ninepins, brought to America by Dutch colonists. Being a tabletop version, the pins and ball are small. The player to reach 31 first was the winner.2
Toys in the Market
By 1775, there were more than 2,500,000 people in the U.S.4 The middle class was growing and so did demand for consumer goods. Children’s toys were still mostly home-made and considered “folk” toys, (folk – traditional, localized, slow to change), but there were some toys available through merchants. By the time of the Revolutionary War, the Virginia Gazette advertised tops, marbles, dressed babies, dolls, toy fiddles, toy watches, puzzles, balls and toy soldiers.4
The Industrial Revolution (which began in Great Britain around 1760) changed the toy industry. This era marked the transition from agrarian, hand-made economies to machine-driven, mass-manufacturing systems.6 Toys were now offered at a lower cost which allowed more people to buy them. By the 1840’s every town had a toy store.5
Manufacturing Begins in the U.S.
The first U.S. manufactured toy is thought to be the horse-drawn fire apparatus made by Francis, Fields, and Francis, known as the Philadelphia Tin Toy Manufactory. It opened in 1838.7 They also imported French and German toys. In the 19th century, two-thirds of the toys in American shops came from Germany, known as the Toy Workshop of the World and The Land of Toys.8 One German toy was a wooden Ark set. Children were allowed to play with this set on Sundays even though typically children were forbidden to play on Sundays.9
J. & E. Stevens, formed in 1843 in Cromwell, CT, made iron toys. They became the largest manufacturer of cast-iron toys in the country. They marketed toys for boys such as cannons, locomotives and whistling tops and for girls such as stoves, furniture and miniature cutlery. After the Civil War (1861-1865), cast-iron banks became popular. They were made to teach children about saving money in a playful way. J. & E. made their first mechanical bank in 1869 which was a monkey that popped out of a building. Another mechanical bank had a heavy-set politician that took a coin and put it in his pocket called the Tammany bank.10 By 1928, J. & E. made exclusively cap pistols. An iron shortage during WWII brought an end to the company.10 Today, a collector can pay a few thousand dollars for an original J. & E. cast-iron bank.10
German toy maker, Albert Schoenhut, was brought to the US in 1866 to work at John Wanamaker’s store (John Wanamaker pioneered the concept of the department store.13 He brought Schoenhut to work at his store in Philadelphia). Later, Schoenhut started his own store producing instruments, dolls, wooden dollhouses and circus figures. By the time of his death (1912), the company was the largest toy manufacturer in the United States. One toy, the Humpty Dumpty Circus, was introduced in 1903.7 The titular character was modeled after a theatrical clown character portrayed by George L. Fox during the 1860s/70s.14 With the Great Depression in the 1930s, A. Schoenhut Co. went out of business.13
Early 20th Century
In the early 20th century, Germany was still the largest distributor of toys. During WWI, German imports were cut-off leading to a growth in the U.S. toy industry. Record sales were recorded for Christmas 1919.7
By 1916, there were 80 toy and game manufacturers that formed a trade association called The Toy Manufacturers of America now known as The Toy Association. Their first goal was to have the government raise tariffs on imported toys to protect their sales.5 Today they represent more than 900 companies and lead the way in making sure toys are safe. They also advocate for keeping toys tariff-free due to the essential nature of toys.17
In 1916, John Lloyd Wright (son of Frank Lloyd Wright) invented Lincoln Logs, a popular building toy that was advertised to boys and girls. They were first produced between 1916 and 1917 with instructions on how to build Abe Lincoln’s boyhood cabin and the fictional Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Inspiration for the design came from Wright, Sr’s design of Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel which was designed to be earthquake-proof.15 Their popularity peaked in the 1950s.16 Wright sold his toy company to Playskool in 1943, but Lincoln Logs are now owned by Florida based company, Basic Fun, Inc. (they own many familiar brands of toys such as Tonka, Lite Brite and K’Nex).
U.S. children started playing with a yo-yo-like toy (called a bandalore) in the 1860s11, but the toy we know as the yo-yo would start with Pedro Flores in the late 1920s. Pedro Flores, from the Philippines, began mass producing the toy in CA with the name yo-yo, which means “come-come” in Tagalog.12 A favorite toy in the Philippines, it became a favorite in the U.S. after Donald Duncan, a Chicago businessman, saw Flores with his yo-yo on a trip to San Francisco. Flores was doing tricks and drawing a crowd.12 Duncan saw the potential of the yo-yo and bought the rights to the toy and the name. No other company could use the word yo-yo until 1965, when a court ruled that the word yo-yo was common speech and was no longer trademarked. Duncan’s company went into bankruptcy and in 1968 was purchased by Flambeau Plastics. Flambeau is the current producer of Duncan yo-yos.12
Cincinnati participated in the yo-yo craze, and adults joined in the fun.30 There were yo-yo contests at movie theaters, and nightclubs sponsored “yo-yo dances” (participants made their yo-yo dance).30 The photograph to the left, originally published in the Cincinnati Post in 1931, shows a group of yo-ers who gave instructional classes at local YMCAs.
Great Depression and WWII
Once the Great Depression hit, toys were a luxury.7 Although fewer people had money to spend on toys, the board game had its golden age. Game boards were cheap to make and could entertain the whole family.33 Scrabble was invented by Alfred Mosher Butts because he was bored and unemployed.33 Monopoly, sold by Parker Brothers, also became popular.
When the U.S. entered WWII, it was soon apparent that there would be a shortage of certain raw materials that were needed to make goods for the war effort31 leading to the decline in toy manufacturing. The U.S. government was concerned about the lack of available toys for children so the Children’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor published a pamphlet, Toys in Wartime: Suggestions to Parents on Making Toys in Wartime. It explained how parents could make toys for their children with household items.32
Some iconic toys started out as inventions trying to solve a problem during the war. Silly Putty was invented in 1943 by engineer James Wright. He was trying to replicate rubber since Japan had invaded rubber producing countries making it hard to get.15 A toy store owner saw the potential of this compound that could bounce, stretch and mold.15
The slinky was invented by Richard James, an engineer at Cramp Shipyard in Philadelphia, when he was trying to improve the stability of naval ships. It was made of 80 feet of coiled wire. He noticed it “walking” off of the shelf and thought it could make a good toy.7 He and his wife spent $500 to produce the toy that was sold at Gimbel’s Department Store for $1 in 1945.7 Later, Slinky worked as a makeshift antenna for radio soldiers during the Vietnam War.15
Post WWII
After WWII, there was a baby boom which created a need for more toys, and newer plastics allowed for new ways to make toys easier and cheaper. Television also helped the toy industry through commercials. The first toy to be advertised on television was Mr. Potato Head. The ad was revolutionary in that it targeted children.19
Mr. Potato Head was the idea of George Lerner, but he called his toy the “Funny Face Man”.19 It consisted of separate plastic pieces with pushpins to be affixed to a real vegetable. Toy companies were not interested, so instead, Lerner went to Post Cereal and they agreed to add the toy to a box of cereal.19 The owners of Hasbro, as it became known, wanted to expand their business. When they saw Lerner’s toy, they decided to produce it as a separate product.19 Hasbro acquired the rights to the “Funny Face Man” and changed the name to Mr. Potato Head. It marketed a set of plastic parts in 1952.19 Due to complaints about safety (sharp pushpins) and moldy potatoes, Hasbro created the plastic body for the toy in 1964.19 The body had pre-cut holes that allowed the pieces to fit in without the sharp pin.
A Cincinnati company, Kutol Products, made a product to be sold in Kroger grocery stores to clean wallpaper.20 Burning coal for heat caused the accumulation of soot on the wall. Kutol’s clay-like compound could clean off the soot. After WWII when coal was being replaced by other methods of heating a home, Kutol was losing its market. The owner’s sister-in-law used some of the “clay” with her nursery school class and Play-Doh was born.20 Play-Doh launched in 1956 and is now part of Hasbro.20
Today’s Leading Companies
Two of the largest toy companies today, Mattel, Inc. and Hasbro, Inc. were founded in the United States. Mattel, Inc. was founded in 1945 by Harold Mattson and Ruth and Elliot Handler. Its first successful toy was a ukulele called the Uke-a-Doodle. Barbie, named after Ruth’s daughter Barbara, debuted in 1959.21 She is the best selling doll in the world.22 Hot Wheels, another well known toy by Mattel, was invented in 1968.21
Hasbro, Inc., was founded in 1923 by Henry and Hillel Hassenfeld. Besides selling Mr. Potato Head and Play-Doh, they also own Transformers, Dungeons and Dragons, My Little Pony and Nerf.23
Minority-Owned Toy Company
In the 1980s, Harvard businesswoman Yla Eason founded the Olmec Toys company in response to the lack of toys made especially for black children.24 The first toy created was Sun-Man, a superhero with distinct African features. Other toys followed, and it became the largest minority-owned toy company in the U.S., but it went bankrupt in the mid-1990s.25In 2022, Mattel was granted the rights to re-introduce Sun-Man as part of the Masters of the Universe collection.26
Made in the USA
Though many toy manufacturers moved production overseas in the late 20th century, the Rodon Group began making K’Nex in the 1990s in the U.S. K’Nex was conceived by Joel Glickman, a son of The Rodon Group’s original owner, while playing with straws at a wedding. He realized that with a “connector” he could create all sorts of things with different lengths of straws.27 When other companies declined to produce his idea, the Rodon Group stepped in to produce the toys. The company specialized in plastic injection molding and the majority of its toys are still made in the U.S.27
Video Games
Atari was formed in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, but it wasn’t the very first home console.29 That would be the Magnavox Odyssey in 1972. It did not achieve great commercial success, selling only about 350,000 units, but it did start the video game console industry.28
Bushnell and Dabney did pave the way for the arcade game era, with its first arcade game, Pong. Pong was officially released November 29, 1972. By 1975, they also led the home market with the home Pong unit sold through Sears.29 Atari’s most successful console was the Atari 2600, released in 1977.34
Microsoft introduced the XBox in 2001. It is the only gaming console of the major brands headquartered in the U.S. at this time. Today, the home console is the third most common home entertainment device.18
Trends in the Toy Market
According to The Toy Association, the STEM toy market will double between 2024 and 2034.17 Toys from the past are resurging from interest in teens and young adults. Meanwhile, adults are one of the fastest growing segments of the market.17 Licensed toys account for over one-third of all U.S. toy sales.17 Low-tech or no-tech toys are also growing in popularity because people want a screen-free experience to combat overstimulation.17
American innovators have created some of the most popular toys on the market. Different events have shaped the toy industry along the way. When imports were cut-off, the industry grew at home. When raw materials were scarce, research brought us new toys. From homemade to manufactured, toys shape our lives. Children learn through playing with toys and adults also find joy in toys.
What do you think will be the next great toy?
References – expand to view
1. https://hollistonhistoricalsociety.org/colonial-fun-and-games/
2. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/colonial-games.htm
3. https://www.ofe.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Colonial-Games
4. https://research.colonialwilliamsburg.org/Foundation/journal/Spring08/pop.cfm
6. https://www.britannica.com/event/Industrial-Revolution
7. https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/toy-manufacturing/
9. https://www.themagazineantiques.com/article/childrens-toys/
10. https://connecticuthistory.org/cromwells-iron-men-made-toys-for-boys-and-girls/
11. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-history-of-the-yoyo-1992695
12. https://www.yoyomuseum.com/museum_view.php?action=profiles&subaction=yoyo
13.https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/theymadeamerica/whomade/wanamaker_hi.html#:~:text=Wanamaker’s%20legendary%20department%20stores%20were,an%20event%20for%20ordinary%20people.&text=Born%20in%20Philadelphia%20in%201838,Hall%2C%20a%20men’s%20clothing% 20store
14. https://www.southamptonhistory.org/post/marvelous-humpty-dumpty-circus
15. https://www.history.com/articles/classic-toys-origin-stories
16. https://www.history.com/articles/the-birth-of-lincoln-logs
18. https://yougov.com/articles/42391-game-console-ownership-around-world
19. https://americacomesalive.com/mr-potato-head-stands-test-of-time/
20. https://www.museumofplay.org/blog/the-history-of-play-doh-good-clean-fun/
21. https://corporate.mattel.com/history
22. https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/763348-best-selling-doll
23. https://newsroom.hasbro.com/static-files/6b7e260b-d85c-4ad2-8c81-1c9fe36bcd98
24. https://artsandculture.google.com/story/cAXB26lAtfgdjA
25. https://archives.nypl.org/scm/23051
26. https://olmectoys.com/
27.https://www.rodongroup.com/blog/the-k-nex-story-marrying-fun-and-function-with-small-plastic-parts/
28. https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_1302004
29. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/the-history-of-atari-1971-1977
30. https://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/article/yo-yo-curiosities/
31. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/material-drives-on-the-world-war-ii-home-front.htm
32. https://wrightmuseum.org/toys-in-wartime-homemade-toys/
33. https://www.history.com/articles/great-depression-games-monopoly
Fantastic job, Stacy! I learned a LOT reading this one 🙂