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Dolls & Plush Manufacturers
A curated directory of 16 doll, teddy bear, and plush toy makers. Every maker below has a full profile covering its history, founding, notable toys, and collecting notes.
16 manufacturers listed.
A. Schoenhut & Company
Albert Schoenhut came from a German toy making family and founded a company famous for its toy pianos. Schoenhut's all-wood spring…
Acme Toy Company
At least three unrelated American firms traded under the Acme name in the early 20th century. The best-documented is Acme Toy Manu…
Applause Toy Company
Applause specialized in licensed plush toys, dolls, and character merchandise tied to popular entertainment licenses including The…
Borgfeldt (George Borgfeldt & Co.)
George Borgfeldt & Co. was one of America's most important toy importers and distributors, bringing European toys to the American …
Chad Valley Toys
Chad Valley was one of Britain's most beloved toy companies. It held a Royal Warrant as toymakers to the Queen from 1938, and prod…
FAO Schwarz
Frederick August Otto Schwarz opened his first toy store in Baltimore in 1862 before settling in New York, where FAO Schwarz becam…
Fisher-Price Toys
Founded during the Great Depression with the philosophy that toys must have 'play value.' Fisher-Price focused on durable, colorfu…
Hasbro
Founded as Hassenfeld Brothers, Hasbro grew into one of the world's largest toy corporations. The company introduced the first toy…
Ideal Toy Corporation
Morris Michtom founded Ideal after producing what many consider the first Teddy Bear in 1902. Ideal went on to produce some of the…
Kenner Products
Kenner introduced the Easy-Bake Oven in 1963 and the Spirograph in 1966 before becoming synonymous with the Star Wars toy line fro…
Knickerbocker Toy Company
One of America's oldest toy companies, Knickerbocker produced teddy bears, plush animals, and character dolls over more than a cen…
Lines Brothers (Tri-ang)
Lines Brothers was Britain's largest toy company, trading under the Tri-ang brand. They produced an enormous range including tin c…
Mattel, Inc.
Harold 'Matt' Matson and Elliot and Ruth Handler founded Mattel in a garage. Ruth Handler created Barbie in 1959 — the first mass-…
Steiff
Margarete Steiff founded her company making stuffed felt elephants before her nephew Richard Steiff designed the first jointed stu…
Sun Rubber Company
Sun Rubber produced soft rubber toys designed for young children — squeezable, floatable, and safe. Their rubber toy cars, Sunbabe…
Topper Toys (DeLuxe Reading Corp.)
Topper Toys (a division of DeLuxe Reading) produced innovative and TV-marketed toys including the Johnny Seven OMA (One Man Army) …