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United States Toy Manufacturers
A complete guide to 110 historic and current American toy manufacturers. United States played a defining role in toy-making history — explore each company's founding, toys, and legacy.
110 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…
A.C. Gilbert Company
Founded by Alfred Carlton Gilbert, an Olympic pole vaulter, A.C. Gilbert became one of the most beloved educational toy companies …
A.C. Williams Company
A.C. Williams produced cast-iron toys including cars, trucks, airplanes, motorcycles, and still banks at accessible price points. …
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…
American Flyer
American Flyer was Lionel's chief rival in the model train market. Known for their realistic S-gauge two-rail track system, Americ…
American National Company
American National produced beautifully detailed pressed-steel pedal cars, bicycles, and scooters. The company was formed by a 1919…
AMT (Aluminum Model Toys)
AMT began by producing 1:25 scale promotional model cars for automobile dealerships before pivoting to the model kit market in the…
Applause Toy Company
Applause specialized in licensed plush toys, dolls, and character merchandise tied to popular entertainment licenses including The…
Arcade Manufacturing Company
Arcade became famous for their highly detailed cast-iron replicas of real vehicles — Yellow Cab taxis, Mack trucks, farm equipment…
Auburn Rubber Corporation
Auburn Rubber was one of America's largest makers of rubber toys, producing soft flexible figures of soldiers, animals, farm worke…
Aurora Plastics Corporation
Aurora was one of America's most beloved model kit companies, producing plastic model kits of monsters, military vehicles, prehist…
Banner Plastics Corp.
Banner Plastics produced cheap injection-moulded polystyrene toys in the postwar era, including character figures, vehicles, and n…
Barclay Manufacturing Company
Barclay was one of the most prolific producers of small slush-cast lead toy soldiers and vehicles in the mid-20th century. Slush c…
Ben Cooper Inc.
Ben Cooper was the dominant producer of inexpensive Halloween costumes and character dress-up sets in America from the 1950s throu…
Bliss Manufacturing Co.
Bliss was a major 19th-century toy maker known for colorful lithographed-paper-on-wood dollhouses, boats, games, and building bloc…
Borgfeldt (George Borgfeldt & Co.)
George Borgfeldt & Co. was one of America's most important toy importers and distributors, bringing European toys to the American …
Buddy L
Named after founder Fred Lundahl's son, Buddy L began making massive pressed-steel trucks from excess automobile steel. Early Budd…
Built-Rite (Warren Paper Products)
Built-Rite (Warren Paper Products) produced inexpensive cardboard and paper playsets, dollhouses, and games sold through dime stor…
Carlisle & Finch
Carlisle & Finch produced what is generally accepted as the first electric toy train sold in America, in 1896 — four years before …
Carter Tru-Scale
Carter Tru-Scale specialized in 1:16-scale farm toy replicas, producing detailed pressed-steel and die-cast farm equipment primari…
Colorforms
Harry and Patricia Kislevitz invented Colorforms — reusable vinyl cling shapes that adhere to a smooth board — after experimenting…
Cosmo Manufacturing Co.
Cosmo Manufacturing produced small novelty toys and trinkets primarily used as promotional items and prizes, most famously as inse…
Courtland Toy Co.
Courtland produced inexpensive lithographed tin friction and wind-up cars and trucks sold primarily through five-and-dime stores. …
Cragstan
Cragstan was an American importer and distributor of Japanese tin toys, particularly from Alps. The Cragstan brand appears on some…
Creative Playthings
Creative Playthings was a pioneer in modern playground equipment and developmental toys, emphasizing natural materials and open-en…
Daisy Manufacturing Co.
Daisy began making windmills before accidentally becoming a toy company when they offered a free BB gun as a windmill premium — de…
Dent Hardware Company
Dent Hardware was a respected Pennsylvania cast-iron toy maker known for quality construction. Their cast-iron still banks, vehicl…
Doepke Model Toys
Charles William Doepke produced beautifully accurate 1:12 scale pressed-steel replicas of real construction equipment. Doepke mode…
Dorfan Company
Dorfan introduced several technical innovations including die-cast zinc locomotives ('Locodite'). Despite their brief existence, D…
Dowst Brothers / Tootsietoy
Dowst Brothers invented die-cast zinc toy vehicles under the Tootsietoy brand name around 1910, effectively creating the die-cast …
Eldon Industries
Eldon produced plastic toy vehicles and was one of the significant American brands in 1/32 scale slot car racing. Its Super Highwa…
Ertl Company
Fred Ertl Sr. began by melting war-surplus aluminium in his home furnace and pouring it into sand moulds, and Ertl grew into the d…
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…
Garton Toy Company
Garton operated for nearly a century as one of the most prolific producers of outdoor ride-on toys including pedal cars, wagons, s…
Gendron Wheel Company
Gendron produced some of the most ambitious pressed-steel pedal cars ever built in America, along with wagons and bicycles, from t…
Gibbs Manufacturing Co.
Gibbs Manufacturing holds the distinction of being one of the longest-running toy companies in the United States. Its lithographed…
Girard Model Works
Girard produced lithographed tin wind-up toys and toy trains. Their toys were eventually made under a production arrangement with …
Grey Iron Casting Company
Grey Iron produced affordable cast-iron toy soldiers and vehicles, often sold through five-and-dime stores. Their American Family …
Hafner Manufacturing Co.
Hafner produced affordable lithographed tin toy trains, competing in the lower-price segment of the market against Lionel and Amer…
Halsam Products Company
Halsam produced wooden toys and building blocks under a range of brands, eventually acquiring the rights to American Logs (a Linco…
Hasbro
Founded as Hassenfeld Brothers, Hasbro grew into one of the world's largest toy corporations. The company introduced the first toy…
Holgate Toys
Holgate pioneered the developmental wooden toy in America, working with early childhood educators to design toys that promote lear…
Hubley Manufacturing
Hubley was one of the most respected American cast-iron toy makers. Their exquisitely detailed cast-iron motorcycles, fire trucks,…
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…
Ives Corporation
Ives was one of America's earliest and most important toy manufacturers, producing clockwork mechanical toys, cast-iron horse-draw…
J. & E. Stevens
J. & E. Stevens was the most prominent maker of mechanical banks in American history. Founded before the Civil War, Stevens produc…
J. Chein & Company
Julius Chein produced colorful lithographed tin mechanical toys sold through Woolworth's and five-and-dime stores. Chein made soph…
Jaymar Specialty Company
Jaymar produced a wide range of children's puzzles, board games, and character toys under license from Disney and other properties…
K'NEX Industries
K'NEX introduced a distinctive rod-and-connector building system allowing construction of working models of roller coasters, vehic…
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…
Kenton Hardware Company
Kenton Hardware produced a wide range of cast-iron toys including horse-drawn vehicles, automobiles, fire engines, and novelty ite…
Keystone Manufacturing
Keystone produced large, heavy pressed-steel push toy vehicles including trucks, steam shovels, and fire trucks. Their toys were o…
Kilgore Manufacturing Company
Kilgore was a major producer of cap guns and cast-iron vehicles rivaling those of Hubley and Kenton in quality. Kilgore also produ…
Kingsbury Manufacturing
Kingsbury, successor to Wilkins Toy Company, produced high-quality pressed-steel clockwork toys including automobiles, trucks, bus…
Kirk-Latty Manufacturing Co.
Kirk-Latty produced pedal cars, wagons, and bicycles in Cleveland during the early 20th century, competing with other Ohio-based r…
Knickerbocker Toy Company
One of America's oldest toy companies, Knickerbocker produced teddy bears, plush animals, and character dolls over more than a cen…
Larami Corporation
Larami is best known for inventing and producing the Super Soaker — a pressurised water gun far more powerful than anything before…
Lido Toy Corporation
Lido was an early and prolific producer of plastic toy vehicles, figures, and novelty items sold through five-and-dime stores in t…
Lionel Manufacturing Co.
Joshua Lionel Cowen founded Lionel after inventing a battery-powered toy train as a store window display. Lionel became synonymous…
Louis Marx & Company
Louis Marx built the world's largest toy company by producing affordable, high-quality toys sold through Sears and Woolworth's. Ma…
Manoil Manufacturing Co.
Manoil produced affordable die-cast lead and zinc alloy toy soldiers and vehicles, competing with Barclay in the dime store market…
Mattel, Inc.
Harold 'Matt' Matson and Elliot and Ruth Handler founded Mattel in a garage. Ruth Handler created Barbie in 1959 — the first mass-…
McLoughlin Brothers
McLoughlin Brothers was the dominant American game and toy publisher of the Victorian era. Their colorful lithographed board games…
Metalcraft Corporation
Metalcraft produced pressed-steel toy trucks that were often produced as advertising premiums for companies including Shell Oil, H…
Milton Bradley Company
Milton Bradley invented the American board game industry. His 1860 'Checkered Game of Life' was the first widely sold board game i…
Morton E. Converse Co.
Converse was a major Massachusetts wooden toy maker from Winchendon, known as 'Toy Town USA.' They produced dollhouses, toy furnit…
MPC (Multiple Plastics Corporation / Model Products Corporation)
MPC produced plastic model kits and toy vehicles, holding licenses for Star Wars, General Lee (Dukes of Hazzard), and other popula…
Murray-Ohio / Steelcraft
Murray-Ohio produced the beloved Steelcraft line of pedal cars and also manufactured bicycles and wagons. Their 1930s and 1940s pe…
Nifty (Nifty Toy Co.)
Nifty produced lithographed tin clockwork toys in the 1920s and early 1930s. Their Charlie Chaplin and other comic character wind-…
Noma Electric Corp.
Noma produced electric toys and holiday decorations, particularly famous for their Christmas tree lights. It also made lighted ele…
Nosco Plastics
Nosco Plastics produced a range of inexpensive plastic toys including figure sets, vehicles, and novelty items sold through dime s…
Nylint
Founded in 1937 as a Rockford machine shop by Bernard Klint and David Nyberg, Nylint moved into toys after the war using surplus s…
Ohio Art Company
Ohio Art began as a picture frame company before entering toys in the 1920s. The company is most famous for Etch A Sketch, invente…
Parker Brothers
George Parker founded his game company at age 16 convinced that games should be entertaining rather than moralistic. Parker Brothe…
Playskool
Playskool was founded in Milwaukee originally producing wooden educational toys for schools. It focused on developmental play for …
Poynter Products
Poynter Products produced novelty outdoor toys and games. They are best known for popularizing Boomerangs and Frisbee alternatives…
Pressman Toy Corp.
Jack Pressman founded Pressman Toy Corporation in 1922, producing an enormous range of board games, puzzles, and educational toys.…
Pyro Plastics Corporation
Pyro was an early producer of plastic toy figures and small model kits. Their plastic figure sets, vehicles, and simple model kits…
R. Bliss Manufacturing Co.
Bliss was a major 19th-century toy maker known for colorful lithographed-paper-on-wood dollhouses, boats, games, and building bloc…
Reed Toy Company
Reed Toy Company was a 19th-century Massachusetts toy maker known for wooden educational toys and paper lithographed games. Their …
Remco Industries
Remco produced innovative battery-operated toys and games marketed aggressively through TV commercials. Their battery-operated toy…
Renwal Toy Corporation
Renwal produced a range of educational plastic model kits including anatomical models (Visible Man, Visible Woman) that remain ico…
Revell
Revell pioneered the American plastic model kit industry, launching their first model in 1950. Their car models and precise milita…
Rich Manufacturing Co. (Rich Toys)
Rich Manufacturing produced wooden toys, dollhouses, and rocking horses across several decades. Their carefully crafted wooden toy…
Saalfield Publishing Co.
Saalfield was a major publisher of children's books, coloring books, paper dolls, and games. Their licensed paper doll books featu…
Selchow & Righter Company
One of America's oldest game publishers, Selchow & Righter — frequently misspelled as Richter — are best known as the original US …
Smith-Miller
Smith-Miller produced some of the finest and most accurate pressed-steel and cast-aluminum toy trucks ever made. Their Mack L-Line…
Strauss Manufacturing Co.
Ferdinand Strauss was a pioneer of the American tin toy industry. Louis Marx learned the toy business working for Strauss before f…
Strombecker Corporation
Strombecker was the company that acquired the Tootsietoy line from Dowst in 1961 Manufacturing, continuing to produce Tootsietoy d…
Structo Manufacturing
Structo was a major producer of pressed-steel construction and vehicle toys for over 50 years, competing with Buddy L and Tonka. T…
Structoys (Structo/Coleco)
Structoys was an early Structo product line, not a separate company, and is listed here because the name is encountered on its own…
Sturditoy Corporation
Sturditoy produced large, extremely heavy pressed-steel toys — among the most ruggedly built toys of the era. Their pressed-steel …
Sun Rubber Company
Sun Rubber produced soft rubber toys designed for young children — squeezable, floatable, and safe. Their rubber toy cars, Sunbabe…
Thomas Toys
Thomas Toys was an early postwar producer of plastic toys including cowboy and Indian figure sets, plastic vehicles, and construct…
Toledo Metal Wheel Company
Toledo Metal Wheel produced the Blue Streak line of pedal cars and outdoor ride-on toys, competing with American National and Gend…
Tonka Toys
The Tonka name was adopted in 1955 by Mound Metalcraft. 'Built Tonka Tough' wasn't just a slogan — these nearly indestructible pre…
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) …
Toy Tinkers / Tinkertoy
Charles Pajeau invented Tinkertoys in 1914, inspired by watching children play with pencils, sticks, and empty spools of thread. T…
Transogram Company
Transogram was a prolific producer of board games, card games, puzzles, and toy sets sold through mass retailers. They produced ma…
Turner Toys (Turner Mfg.)
Turner Manufacturing produced pressed-steel toy vehicles during the 1920s–1940s. Their realistic pressed-steel sedans, buses, and …
Tyco Toys
Tyco produced HO-gauge trains, slot car racing systems, and action figure lines across 70 years. Their HO trains were a more affor…
Unique Art Manufacturing Co.
Unique Art produced colorful lithographed tin wind-up toys sold through five-and-dime stores. Their animated figures of Li'l Abner…
Vindex (National Sewing Machine Co.)
Vindex was a short-lived but remarkable cast-iron toy line produced by the National Sewing Machine Company. Despite operating only…
Wham-O Manufacturing
Richard Knerr and Arthur 'Spud' Melin started Wham-O with a hand-crafted slingshot. The company sparked some of the biggest toy cr…
Whitman Publishing Co.
Whitman Publishing produced a vast range of children's coloring books, paper doll books, jigsaw puzzles, and games. Their licensed…
Wilder Manufacturing (Jokari USA)
Wilder Manufacturing introduced the Jokari paddleball game to the American market — a rubber-ball-on-elastic game played against a…
Wolverine Supply & Mfg. Co.
Wolverine produced colorful lithographed tin toys focused on domestic, beach, and novelty play. Their famous Sandy Andy sand toy h…
Wolverine Toy Company
Wolverine produced colorful tin lithographed toys focused on domestic and novelty play. Their Sandy Andy sand toy was an iconic be…
Wyandotte Toys
Wyandotte produced affordable pressed-steel and tin toys sold primarily through Woolworth's and Kresge stores. Their colorful lith…