Aurora Plastics Corporation
27 years in operation (1950–1977)
About Aurora Plastics Corporation
Aurora was one of America's most beloved model kit companies, producing plastic model kits of monsters, military vehicles, prehistoric animals, and famous figures. Their Universal Monster model kit series — Frankenstein, Dracula, Wolfman — are icons of 1960s pop culture. Aurora also produced the popular AFX slot car racing system.
Founding
Abe Shikes, Joseph Giammarino and John Cuomo, who started out moulding plastic clothes hangers and novelties on Long Island before turning to model kits.
History of Aurora Plastics Corporation
Aurora built a solid business in aircraft and car kits through the 1950s, but its place in toy history was secured in 1961 by a decision that looked eccentric at the time: a plastic kit of Frankenstein's monster, licensed from Universal. It sold out, and the Universal Monsters series that followed — Dracula, the Wolf Man, the Mummy, the Creature from the Black Lagoon — became the defining kits of American childhood in the 1960s, later reissued with glow-in-the-dark parts that doubled their appeal.
The company applied the same instinct elsewhere with real success. The Thunderjet 500 HO slot cars of 1963 made Aurora the largest slot-racing brand in the world, and the Prehistoric Scenes series of the 1970s was an unusually ambitious articulated-kit line. It also overreached: the 1971 Monster Scenes range, which included a "Victim" figure and a torture-rack accessory, drew organised parental objection and was withdrawn.
Nabisco bought Aurora in 1969 and sold the business on in 1977 — the model kits to Monogram, the slot-car operation into the line that became Aurora AFX and then passed to Tomy and Tyco. Much of the original kit tooling still exists and has been reissued repeatedly by Monogram, Revell and Polar Lights.
Timeline
- 1950Aurora Plastics is founded on Long Island, New York
- 1956Aircraft and car model kits establish the company in the hobby trade
- 1961The Frankenstein kit launches the Universal Monsters series
- 1963Thunderjet 500 HO slot cars make Aurora the leading slot-racing brand
- 1969Nabisco acquires the company
- 1971The Monster Scenes line is withdrawn after public objection
- 1977The kit business is sold to Monogram and the slot-car line separated off
Notable & Best-Selling Toys
- Aurora Universal Monster kits (Frankenstein, Dracula, Wolfman)
- Aurora prehistoric scenes kits
- Aurora AFX slot car sets
- Aurora 'Supercar' slot car
- Aurora figure kits (Tarzan, Superman)
- Aurora Civil War soldier kits
Identifying & Dating Aurora Plastics Corporation Toys
- Kit parts and bases are moulded "AURORA PLASTICS CORP." with a copyright year; boxes carry a kit number that identifies the issue precisely.
- The original 1960s monster kits have square boxes with painted artwork; the "long box" format and the glow-kit banner indicate later 1960s and 1970s reissues.
- Slot-car chassis are marked "AURORA" underneath, and the chassis generation — Thunderjet, AFX, Magna-Traction — is the primary dating and value determinant.
Collector's Notes
- Sealed first-issue monster kits in square boxes are the blue-chip material and are priced far above the visually similar reissues, so the box format and copyright date are worth checking carefully before paying.
- Because the tooling has been reissued for sixty years, a built model tells you almost nothing about age. Value in this line lives in unbuilt kits with their original boxes and instructions.
- For slot cars, original Thunderjet chassis with intact pickup shoes and unbroken body mounting posts are the ones worth having; bodies alone are plentiful.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When was Aurora Plastics Corporation founded?
Aurora Plastics Corporation was founded in 1950, based in West Hempstead, NY.
Is Aurora Plastics Corporation still in business?
No. Aurora Plastics Corporation ceased operations in 1977, after 27 years in business.
What is Aurora Plastics Corporation best known for?
Aurora Plastics Corporation is best known for Aurora Universal Monster kits (Frankenstein, Dracula, Wolfman), Aurora prehistoric scenes kits, Aurora AFX slot car sets, among other toys.
Where was Aurora Plastics Corporation located?
Aurora Plastics Corporation was based in West Hempstead, NY.
What kinds of toys did Aurora Plastics Corporation make?
Aurora Plastics Corporation is categorized under model kits, figures, slot cars.
Who founded Aurora Plastics Corporation?
Abe Shikes, Joseph Giammarino and John Cuomo, who started out moulding plastic clothes hangers and novelties on Long Island before turning to model kits.
How can you identify genuine Aurora Plastics Corporation toys?
Kit parts and bases are moulded "AURORA PLASTICS CORP." with a copyright year; boxes carry a kit number that identifies the issue precisely. The original 1960s monster kits have square boxes with painted artwork; the "long box" format and the glow-kit banner indicate later 1960s and 1970s reissues. Slot-car chassis are marked "AURORA" underneath, and the chassis generation — Thunderjet, AFX, Magna-Traction — is the primary dating and value determinant.
Are Aurora Plastics Corporation toys valuable?
Sealed first-issue monster kits in square boxes are the blue-chip material and are priced far above the visually similar reissues, so the box format and copyright date are worth checking carefully before paying. Because the tooling has been reissued for sixty years, a built model tells you almost nothing about age. Value in this line lives in unbuilt kits with their original boxes and instructions. For slot cars, original Thunderjet chassis with intact pickup shoes and unbroken body mounting posts are the ones worth having; bodies alone are plentiful.