Toy Capsule

Released in 1963 by Topper Toys, Penny Brite was presented as a more wholesome alternative to Mattel’s Barbie Doll.

After being acquired by Universal Toys, 1983 kicked off a new era of ownership for the brand and a 30th-anniversary celebration.

In the 1950s and 1960s, AMSCO developed very detailed and realistic toys that were scaled down to a size suitable for use by children.

Rubber and vinyl dolls and toys were the name of the game for Viceroy Manufacturing Company of Toronto, Ontario. This Dolls, Playthings, and Disneyland Character Merchandise catalog from 1956 illustrates the depth and breadth of the company’s licensed and non-licensed product offerings.

The 1964 Johnny Seven toy line of playsets and facsimiles of military equipment from Topper Toys was marketed exclusively to boys.

At its peak, Reliable Toys was one of the largest toy makers in Canada.

The Toy Manufacturers of the U.S.A. was founded in 1916, resulting from a meeting of more than 45 American toy makers in New York City.

Throughout the 1970s and ’80s, Kenner routinely advertised and placed premiums inside of some of General Mills most popular cereals, like Cheerios. Usually in booklet form, these promotions offered cash refunds on all of the company’s popular toys, including the Easy-Bake Oven.

In 1943, brothers Alvin and Earl Herdklotz established the A & E Tool and Gage Co. in Rockford, Illinois as a defense-based precision tool-and-die business. After World War II, focus shifted primarily to toy making. Operating under the name Midgetoy, the company began to produce basic, smaller-scale die-cast vehicles and airplanes at low price points.

For a large part of the 20th century, Transogram Toys and Games produced an array of toys, games, outdoor sports sets, and kid-sized furniture. This dealer catalog from 1961 illustrates the company’s diverse product offerings.