Ideal Toy Company was an American toy company founded by Morris Michtom and his wife, Rose. During the post–World War II baby boom era, Ideal became the largest doll-making company in the United States. Their most popular dolls included

Betsy Wetsy Betsy Wetsy was a "drink-and-wet" doll originally issued by the Ideal Toy Company of New York in 1934.Waggoner, Susan. ''Under the Tree: the Toys and Treats That Made Christmas Special, 1930-1970.'' Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2007. It was one of the ...

,Hays, Constance L. "Judith Albert, 59, Toy Designer Whose Doll Led to Buyer Frenzy," ''New York Times'' (Aug. 1, 1998). Toni, Saucy Walker,

Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple;While Temple occasionally used "Jane" as a middle name, her birth certificate reads "Shirley Temple". Her birth certificate was altered to prolong her babyhood shortly after she signed with Fox in ...

, Miss Revlon,

Patti Playpal Patti Playpal, also spelled as Patti Play Pal, was an American line of dolls created by both Neil Estern and Vincent DeFilippo (creator of the "baby face" sculpt Patti) both versions were produced by the Ideal Toy Company during the late 1950s to ...

, Tammy, Thumbelina, Tiny Thumbelina, and Crissy. Their last big hit was the

Rubik's Cube The Rubik's Cube is a Three-dimensional space, 3-D combination puzzle originally invented in 1974 by Hungarians, Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik. Originally called the Magic Cube, the puzzle was licensed by Rubik t ...

History

Corporate history

Morris and Rose Michtom founded the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company in Brooklyn when they invented the Teddy bear in 1903. After Morris Michtom's death in 1938, the company changed its name to the Ideal Toy Company, and Michtom's nephew Abraham Katz became chief executive. During World War II, the company's value rose from $2 million all the way to $11 million. The company's dolls were so popular during the post–World War II baby boom era, they began selling dolls under license in Canada,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, the United Kingdom, and Brazil. Key Ideal employees during the 1950s, '60s, and '70s were Lionel A. Weintraub and Joseph C. Winkler. Weintraub, the son-in-law of Abraham Katz, joined the company in 1941 and rose to become president, chairman of the board, and chief executive officer. Winkler joined Ideal in 1956, rising to vice president by 1971.Sloane, Leonard
"Business People: Ideal Toy Gets A New President,"
''New York Times'' (May 27, 1981). In 1951, Ideal partnered with its competitors the American Character Doll Company and the Alexander Doll Company to establish the United States-Israeli Toy and Plastic Corporation. The company was created to produce material for toys in Israel and the U.S. Ideal CEO Abraham Katz was named president of the new company."PLANT IN TEL AVIV TO MAKE PLASTICS: New $1,000,000 Concern Plans Range of Products From Toys to Building Items To Make Plastic Parts,"
''New York Times'' (November 8, 1951), p. 49. In 1968, the American Character Doll Company filed for bankruptcy, and Ideal acquired the defunct company's dyes, patents, and trademarks,
DollReference.com. Accessed Dec. 26, 2014. as well as specific products like the " Tressy" Gro-Hair doll. In late 1971, Ideal joined the New York Stock Exchange; valued at $71 million, it was one of the U.S.'s top three toy companies.Sloan, Leonard
"Ideal Toy's Weintraub Tries to Create Fun Potential,"
''New York Times'' (Oct. 24, 1971). By 1970, Ideal had outgrown its manufacturing complex in Hollis, Queens. The company wanted to build a new plant in College Point, Queens (later the site of Shea Stadium), but was unable to strike a deal with the Lindsay administration. Consequently, the company opened a new facility in Newark, New Jersey, in the early 1970s, while continuing to operate its factory in Hollis."Ideal Toy Corp. Moving Queens Offices to Jersey,"
''New York Times'' (May 14, 1982). Ideal had earnings of $3.7 million in fiscal year 1979–1980, but lost $15.5 million in fiscal year 1980–1981. (Sales both years averaged around $150 million.) Trying to maximize profits on the

craze, Ideal filed civil suits in May 1981 against dozens of distributors and retailers selling

knockoff Counterfeit consumer goods (or counterfeit and fraudulent, suspect items - CFSI) are goods, often of inferior quality, made or sold under another's brand name without the brand owner's authorization. Sellers of such goods may infringe on eith ...

cubes. In May 1981, Joseph Winkler was named Ideal's president, succeeding Lionel Weintraub, who remained chairman and CEO. In 1982, the company moved its headquarters from Hollis, Queens, to Harmon Meadow, New Jersey. It was sold to

CBS Toys CBS Broadcasting, Inc. (CBS; originally the Columbia Broadcasting System) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial Television network, broadcast television and radio network owned by Param ...

later that year for around $58 million. In 1987, CBS sold Ideal to Viewmaster International, which renamed itself View-Master Ideal in the process. In 1989, View-Master Ideal was bought by Tyco Toys of Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, for $43.9 million. The Ideal line remained part of Tyco until Tyco's merger with Mattel, Inc., in 1997. Ideal's United Kingdom assets were sold to Hasbro, which has since released Mouse Trap and KerPlunk under its

MB Games Milton Bradley Company or simply Milton Bradley (MB) was an American board game manufacturer established by Milton Bradley in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1860. In 1920, it absorbed the game production of McLoughlin Brothers, formerly the lar ...

brand. Other toys that originated with Ideal continue to be marketed and sold by other companies, including

by Hasbro and Magic 8-ball by Mattel. The Ideal trademarks, and most toy molds not purchased by Hasbro or Mattel, were purchased by Jay Horowitz of American Plastic Equipment, who later transferred all rights to American Plastic Equipment's subsidiary, American Classic Toys. Mr. Horowitz licensed the trademark and toy rights to Plaza Toys, to be used on its Fiddlestix building sticks products, and eventually sold the mark and toy rights in January 2011 to Poof- Slinky. In January 2014, the Ideal brand and toy rights became part of a new company, Alex Brands, after the May 2013 acquisition of Alex Toys by Propel Equity Partners. In early 2019, Jay Horowitz of American Classic Toys, entered into an exclusive license agreement with the Juna Group to represent select Ideal brands - not included in the sale to Poof-Slinky - in all categories outside of toys and playthings, worldwide.

Products history

Ideal began making dolls in 1907 to complement its line of teddy bears. Their first doll was “Yellow Kid” from

Richard Felton Outcault Richard Felton Outcault (; January 14, 1863 – September 25, 1928) was an American cartoonist. He was the creator of the series ''The Yellow Kid'' and ''Buster Brown'' and is considered a key pioneer of the modern comic strip. Life and career ...

comic strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...

of the same name. After that Ideal began making a line of baby and character dolls such as Naughty Marietta (from the Victor Herbert operetta), and

Admiral Dot Admiral Dot (1859 or 1863 – October 28, 1918), born Leopold S. Kahn, was a dwarf performer for P. T. Barnum. Biography He was born in 1859 or 1863 in San Francisco to Gabriel Kahn and his wife Caroline. His mother had given birth to ten child ...

. Ideal advertised their dolls as "unbreakable," since they were made of composition, a material made of sawdust and glue. Ideal produced over 200 variations of dolls throughout the composition era.Izen, Judith.
Collector's Guide to Ideal Dolls: Identification and Value Guide
, 3rd Edition.'' Collector's Books, 2005 Understanding branding well, Ideal had a boy doll launched in 1914 named the Uneeda Kid, after a biscuit company. One of Ideal's most lasting products was

, introduced in 1934 and in production for more than 50 years. The doll was named after the daughter of Abraham Katz, the head of the company. Ideal, via the Betsy Wetsy doll, was also one of the first doll manufacturers to produce an African American version of a popular doll.Waggoner, Susan. ''Under the Tree: the Toys and Treats That Made Christmas Special, 1930-1970''. Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2007. In 2003, the Toy Industry Association named Betsy Wetsy to its Century of Toys List, a compilation commemorating the 100 most memorable and most creative toys of the 20th century. Debuting in 1934, the Shirley Temple doll was their best-selling doll. Ideal followed this with licensed Disney dolls and a Judy Garland doll. Two cosmetics-based doll series were launched after World War II: Toni was introduced at the end of the 1940s, followed by the 1950s-dominating Miss Revlon series. Ideal had a hobby division in the 1950s, but shifted from that to games in 1962. By the early 1970s, 30% of the company's sales were games such as Mouse Trap and Hands Down. Doll designer Judith Albert worked for Ideal Toy Company from 1960 to 1982. Master sculptor Vincent J. DeFilippo spent 27 years creating dolls for Ideal from 1963 to 1980. Some of the company's most popular dolls during this period were Tammy (1962–1966),

Flatsy doll Flatsy Dolls are flat dolls that were made by Ideal Toy Company from 1969 through 1973. Designed by Hank Kramer, Flatsy Dolls were originally marketed to little girls. Like many vintage dolls, Flatsy dolls are now collectors items. Description F ...

s (1969–1973), Crissy (1969–1974), and Tressy (1970–1972). Popular Ideal toys in the 1970s included a full line of Evel Knievel toys, Snoopy toys, and the Tuesday Taylor and Wake-up Thumbelina dolls. For a short time, the company had a huge seller with the Magic Cube, which it imported from Hungary in 1980 and renamed

Novelties and toys manufactured by Ideal

Toys and games

Alexander's Star Alexander's Star is a puzzle similar to the Rubik's Cube, in the shape of a great dodecahedron. History Alexander's Star was invented by Adam Alexander, an American mathematician, in 1982. It was patented on 26 March 1985, with US patent nu ...

* Alligator Game *

Astrobase Johnny Astro Base was a toy made by the Ideal company in the early 1960s. The toy ran on 4 D Cell batteries. Besides a power switch, it had several features that includes the following modes of operation: Modes of operation * ''Astro Scope'': S ...

* Babar *

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

Playset * Battle Action Tank Trap * Battlefield Blast * Battling Spaceships * Battling Tops * Beat The "8" Ball * Big Bird Storymagic * Bing Bang Boing * Boaterific * Bongo Kongo * Bop the Beetle * Be a King or Queen outfit * Buck-a-roo! * Building BoardsNow manufactured by Poof-Slinky, Inc
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* Careful * Clancy the Great * Comic Heroines (AKA Superqueen) * Composa-Tune * Cover-up * Criss-Cross * Crossfire * Deduction * Disney Dough * Don't Tip The Waiter * Don't Upset Me * Dukes of Hazzard Racing Set * Dr. Evil *

Electroman ''Electro Man'', originally distributed in Poland under the title ''Electro Body'', is an MS-DOS platform game developed by the Polish company X LanD Computer Games. It was originally released in Poland by xLand in 1992, and later published by Ep ...

* Electronic Detective * Electronic Jet Pilot (Cockpit Instrument Panel) * Escape from Skull Canyon * Evel Knievel toys * Fiddlestix * Flintstones toys * Frontier Logs * Game of the Generals * Gaylord the Walking Bassett Hound * Gunfight at OK Corral Playset * Hand Puppets (DC Comics Superheroes i.e. Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, TV Series Characters i.e. Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, The Addams Family, The Munsters ) * Hands Down * Hang on Harvey * Hoopla * Howdy Doody doll * Impact * ITC Models *

The Game of Jaws ''The Game of Jaws'' is a 1975 game produced by the Ideal Toy Company. The game is based on the blockbuster film of the same name. Today, the game is rare and is a valuable collector's item A collectable (collectible or collector's item) i ...

Jay J. Armes Jay J. Armes (born Julian Armas; August 12, 1932) is an American private investigator and actor. He is known for his prosthetic hands and a line of children's action figures based on his image. Early life and education Armes was born Julian A ...

action figure. * Justice League of America Playset * KerPlunk * Kindles * King Kong * King Zor * Lamb Chop puppet * Magic 8-ball * Magic Shot * Magilla Gorilla *

Maniac Maniac (from Greek μανιακός, ''maniakos'') is a pejorative for an individual who experiences the mood known as mania. In common usage, it is also an insult for someone involved in reckless behavior. Maniac may also refer to: Film * ' ...

* Manglor * Marblehead * Mark Three * Mighty Mo * Missing Link * Model cars * Monkey Stix *

Motorific Motorific is the brand name of a product lining, line of Battery (electricity), battery-operated slot car toys and related accessories marketed by the Ideal Toy Company from 1964 to the early 1970s. It differed from traditional slot car sets in tha ...

Mr. Machine Mr. Machine is a once-popular children's mechanical toy originally manufactured by the Ideal Toy Company in 1960. Mr. Machine was designed by Marvin Glass – the toy designer – known for many popular 1960s & 1970s toys. The story goes that Ma ...

* Mr. Rogers Neighborhood Trolley * My Dog Has Fleas *

Odd Ogg Odd Ogg was a toy of the 1960s that was produced by the Ideal Toy Company. The ODD OGG was a half turtle, half frog, and resembled a robotic version of this unique combination. Ideal Toy Company manufactured the ODD OGG in 1962. While ODD OGG migh ...

* Oh, Nuts! *

Pac-Man originally called ''Puck Man'' in Japan, is a 1980 maze action video game developed and released by Namco for arcades. In North America, the game was released by Midway Manufacturing as part of its licensing agreement with Namco America. Th ...

Panic * Pay-Off * Payoff Machine *

Peter Potamus Peter Potamus is a purple animated hippopotamus that first appeared in the 1964–1966 animated television series ''The Peter Potamus Show'', produced by Hanna-Barbera and first broadcast on September 16, 1964. ''The Peter Potamus Show'' was divi ...

* Poison Ivy * Poppin Hoppies * Powermite Mini Tools * Phantom Rayder Ship 1964 * R-r-r-raw Power * Rack 'N' Roll Bowling * Rebound * Ricochet Rabbit & Droop-a-Long * Robert the Robot * Robo Force * Robot Commando * Rocks & Bugs & Things *

(license) * Ryan Oakes Magic Show * Scare Cycles * Shaker Maker * Skeeters (micro sized toy cars (12 different models plus carrying case and 2 track sets) * Sky Battle * Smokey the Bear Ranger * Snap Bowling * Solar Works * Speedball (Electronic) * Stretchie dolls *

Super City (toy) The Super City toy is a construction set produced by Ideal Toys in 1967. It is similar to Lego, small plastic pieces which are assembled to create complex structures. However Super City is more oriented to buildings and allows more sophisticated c ...

* Sure Shot Baseball * Swack! * Tank Command * Teddy Bear * Think & Learn (Preschool play sets) * ThunderStreak (hydro wing rubberband powered toy) 1967 * Tiger Island *

Tin Can Alley Tin Can Alley is an inexpensive electronic shooting game for children. It uses infrared technology embedded inside a small plastic pistol or rifle. The objective is to aim at a mark below a selection of small tin cans perched upon a plastic wall. ...

* Tiny Mighty Mo * Tornado Bowl * Toss Across * TCR: Total Control Racing * Triple Up *

Up Against Time Up Against Time (or later as Up! Against Time) is a children's game (aged 7 and above) first marketed by the Ideal Toy Company in 1977. The game features an upright plastic board through which a steel ball moves down to a ramp at the bottom. Bel ...

* Upset * U.S. Marine Air-Sea Rescue Floating Mechanical Seaplane * U.S. Royal Giant Tire Mechanical Toy - from the

New York World's Fair 1964 The 1964–1965 New York World's Fair was a world's fair that held over 140 pavilions and 110 restaurants, representing 80 nations (hosted by 37), 24 US states, and over 45 corporations with the goal and the final result of building exhibits or ...

* Video Varmints * Walt Disney toys * Zeroids

Board games

The $128,000 Question ''The $128,000 Question'' is an American game show which aired from 1976 to 1978 in weekly syndication. This revival of '' The $64,000 Question'' was produced by Cinelar Associates and distributed by Viacom Enterprises. Originally, Viacom had in ...

* All-Pro Basketball National Basketball Association Game * All-Pro Football National Football League Game * All-Pro Hockey National Hockey League Game * Bible Trivia * Blast (The Game of Blast) * The Chase * Cloak and Dagger *

Crazy Clock Game ''Mouse Trap'' (originally ''Mouse Trap Game'') is a board game first published by Ideal in 1963 for two to four players. It is one of the first mass-produced three-dimensional board games. Players at first cooperate to build a working mouse t ...

* The Diners' Club Credit Card Game * Double Exposure * Electra Woman and Dyna Girl (board game) * Fish Bait * The Fugitive * Get Smart * The Great Escape * The Hollywood Squares *

I Vant to Bite Your Finger ''I Vant to Bite Your Finger'' is a board game designed by Charles Phillips and Charlie Leicht published by Ideal Toys in collaboration with Hasbro in 1979, in which waking a vampire represented as a roughly foot tall standee on the game board o ...

* Let's Make A Deal * Mouse Trap * Mystic Skull: The Game Of Voodoo * Old Maid * Pop O Matic Yipes! * Rain Rain Go Away * Rattle Me Bones * Salvo * The Sinking of The Titanic * Solid Gold Music Trivia * Ten Commandments * Tic-Tac-Dough * Tip-It * The Winning Ticket

Dolls

DeFilippo Dolls

* Baby Baby * Baby Dreams — the doll with "velvet skin" * Baby Tickle Tickle *

* Dorothy Hamill * Evel Knievel toysHollie, Pamela G
Assault by Knieval Halts Boom in Ideal's Daredevil Toy Sales,"
''New York Times'' (Dec. 9, 1977). * Jody An Old Fashioned Girl (1979) * Joey Stivic * KaMy Bottle Baby * Karen & her magic carriage * Lazy Dazy (1970s) * Magic Hair Crissy * Movin Groovin Cricket/ Tressy * Patti Playpal * Rub-a-Dub Doggie * Rub-a-Dub Dolly * Sara Stimson/

* Spinderella

s * Tearie

* Tiffany Taylor * Tiny Tears (after 1968 when American Character Doll Company went out of business) * Tippy Tumbles (American Character Doll Company) * Tuesday Taylor and Taylor Jones * Upsy Dazy * Wake up Thumbelina * Zem 21 & Knight of Darkness

Other Ideal dolls

* Bibsy — 23" baby doll (1960s and 1970s) * Bye Bye Baby (1960s) * Captain Action (1966–1968) * Cream Puff Baby (1950s) * Crissy — fashion doll with growing hair feature * Crown Princess— 10" vinyl glamour doll * Deanna Durbin *

Dick Tracy ''Dick Tracy'' is an American comic strip featuring Dick Tracy (originally Plainclothes Tracy), a tough and intelligent police detective created by Chester Gould. It made its debut on Sunday, October 4, 1931, in the ''Detroit Mirror'', and it ...

— including Bonnie Braids and Sparkle Plenty *

s — flat vinyl dolls in two sizes: tall "model" dolls and smaller childlike dolls; many had blue, pink and other bright hair colors; came in picture frame packaging * Flexy — composition head and hands, wooden body and feet, and posable tubular wire mesh arms and legs * Flossie Flirt — composition (1920s and 1930s) * Hugee Girl baby dolls (1950s) * Harmony * I Love Lucy 28 inch Rag Doll (1950s) - a rare promotional give-away in partnership with Philip Morris Company, NY * Jane Withers * Jelly Belly * Judy Garland — part of publicity for original theatrical release of ''

The Wizard of Oz ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' or ''The Wizard of Oz'' most commonly refers to: *'' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', a 1900 American novel by L. Frank Baum often reprinted as ''The Wizard of Oz'' ** Wizard of Oz (character), from the Baum novel serie ...

'' (1939/1940) * Kissy doll * Little Lost Baby — three faces: happy, sad, sleeping, also with sounds; "I'm Little Lost Baby. You can make me happy!" (1968) * Little Miss Revlon — 10" vinyl glamour doll, advertising tie-in with Revlon cosmetics * Lolly doll * Magic Lips * Mama doll * Petite Princess Fantasy — dollhouse furniture * Playpal dolls: Patti, Penny, Suzi, Bonnie, Johnny, Peter, Daddy's Girl * Playtex Dryper Baby * Princess Patti Fantasy — dollhouse furniture * Sara Ann * Saucy Walker *

* Snookie dolls (Pete & Repete) * Snuggles dolls * Tammy * The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1986) * Thirsty Baby doll (1960s) * Thumbelina * Toni — hard plastic doll, advertising tie-in with Toni Home Permanent * Tressy — one of the Gro-Hair dolls * Uneeda Kid — early composition doll, advertising tie-in with Uneeda Biscuit Co.

References

{{Teddy bears Toy companies of the United States Game manufacturers Mattel Defunct toy manufacturers Toy soldier manufacturing companies Doll manufacturing companies Teddy bear manufacturers 1907 establishments in New York City Former CBS Corporation subsidiaries