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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,[1] Toni, Saucy Walker, Shirley Temple, Miss Revlon, Patti Playpal, Tammy, Thumbelina, Tiny Thumbelina, and Crissy.[2] Their last big hit was the Rubik's Cube.

History

Original Ideal logo, 1938

Corporate history

Morris and Rose Michtom founded the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company in Brooklyn when they invented the Teddy bear in 1903.[3][4] After Morris Michtom's death in 1938, the company changed its name to the Ideal Toy Company,[5] 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.[6] 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, the United Kingdom, and Brazil.[citation needed]

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.[7]

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.[8]

In 1968, the American Character Doll Company filed for bankruptcy, and Ideal acquired the defunct company's dyes, patents, and trademarks,[9] 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.[6]

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.[3][10][11]

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.)[7] Trying to maximize profits on the Rubik's Cube craze, Ideal filed civil suits in May 1981 against dozens of distributors and retailers selling knockoff cubes.[12]

In May 1981, Joseph Winkler was named Ideal's president, succeeding Lionel Weintraub, who remained chairman and CEO.[7]

In 1982, the company moved its headquarters from Hollis, Queens, to Harmon Meadow, New Jersey. It was sold to CBS Toys later that year for around $58 million.[3]

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.[13] 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 brand. Other toys that originated with Ideal continue to be marketed and sold by other companies, including Rubik's Cube 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.[14]

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.[15]

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's comic strip 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. 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.[2]

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 Betsy Wetsy, 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.[2] Ideal, via the Betsy Wetsy doll, was also one of the first doll manufacturers to produce an African American version of a popular doll.[16] 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.[17]

Debuting in 1934, the Shirley Temple doll was their best-selling doll. Ideal followed this with licensed Disney dolls and a Judy Garland doll.[4]

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.[4]

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.[6]

Doll designer Judith Albert worked for Ideal Toy Company from 1960 to 1982.[1] Master sculptor Vincent J. DeFilippo spent 27 years creating dolls for Ideal from 1963 to 1980[verification needed]. Some of the company's most popular dolls during this period were Tammy (1962–1966), Flatsy dolls (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.[18]

For a short time, the company had a huge seller with the Magic Cube, which it imported from Hungary in 1980 and renamed Rubik's Cube.[19][20]

Novelties and toys manufactured by Ideal

Toys and games

Alexander's Star

Alligator Game

Astrobase

Babar

Batman 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 Boards[21]

Checkpoint: Danger!

Careful[22]

Clancy the Great[23]

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

Electronic Detective

Electronic Jet Pilot (Cockpit Instrument Panel)

Escape from Skull Canyon

Evel Knievel toys

Fiddlestix[21]

Flintstones toys

Frontier Logs[21]

Game of the Generals

Gaylord the Walking Bassett Hound[24][25]

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 [26])

Hands Down[27]

Hang on Harvey

Hoopla

Howdy Doody doll

Impact

ITC Models

The Game of Jaws

Jay J. Armes action figure.

Justice League of America Playset

KerPlunk

Kindles

King Kong

King Zor

Lamb Chop puppet

Magic 8-ball

Magic Shot[21]

Magilla Gorilla

Maniac[28]

Manglor

Marblehead

Mark Three

Mighty Mo

Missing Link[29]

Model cars

Monkey Stix

Motorific

Mr. Machine

Mr. Rogers Neighborhood Trolley

My Dog Has Fleas

Odd Ogg

Oh, Nuts!

Pac-Man Panic

Pay-Off

Payoff Machine

Peter Potamus

Poison Ivy

Poppin Hoppies

Powermite Mini Tools[30]

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

Rubik's Cube (license)

Ryan Oakes Magic Show[21]

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[31]

Speedball (Electronic)

Stretchie dolls

Super City (toy)

Sure Shot Baseball

Swack!

Tank Command

Teddy Bear

Think & Learn (Preschool play sets)

ThunderStreak (hydro wing rubberband powered toy) 1967

Tiger Island[32]

Tin Can Alley

Tiny Mighty Mo

Tornado Bowl

Toss Across[33]

TCR: Total Control Racing

Triple Up

Up Against Time

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

Video Varmints [34]

Walt Disney toys[35]

Zeroids

Board games

The $128,000 Question

All-Pro Basketball National Basketball Association Game[citation needed]

All-Pro Football National Football League Game[citation needed]

All-Pro Hockey National Hockey League Game[citation needed]

Bible Trivia

Blast (The Game of Blast)

The Chase

Cloak and Dagger[citation needed]

Crazy Clock Game[citation needed]

The Diners' Club Credit Card Game

Double Exposure[citation needed]

Electra Woman and Dyna Girl (board game)

Fish Bait[citation needed]

The Fugitive

Get Smart

The Great Escape[citation needed]

The Hollywood Squares

I Vant to Bite Your Finger

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[citation needed]

Salvo

The Sinking of The Titanic

Solid Gold Music Trivia

Ten Commandments

Tic-Tac-Dough

Tip-It[36]

The Winning Ticket[citation needed]

Dolls

DeFilippo Dolls

Baby Baby

Baby Dreams — the doll with "velvet skin"

Baby Tickle Tickle

Betsy Wetsy

Dorothy Hamill

Evel Knievel toys[18]

Jody An Old Fashioned Girl (1979)

Joey Stivic

KaMy Bottle Baby

Karen & her magic carriage

Lazy Dazy (1970s)

Magic Hair Crissy[1]

Movin Groovin Cricket/Tressy

Patti Playpal

Rub-a-Dub Doggie

Rub-a-Dub Dolly

Sara Stimson/Shirley Temple

Spinderella Flatsy dolls

Tearie Betsy Wetsy

Tiffany Taylor[1]

Tiny Tears[1] (after 1968 when American Character Doll Company went out of business)[9]

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 — including Bonnie Braids and Sparkle Plenty

Flatsy dolls — 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 (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

Shirley Temple

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