Few toys have had the level of success and longevity that Tinkertoys has enjoyed over the years. For when, according to Hasbro.com, Toy Tinkers of Evanston, Illinois, wrote in their 1935 catalog, “1914 – Well then, 1935 – Well now, 2000 – Well always,” they were perhaps prophetic. – a long-time favorite among children of all ages and was awarded Toy of the Year honors by the Toy Manufacturers of America as recently as 2001.
So how did Tinkertoys come to be? Their story begins with a train ride from Evanston to Chicago in the early 1900s. When two commuters, Charles Pajeau and Robert Pettit, were on their way to work, they began to talk and found that they shared their frustration with the current working conditions. Pajeau was a stonemason; Pettit worked on the Board of Trade – an unlikely match for a game developer to find success. But it was discovered, and very by chance.
In the early 1910s, Pajeau saw some boys playing with pens and spools of thread. He watched in amazement as the young men constructed creation after creation of seemingly ordinary objects, and he knew at once that he had stumbled upon some special offense. If only others could share their vision.
He designed the first place in his garage, and showed the toy with high hopes at the 1914 American Toy Fair. But no one cared”, writes Ideafinder.com. He tried to market his skills again at Christmas time. He hired some midgets , dressed as an elf and with ‘Tinker Toys’ in the window display at a Chicago department store This public crisis caused a crisis all over the world.
While Pajeau and Pettit also found success with other, more traditional toys, Tinkertoys continued to be the meat and potatoes of Toy Tinker (as their company was called). In 1919, they incorporated an electric motor and thus attracted a larger audience interested in building airplanes and other mechanized creations. Soon they began to release various ornaments, each with different numbers and types of pieces. The two began to decline other toys, making Tinkertoys their sole focus.
Tinkertoys enjoyed phenomenal success in the 1940s, according to Hasbro.com “The next five years experienced phenomenal success for Toy Tinkers. In 1947, over 2,500,000 Tinkertoy constructions were produced! By 1952 the company was profitable, had immense brand awareness; and was popular with children all over the world United States.” But at the time Pettit had passed and Pajeau was 77. Looking to his company’s future, Pajeau sold the rights to Tinkertoys to A.G. Spalding Bros., Inc., who introduced many new pieces in the line and added the first color pieces.
In 1985, Playskool bought the rights to the toy and released the reinvented Tinkertoy in 1992. Ideafinder.com recalls, “In 1992, in preparation for a big 80’s birthday event, Playskool redesigned the cover for this one.” a href=”https://e-info.vn/tag/classic-toys”>classic toy movement and construction. assemble parts that allow kids to build larger structures than ever before
Tinkertoys have come a long way since their early days in Evanston, Illinois. They are one of the most celebrated toys in toy history, and in 1998 became one of the first products in the National Toy Hall of Fame. . Isn’t it bad for a toy invented by a bored stoner and a frustrated merchant, now?
