COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 3944

Games, Toys, and Children's Vehicles

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

38companies1860–1992founding years38still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedMilton Bradley Company
1860
FoundedBRIO AB
1884
FoundedMargarete Steiff GmbH
1893
FoundedLionel L.L.C.
1900
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedBrunswick Corporation
1907
1908
TechnologyThe Ford Model T brings the automobile to the middle class.
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedHasbro, Inc.FoundedTyco Toys, Inc.
1926
FoundedPlayskool, Inc.
1928
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedLego A/S
1944
FoundedRevell-Monogram Inc.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
FoundedTonka Corporation
1946
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
FoundedStuart Entertainment Inc.
1948
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedBig Flower Press Holdings, Inc.
1967
FoundedLewis Galoob Toys Inc.
1968
1970
EnvironmentThe EPA is founded; environmental regulation expands.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; Nasdaq opens.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins with the Altair.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedEquity Marketing, Inc.
1983
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
FoundedToy Biz, Inc.
1988
FoundedWizards of the Coast Inc.
1990
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
FoundedAction Performance Companies, Inc.
1992
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2001
EconomyThe September 11 attacks; a recession follows.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 begin to take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit.
2009
EconomyGM and Chrysler bankruptcies reshape the auto industry.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Milton Bradley Company →
Active · founded 1860
Founded in 1860, Milton Bradley Company is the oldest game manufacturer in the United States.
Milton Bradley Company →
Active · founded 1860
Founded in 1860, Milton Bradley Company is the oldest game manufacturer in the United States.
BRIO AB →
Active · founded 1884 · Sweden
BRIO AB is a century-old toy company based in Osby, Sweden, with subsidiaries in North America and Europe.
BRIO AB →
Active · founded 1884 · Sweden
BRIO AB is a century-old toy company based in Osby, Sweden, with subsidiaries in North America and Europe.
Margarete Steiff GmbH →
Active · founded 1893 · Germany
Margarete Steiff GmbH is the largest manufacturer of stuffed toys in Germany and one of the most recognized brands of…
Margarete Steiff GmbH →
Active · founded 1893 · Germany
Margarete Steiff GmbH is the largest manufacturer of stuffed toys in Germany and one of the most recognized brands of…
Lionel L.L.C. →
Active · founded 1900
Lionel L.L.C.
Lionel L.L.C. →
Active · founded 1900
Lionel L.L.C.
Brunswick Corporation →
Active · founded 1907
Brunswick Corporation, the oldest and largest manufacturer of recreation and leisure-time products in the United…
Brunswick Corporation →
Active · founded 1907
Brunswick Corporation, the oldest and largest manufacturer of recreation and leisure-time products in the United…
Hasbro, Inc. →
Active · founded 1926
Truly successful toy companies do not just make toys; they manufacture popular culture.
Hasbro, Inc. →
Active · founded 1926
Truly successful toy companies do not just make toys; they manufacture popular culture.
Tyco Toys, Inc. →
Active · founded 1926
Tyco Toys, Inc.
Tyco Toys, Inc. →
Active · founded 1926
Tyco Toys, Inc.
Playskool, Inc. →
Active · founded 1928
Playskool, Inc.
Playskool, Inc. →
Active · founded 1928
Playskool, Inc.
Lego A/S →
Active · founded 1944 · Denmark
Managed by the founding company, Lego A/S of Billund, Denmark, the Lego Group consisted of 45 companies which…
Lego A/S →
Active · founded 1944 · Denmark
Managed by the founding company, Lego A/S of Billund, Denmark, the Lego Group consisted of 45 companies which…
Revell-Monogram Inc. →
Active · founded 1945
Revell-Monogram Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Hallmark Cards Inc.'s Binney & Smith unit, is the largest plastic…
Revell-Monogram Inc. →
Active · founded 1945
Revell-Monogram Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Hallmark Cards Inc.'s Binney & Smith unit, is the largest plastic…
Tonka Corporation →
Active · founded 1946
Tonka Corporation has a long history as America's premier manufacturer of toy trucks.
Tonka Corporation →
Active · founded 1946
Tonka Corporation has a long history as America's premier manufacturer of toy trucks.
Stuart Entertainment Inc. →
Active · founded 1948
Stuart Entertainment Inc.
Stuart Entertainment Inc. →
Active · founded 1948
Stuart Entertainment Inc.
Big Flower Press Holdings, Inc. →
Active · founded 1967
Big Flower Press Holdings, Inc.
Big Flower Press Holdings, Inc. →
Active · founded 1967
Big Flower Press Holdings, Inc.
Lewis Galoob Toys Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
Lewis Galoob Toys Inc.
Lewis Galoob Toys Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
Lewis Galoob Toys Inc.
Equity Marketing, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Equity Marketing, Inc.
Equity Marketing, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Equity Marketing, Inc.
Toy Biz, Inc. →
Active · founded 1988
Toy Biz, Inc.
Toy Biz, Inc. →
Active · founded 1988
Toy Biz, Inc.
Wizards of the Coast Inc. →
Active · founded 1990
Wizards of the Coast Inc.
Wizards of the Coast Inc. →
Active · founded 1990
Wizards of the Coast Inc.
Action Performance Companies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1992
Action Performance Companies, Inc.
Action Performance Companies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1992
Action Performance Companies, Inc.
YES! Entertainment Corporation →
Active · founded 1992
YES!
YES! Entertainment Corporation →
Active · founded 1992
YES!
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