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Playskool

October 21, 2023

Playskool is an American brand of educational toys and games for children. The former Playskool manufacturing company was a subsidiary of the Milton Bradley Company and was headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Playskool's last remaining plant in Chicago was shut down in 1984, and Playskool became a brand of Hasbro, which had acquired Milton Bradley that same year.[2]

Playskool Inc.
FormerlyThe Playskool Institute
(1928–1938)
TypeDivision (1928–68)
Subsidiary (1968–84)
FoundedJuly 26, 1928 (1928-07-26)
FounderLucille King
Defunct1984; 39 years ago (1984)
FateAcquired by Milton Bradley in 1968, last factory closed in 1984,[1] becoming a brand of Hasbro.[2]
Headquarters
Pawtucket, RI
,
United States
Key people
Manuel Fink
ProductsEducational toys
Games
Brands(see below)
$23 million (1965[1])
OwnerHasbro
Number of employees
700 (1984[2])
Parent
  • John Lumber (1928–35)
  • Thorncraft, Inc. (1935–68)
  • Milton Bradley (1968–84)
Subsidiaries
  • J.L. Wright Co.
  • Halsam Co.

History Edit

The "Playskool Institute" was established by Lucille King in 1928 as a division of the John Schroeder Lumber Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[3] King, an employee at the company, developed wooden toys to use as teaching aids for children in the classroom. In 1935, the Playskool Institute became a division of Thorncraft, Inc., and established offices in Chicago, Illinois. In 1938, Playskool was purchased by the Joseph Lumber Company, where Manuel Fink was placed in charge of operations. In 1940, Fink, along with Robert Meythaler, bought Playskool and established the "Playskool Manufacturing Company".[4]

In 1943, Playskool bought the J.L. Wright Company, the manufacturer of Lincoln Logs. In 1958, Playskool merged with Holgate Toys, Inc., a wood product manufacturer based in Kane, Pennsylvania. In 1962, they purchased the Halsam Company, a producer of wooden blocks, checkers, dominoes, and construction sets. In 1968, Playskool became a subsidiary of Milton Bradley; both companies were acquired by Hasbro, Inc. in 1984.[4]

After the acquisition, Playskool began operating out of Pawtucket, Rhode Island as a division of Hasbro.[5] In 1985,[6] Playskool released a line of infant products under the Tommee Tippee brand name, including bibs and bottles. Many Hasbro products targeted at preschoolers were rebranded with the Playskool name, including Play-Doh, and Tonka. Playskool also began licensing toys from other designers, creating licensing agreements to manufacture Teddy Ruxpin, Barney, Arthur, Teletubbies, and Nickelodeon branded products.[5] Hasbro also began licensing the Playskool brand name to other vendors, manufacturing a number of products under the Playskool name, including books, baby care supplies, video games, and children's apparel.[5][7][8][9][10]

Products Edit

Playskool produced many lines of educational toys and games for children.[11] Playskool's signature brands and toys include Mr. Potato Head, Tonka, Alphie,[12] Weebles, Elefun, Sesame Street toys, and Gloworm.

Playskool creates products for newborn to preschool-aged children; products like the Kick Start Gym, Step Start Walk 'n Ride, and the Tummy Time line are aimed at developing the motor skills of babies.[13][14][15] Several toys, like Playskool's Pipeworks, Go Go Gears, and Busy Basics lines, were created to allow children to express creativity.[16][17] Playskool also produces several dolls and action figures, including Dolly Surprise and Kota the Triceratops.[18] During the 1970s, Playskool also released a toy series named "Familiar Places" which included several toy buildings along with vehicles and toy people, including a McDonald's restaurant,[19] Holiday Inn hotel[20] and Texaco gas station.[21]

Playskool released toys based on Television Programmes aimed at young children like Sesame Street, Top Wing, In the Night Garden..., Boohbah, Bob the Builder, and Rubbadubbers.

Playskool heroes toys feature characters from various properties in a scale more suited for younger children. These figures are similar to Imaginext.

These properties included:

Brands Edit

Playskool brands included:

Notes
  1. ^ a b c Moved to Fisher-Price.
  2. ^ In Europe.
  3. ^ moved from Fisher-Price.
  4. ^ a b Moved from Just Play.

Slogans Edit

Slogan Years Used
Our toys make good friends (1970s)
Feeling good about the Playskool years (1985–1992)
What will they think of next? (1992–1997)
Wanna play with us? (1997–1999)
Come and Discover! (2000–2001)
Here I Come, World! (2001–2002)
Playskool Plays Kool (2002–2004)
Let's Play! (2004–2007)
When Play Comes First... (2006-2007)
Believe in PLAY (2007–2009)
More Than Play (2009–2011)
P.S. It's Playskool (2011–2012)
This School Rocks! (2012–present)

References Edit

  1. ^ a b Playskool, Inc. at Encyclopedia of Chicago
  2. ^ a b c Playskool MFG Co. at Chicago Museum
  3. ^ . www.hasbro.com. Archived from the original on 2012-08-06.
  4. ^ a b Liz, Slade; Jennifer Moore; Nora Brennan Morrison; Jeff Cronin. "Playskool Manufacturing Company". Lehman Brothers Collection Guide. President and Fellows of Harvard College. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  5. ^ a b c Woodward, A (1999). "Playskool, Inc". International Directory of Company Histories. Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  6. ^ Playskool, Inc. History on fundinguniverse.com
  7. ^ Ashdown, Simon (October 1, 1999), "Hasbro Does that Synergy Thing", Kidscreen, p. 18
  8. ^ Colman, Gregory (February 1, 1991), "What's Playskool's name doing on a pair of sneakers?; Playskool Inc. and other toy companies license their name", Children's Business, vol. 6, no. N2, p. 61
  9. ^ "Retailers up ante with exclusive lines", Chain Drug Review, vol. 28, no. 19, p. 31, 2006-11-06, retrieved 2009-11-30
  10. ^ "Hasbro requires digital gaming rights Infogames for $65 million", Hasbro press release, 9 June 2005.
  11. ^ Ogata, Amy (2004). "Creative Playthings". Winterthur Portfolio. 39 (2/3): 129–156. doi:10.1086/433197. S2CID 151517793.
  12. ^ Coopee, Todd (19 August 2019). "Alphie the Electronic Robot". Toy Tales.
  13. ^ Tramontana, Lisa (2009-12-10). "New Toys, Old Tricks: Hot and unusual toys with familiar themes amuse kids and adults". The Advocate. Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Capital City Press. pp. 18–FUN.
  14. ^ Bernstein, Margaret (2003-04-20). "High-tech toys to amuse baby". Times-Picayune. New Orleans, Louisiana: The Times-Picayune Publishing Company. p. 20.
  15. ^ Chang, Irene (August–September 2008), "Playtime Time-out", Working Mother, vol. 31, no. 6, p. 116, retrieved 2009-11-30
  16. ^ "Preschool construction workers design and build" (Press release). PR Newswire. 1988-11-29. Retrieved 2009-11-30.[dead link]
  17. ^ "Want a safe, lasting gift? Here's help". Grand Rapid Press. Michigan. 2002-11-28. p. A22.
  18. ^ Evertz, Mary (2009-12-09). "Oh boy toys // Let the shopping begin, but be forewarned: This year's hot toys are selling fast". St. Petersburg Times. Florida. p. 1D.
  19. ^ . Archived from the original on 2019-07-15. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  20. ^ Lisa M. Bagley. "Playskool: Familiar Places and Play Friends: #480 Familiar Places Holiday Inn®". Thisoldtoy.com. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
  21. ^ Lisa M. Bagley. "Playskool: Familiar Places and Play Friends: #1107 Texaco, A "Familiar Places" Activity Toy". Thisoldtoy.com. Retrieved 2020-09-16.

External links Edit

  • (archived)

October 21, 2023
playskool, american, brand, educational, toys, games, children, former, manufacturing, company, subsidiary, milton, bradley, company, headquartered, pawtucket, rhode, island, last, remaining, plant, chicago, shut, down, 1984, became, brand, hasbro, which, acqu. Playskool is an American brand of educational toys and games for children The former Playskool manufacturing company was a subsidiary of the Milton Bradley Company and was headquartered in Pawtucket Rhode Island Playskool s last remaining plant in Chicago was shut down in 1984 and Playskool became a brand of Hasbro which had acquired Milton Bradley that same year 2 Playskool Inc FormerlyThe Playskool Institute 1928 1938 TypeDivision 1928 68 Subsidiary 1968 84 FoundedJuly 26 1928 1928 07 26 FounderLucille KingDefunct1984 39 years ago 1984 FateAcquired by Milton Bradley in 1968 last factory closed in 1984 1 becoming a brand of Hasbro 2 HeadquartersPawtucket RI United StatesKey peopleManuel FinkProductsEducational toys GamesBrands see below Net income 23 million 1965 1 OwnerHasbroNumber of employees700 1984 2 ParentJohn Lumber 1928 35 Thorncraft Inc 1935 68 Milton Bradley 1968 84 SubsidiariesJ L Wright Co Halsam Co Contents 1 History 2 Products 3 Brands 4 Slogans 5 References 6 External linksHistory EditThe Playskool Institute was established by Lucille King in 1928 as a division of the John Schroeder Lumber Company in Milwaukee Wisconsin 3 King an employee at the company developed wooden toys to use as teaching aids for children in the classroom In 1935 the Playskool Institute became a division of Thorncraft Inc and established offices in Chicago Illinois In 1938 Playskool was purchased by the Joseph Lumber Company where Manuel Fink was placed in charge of operations In 1940 Fink along with Robert Meythaler bought Playskool and established the Playskool Manufacturing Company 4 In 1943 Playskool bought the J L Wright Company the manufacturer of Lincoln Logs In 1958 Playskool merged with Holgate Toys Inc a wood product manufacturer based in Kane Pennsylvania In 1962 they purchased the Halsam Company a producer of wooden blocks checkers dominoes and construction sets In 1968 Playskool became a subsidiary of Milton Bradley both companies were acquired by Hasbro Inc in 1984 4 After the acquisition Playskool began operating out of Pawtucket Rhode Island as a division of Hasbro 5 In 1985 6 Playskool released a line of infant products under the Tommee Tippee brand name including bibs and bottles Many Hasbro products targeted at preschoolers were rebranded with the Playskool name including Play Doh and Tonka Playskool also began licensing toys from other designers creating licensing agreements to manufacture Teddy Ruxpin Barney Arthur Teletubbies and Nickelodeon branded products 5 Hasbro also began licensing the Playskool brand name to other vendors manufacturing a number of products under the Playskool name including books baby care supplies video games and children s apparel 5 7 8 9 10 Products EditPlayskool produced many lines of educational toys and games for children 11 Playskool s signature brands and toys include Mr Potato Head Tonka Alphie 12 Weebles Elefun Sesame Street toys and Gloworm Playskool creates products for newborn to preschool aged children products like the Kick Start Gym Step Start Walk n Ride and the Tummy Time line are aimed at developing the motor skills of babies 13 14 15 Several toys like Playskool s Pipeworks Go Go Gears and Busy Basics lines were created to allow children to express creativity 16 17 Playskool also produces several dolls and action figures including Dolly Surprise and Kota the Triceratops 18 During the 1970s Playskool also released a toy series named Familiar Places which included several toy buildings along with vehicles and toy people including a McDonald s restaurant 19 Holiday Inn hotel 20 and Texaco gas station 21 Playskool released toys based on Television Programmes aimed at young children like Sesame Street Top Wing In the Night Garden Boohbah Bob the Builder and Rubbadubbers Playskool heroes toys feature characters from various properties in a scale more suited for younger children These figures are similar to Imaginext These properties included Star Wars Marvel Transformers Rescue Bots Power Rangers Jurassic Park 2015 Brands EditPlayskool brands included Allegra s Window 1994 2006 Arthur 1996 2000 Baby Einstein Barney 1993 1999 n 1 Bob the Builder 2000 04 Boohbah 2004 06 Bragnam Caillou 1997 2004 Chappy 1972 85 Chuck and Friends Clipo Cool Crew Definitely Dinosaurs Dragon Tales 1999 2000 n 1 The Furchester Hotel Late 2010s n 2 Genius Quiz Machine Glo Friends Go Bots Gullah Gullah Island 1994 2006 In the Night Garden 2007 10s Jurassic Park Junior 2001 15 n 1 Jurassic World Dino Tracker Marvel Super Hero Adventures Mister Frosty Mr Potato Head Moon and me Noodleboro Peppa Pig 2021 present n 3 Pipeworks PJ Masks 2021 present n 4 Poppin Park Power Rangers 2019 present Rubbadubbers 2004 06 Sesame Street 2011 22 n 4 Sid the Science Kid 2008 13 Speedstars Stanley 2002 06 Star Wars Jedi Force Star Wars Galaxy Heroes Super Monsters Talk n Play Teletubbies 1998 2006 Top Wing 2017 20 Tweenies 2000 04 Transformers Rescue Bots 2011 present Weebles Wheel Pals Notes a b c Moved to Fisher Price In Europe moved from Fisher Price a b Moved from Just Play Slogans EditSlogan Years UsedOur toys make good friends 1970s Feeling good about the Playskool years 1985 1992 What will they think of next 1992 1997 Wanna play with us 1997 1999 Come and Discover 2000 2001 Here I Come World 2001 2002 Playskool Plays Kool 2002 2004 Let s Play 2004 2007 When Play Comes First 2006 2007 Believe in PLAY 2007 2009 More Than Play 2009 2011 P S It s Playskool 2011 2012 This School Rocks 2012 present References Edit a b Playskool Inc at Encyclopedia of Chicago a b c Playskool MFG Co at Chicago Museum About Us Playskool www hasbro com Archived from the original on 2012 08 06 a b Liz Slade Jennifer Moore Nora Brennan Morrison Jeff Cronin Playskool Manufacturing Company Lehman Brothers Collection Guide President and Fellows of Harvard College Retrieved 2009 10 22 a b c Woodward A 1999 Playskool Inc International Directory of Company Histories Encyclopedia com Retrieved 2009 11 30 Playskool Inc History on fundinguniverse com Ashdown Simon October 1 1999 Hasbro Does that Synergy Thing Kidscreen p 18 Colman Gregory February 1 1991 What s Playskool s name doing on a pair of sneakers Playskool Inc and other toy companies license their name Children s Business vol 6 no N2 p 61 Retailers up ante with exclusive lines Chain Drug Review vol 28 no 19 p 31 2006 11 06 retrieved 2009 11 30 Hasbro requires digital gaming rights Infogames for 65 million Hasbro press release 9 June 2005 Ogata Amy 2004 Creative Playthings Winterthur Portfolio 39 2 3 129 156 doi 10 1086 433197 S2CID 151517793 Coopee Todd 19 August 2019 Alphie the Electronic Robot Toy Tales Tramontana Lisa 2009 12 10 New Toys Old Tricks Hot and unusual toys with familiar themes amuse kids and adults The Advocate Baton Rouge Louisiana Capital City Press pp 18 FUN Bernstein Margaret 2003 04 20 High tech toys to amuse baby Times Picayune New Orleans Louisiana The Times Picayune Publishing Company p 20 Chang Irene August September 2008 Playtime Time out Working Mother vol 31 no 6 p 116 retrieved 2009 11 30 Preschool construction workers design and build Press release PR Newswire 1988 11 29 Retrieved 2009 11 30 dead link Want a safe lasting gift Here s help Grand Rapid Press Michigan 2002 11 28 p A22 Evertz Mary 2009 12 09 Oh boy toys Let the shopping begin but be forewarned This year s hot toys are selling fast St Petersburg Times Florida p 1D Playskool Familiar Places and Play Friends 430 Familiar Places McDonalds Archived from the original on 2019 07 15 Retrieved 2019 10 30 Lisa M Bagley Playskool Familiar Places and Play Friends 480 Familiar Places Holiday Inn Thisoldtoy com Retrieved 2020 09 16 Lisa M Bagley Playskool Familiar Places and Play Friends 1107 Texaco A Familiar Places Activity Toy Thisoldtoy com Retrieved 2020 09 16 External links EditOfficial website archived Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Playskool amp oldid 1180730908 Products, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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