Tootsie
Tootsietoy, America's oldest toy company and a division of Strombecker Corp. began in 1876 as the National Laundry Journal trade paper. The Journal was being published on the west side of Chicago by Dowst Brothers Company when Samuel Dowst went to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago and made a discovery. That discovery changed not only the company's future, but the future of toy manufacturing internationally.
What Samuel Dowst saw was a Mergenthaler Linotype machine that could cast lines of type as well as mass-produce the die-cast collar buttons, cuff links, and other laundry accessories that Dowst Brothers already made. This provided the opportunity to develop new products and new outlets.
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Tootsie Toys |
First came trinkets for Cracker Jack and penny candy prizes. Next came flat iron charms as premiums for the Flat Iron Laundry Company. These items later became famous markers, along with other charms, for the Parker Brothers game Monopoly. The new century had brought Dowst Brothers a new identity: manufacturer of metal novelties. With their creation of the world's first die-cast model toy car, Tootsietoy assured its place in history. The introduction of vehicles like the Model T Ford launched the beginning of the die-cast vehicle industry. American's oldest toy company registered the name Tootsietoy, adopted from founder Charles O. Dowst's granddaughter Tootsie, in 1924. |
At the same time, innovative Chicago businessman Nathan Shure, owner of Cosmo Manufacturing Company, was successfully making products competitive with Dowst. In 1926, Cosmo bought Dowst and the merger created yet another dimension to Tootsietoy's historic past.
Tootsietoy is a combination of Samuel Dowst's original vision, Nathan Shure's business sense, and the current Shure family's promise to continue making classic, affordable toys. From its die-cast Model T Ford at the turn of the century to the highly detailed vehicle replicas today, Tootsietoy products continue to evolve and improve.
Tootsietoy is the leading manufacturer of high-quality basic toys including brand names like Tootsietoy®; Hard Body®; die-cast metal and plastic vehicles; Mr. Bubbles®; Disney®; Looney Tunes® and Sesame Street® bubble-blowing solution and toys; space cap guns; American West™ caps and guns & role-play toys, western wear, and accessories; Tootsietoy wood preschool toys; Ruby's® egg decoration and toys; Hearts 'N Home™, Pfaltzgraff®, Disney, and Looney Tunes tea sets; O'Cedar® housekeeping toys; Color-ups® fashion cosmetics for children; and Wood Builders® wooden preschool construction toys.
