PHOTO: The Christensen Marbleworks (1903-1922) in Akron, Ohio is America’s oldest still standing toy factory. Courtesy of Michael C. Cohill

Of course we all know that Akron is the birthplace of the rubber industry. But did you know that Akron is also the birthplace of the modern toy industry?

Help save this national treasure: click here to sign the online petition to save America's oldest toy factory.

–by Michael C. Cohill

The company compound of The M.F. Christensen & Son Company (1903-1922) is the oldest still- standing toy company in the USA. It was “the first and original glass toy marble factory in America.” These marbles created an entire industry and are today the most popular toy in the world. The building stands in the birthplace of the modern toy industry. It was one of 32 local toy marble companies and one of over 150 local toy companies. The five buildings making up the compound are still in near original condition.

Christensen’s marbles were sold on six of the world’s seven continents and dominated the toy industry from the moment of their appearance in the market in 1903 until 1917 when they stopped manufacturing. His marbles put out of business all American glass marble shops and almost wiped out glass marble production in Germany. He later licensed his 1905 patent for glass marbles to the German’s thereby saving their 60 year old industry and they continued their production until 1936.

The method of manufacturing glass marbles that Christensen invented in 1910 is still in use today. Outside of hand-made ‘art spheres’ Christensen’s invention is the only method used to make marbles, for play, for floral and decorative uses and for industrial purposes.

The first mass-produced toy was made by Samuel C. Dyke in 1884 at his Akron Toy Company (later incorporated as The American Marble & Toy Manufacturing Company,) now the site of Lock 3 Park in Akron, Ohio.

There were 32 toy marble companies located in the greater Akron area between 1884 and 1951.

The mass-production of toys changed the lives of all children world-wide. The price of mass-produced toys dropped so low that for the first time in human history almost all children could afford a toy. For a penny, a child could buy a handful of Dyke’s American Agates marbles.

These Akron area marble factories proved so successful, other Akronites looking for new uses for rubber witness the creation of the children’s product market and turned out the 1st mass-produced balloons, rubber balls, rubber dollies, rubber duckies and rubber baby buggy bumpers. Others made bicycles, tricycles, peddle cars, anything that used a rubber tire. A wide rang of other toys were made here too, from cast iron and tin toys to tops and children’s books. By 1929 there were over 120 toy companies in the greater Akron area.

Local toy company owners helped form the Toy Manufacturers Association of America, served on their board of directors and were presidents of the organization for many years.

Other local toy making inventions, like Mathew Lang’s injection molding of clay marbles in 1890s and Derrick Rempel’s blow molding from the 1940s, are still exceptionally valuable and widely used manufacturing techniques in the rubber and plastic industries world-wide.

There are still major toy companies operating in the greater Akron area, like Little Tykes, Step Two, Maple City Rubber, National Latex, Eagle Rubber, Balloon Accessories, Inc, etc.

Click here to visit the website of the American Toy Marble Museum in Akron, Ohio

This entry was posted on Friday, May 9th, 2008 at 5:10 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.