Идеальная игрушечная компания: История и наследие

Defunct American toy company

Ideal Toy Company was an American toy company founded by Morris Michtom and his wife, Rose. During the post–World War II baby boom era, Ideal became the largest doll making company in the United States. Their most popular dolls included Betsy Wetsy, Toni, Saucy Walker, Shirley Temple, Miss Revlon, Patti Playpal, Tammy, Thumbelina, Tiny Thumbelina, and Crissy. Rose had made the original "Teddy's Bear" for their children. Morris and Rose sent a bear to President "Teddy" Roosevelt, as well as asking permission to use his name for the bear. Roosevelt "adopted" the bear and had it present in his campaign and on display at White House functions. After Morris Michtom's death in 1938, the company changed its name to the "Ideal Toy Company", and Michtom's nephew Abraham Katz became chief executive. During World War II, the company's value rose from $2 million all the way to $11 million. In 1951, Ideal partnered with its competitors the American Character Doll Company and the Alexander Doll Company to establish the United States Israeli Toy and Plastic Corporation. The company was created to produce material for toys in Israel; the U. S. Ideal CEO Abraham Katz was named president of the new company. In 1953, Ideal won the licensing rights to produce the U. S. Forest Service's Smokey Bear. They kept their licensing until 1968 when the U. S. Forest Service switched to Knickerbocker. as well as specific products like the "Tressy" Gro Hair doll.

In late 1971, Ideal joined the New York Stock Exchange; valued at $71 million, it was one of the U. S.'s top three toy companies. In 1979, a Hungarian inventor, Erno Rubik, pitched his "Magic Cube" to Ideal Toy Company, who renamed it the "Rubik's cube." The toy was sold in stores beginning in 1980. In May 1981, Joseph Winkler was named Ideal's president, succeeding Lionel Weintraub, who remained chairman and CEO. In 1984, CBS sold Ideal to Viewmaster International, which renamed itself "View Master Ideal" in the process. In 1989, View Master Ideal was bought by Tyco Toys of Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, for $43.9 million. The Ideal line remained part of Tyco until Tyco's merger with Mattel, Inc., in 1997. Ideal's United Kingdom assets were sold to Hasbro, which has since released Mouse Trap and KerPlunk under its MB Games brand. Other toys that originated with Ideal continue to be marketed and sold by other companies, including Rubik's Cube by Hasbro and Magic 8 ball by Mattel.

The Ideal trademarks, and most toy molds not purchased by Hasbro or Mattel, were purchased by Jay Horowitz of American Plastic Equipment, who later transferred all rights to American Plastic Equipment's subsidiary, American Classic Toys. Mr. Horowitz licensed the trademark and toy rights to Plaza Toys, to be used on its Fiddlestix building sticks products, and eventually sold the mark and toy rights in January 2011 to Poof Slinky. In January 2014, the Ideal brand and toy rights became part of a new company, Alex Brands, after the May 2013 acquisition of Alex Toys by Propel Equity Partners. In early 2019, Jay Horowitz of American Classic Toys entered into an exclusive license agreement with the Juna Group to represent worldwide select Ideal brands (not included in the sale to Poof Slinky) in all categories outside of toys and playthings. In 2023, this license agreement was acquired from The Juna Group by CSN Press LLC, publishers of the weekly newspaper, Comic Shop News.

Ideal began making dolls in 1907 to complement its line of teddy bears. Their first doll was “Yellow Kid” from Richard Felton Outcault's comic strip of the same name. After that Ideal began making a line of baby and character dolls such as Naughty Marietta (from the Victor Herbert operetta), and Admiral Dot. Ideal advertised their dolls as "unbreakable," since they were made of composition, a material made of sawdust and glue, rather than ceramics. Ideal produced over 200 variations of dolls throughout the composition era. In 1914, Ideal had a boy doll launched named the Uneeda Kid, after a biscuit company. The 15 inch boy doll wore a blue and white bloomer suit and held a box of Uneeda Biscuits under his arm.

One of Ideal's most lasting products was Betsy Wetsy, introduced in 1934 and in production for more than 50 years. The doll was named after the daughter of Abraham Katz, the head of the company. In 2003, the Toy Industry Association named Betsy Wetsy to its Century of Toys List, a compilation commemorating the 100 most memorable and most creative toys of the 20th century. Debuting in 1934, the Shirley Temple doll was their best selling doll. The Rubik's Cube was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2014.