Ohio Toy Factories: 10 1950s Playthings Born Along Buckeye Assembly Lines

Ohio’s factories were humming in the post-war boom, churning out everything from glass to jet engines—yet some of their most beloved exports fit snugly in schoolbags and sandbox hands. Across the Buckeye State, family-run workshops and rising corporate powerhouses reimagined play for the Baby Boom generation, mixing new plastics, bright lithography, and clever engineering. From Cincinnati’s skyscraper-inspired building sets to Barberton’s squeaking dolls, these ten real toys showcase how Ohio’s assembly lines helped define 1950s childhood fun for kids nationwide.

Play-Doh Modeling Compound — Rainbow Crafts, Cincinnati

Launched in 1956, Play-Doh began life as a wallpaper-cleaning putty made by Kutol Products. Joe and Noah McVicker spun the pliable dough into a preschool art hit, forming Rainbow Crafts Company and packing the soft, salt-based compound into three seven-ounce cans. Local TV spots on “Captain Kangaroo” rocketed sales, and Cincinnati-area schools adopted it for motor-skills lessons, cementing Play-Doh as America’s favorite mess-making toy.

Girder and Panel Building Sets — Kenner Products, Cincinnati

Inspired by a downtown high-rise under construction in 1956, Kenner president Albert Steiner green-lit plastic “steel” beams kids could snap together. Debuting in 1957, the red girders, translucent wall panels, and Masonite base let budding architects erect mini office towers and bridges. The sets taught basic engineering principles long before STEM was a buzzword, and Cincinnati’s plant ran extra shifts just to meet Christmas demand.

Bubble-Matic Bubble Gun — Kenner Products, Cincinnati

Kenner’s very first toy, updated in 1959, looked like a ray gun but produced steady streams of soapy bubbles with every squeeze. Aluminum construction kept it light; a hidden air bladder pushed solution through a wire hoop, eliminating messy breath-blowing. Neighborhood summer wars across Ohio—and later, the whole country—filled yards with shimmering spheres until the solution cups ran dry.

Hi-Prancer Spring Rocking Horse — Delphos Bending Company, Delphos

Known for metal children’s furniture, Delphos Bending branched into ride-on fun with its early-1950s Hi-Prancer. A molded plastic steed hung from stout coil springs mounted on a wooden frame, letting cowpokes bounce and gallop indoors. Company labels on the chest proudly read “Delphos, Ohio,” and the horse’s bright paint withstood years of porch-swing humidity and backyard mud pies.

Amosandra Squeak Doll — Sun Rubber Company, Barberton

In February 1949, the “Amos ’n’ Andy” radio show welcomed baby Amosandra, and Sun Rubber rushed a 10-inch rubber doll to shelves by Christmas. Production peaked in the early ’50s, with Barberton workers turning out 12,000 dolls daily. Designed by illustrator Ruth E. Newton, the drink-and-wet infant squeaked when squeezed, capturing both pop-culture buzz and Ohio’s rubber-industry know-how.

Adams Road Grader — Doepke Model Toys, Cincinnati (Oakley)

Doepke’s pressed-steel vehicles were famed for realism, and its 26-inch Adams Diesel Motor Grader set the 1950s bar. Steering, blade tilt, and all-metal axles mirrored the real machinery building America’s highways. Cincinnati-area machinists reused wartime metal-stamping skills, creating toys so accurate that some school shop classes used them to teach mechanical linkages.

Tin Litho Tea Set — Ohio Art Company, Bryan

Long before Etch A Sketch, Ohio Art mastered colorful lithographed tinware. Mid-’50s playsets featured roses, gingham, or space-age rocket motifs on saucers, plates, and a stout teapot. Each piece emerged from high-speed presses in Bryan, then tumbled through smoothing barrels to remove burrs—keeping backyard picnics free of cut fingers and full of imagination.

Gene Autry Cap Pistol — Kenton Hardware Company, Kenton

Cast-iron toy guns had been Kenton’s specialty since the 1920s, but its 1937 Gene Autry model exploded in popularity during the TV-and-dime-novel western craze. Production continued into 1956, the company’s final year, with factory workers in Hardin County pouring molten iron into sand molds before nickel-plating the frames. A roll of paper caps and a loud “pop” made many Ohio kids feel ready to ride the range.

Ring-Ring Plastic Toy Telephone — Steel Stamping Co., Lorain

Before Fisher-Price’s pull-along phone, Lorain’s Steel Stamping Company molded bright rotary-dial telephones sized for small hands. The 1950s shell hid metal bells salvaged from desk phones; spinning the dial triggered a cheerful ring. Parents praised the toy for teaching numbers, while the factory’s shift from metal parts to injection-molded plastics signaled a broader industry pivot.

Machine-Made Glass Marbles — American Toy Marble Makers, Akron

Akron’s dominance dated to 1903, when Martin Christensen patented the first glass-marble machine. By the early 1950s, local plants still cranked out millions of cats-eye shooters each week, even as cheaper imports loomed. Schoolyard “knuckle-down” matches often ended with the winner stuffing pockets full of Ohio-made swirls, keeping the Rubber City’s sparkling spheres in circulation for another generation.