Jacks the Game with Ancient Origins

The game known as “Jacks”, or a variation of the modern game, has been played for more than 2000 years. In texts left behind by the Greek philosopher, Sophocles, there is mention of the game being played around the time of the Trojan War (roughly 1190 B.C.). Modern Jacks evolved from a game that originally used pebbles or sheep knucklebones. Later, a wooden ball was substituted for one of the rocks or bones and the game became known as Fivestones. Eventually, a rubber ball was used in place of the wooden one. The knucklebones were replaced by small metal “jacks”, whose shape is said to resemble the original sheep knucklebones that were used.

This gradual evolution has resulted in the modern game of jacks that is played today. Today’s game has one rubber ball and five 6-pronged metal jacks.  The simplest version of the game is played by scattering the jacks on a flat surface. The ball is bounced with the right hand, and while the ball is in the air, a jack is picked up, also with the right hand. On the next bounce, two jacks are picked up, and so on. If that player misses, then it’s the other player’s turn. There are many variations of the game, including clapping the hands before picking up a jack. It’s a game you can have fun with and how it is played can be modified depending on the players. There are long lists of varying rules available on the Internet. One thing is for sure, this game has been around for a very long time, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a lot of fun, as well as challenging. And in their small pouches, this is a game that can be taken with you anywhere.

The classic Mr. Potato Head toy is familiar to everyone who’s been a kid, or had one, since the 1950s. He has become an icon with a special place in most people’s hearts, and enjoys a devoted following that will doubtless keep him around for many years to come. As his story goes, Mr. Potato Head is a toy that was nearly ignored in the early stages of development.

George Lerner of New York City was a designer and inventor with several successful inventions. In 1949 he designed and developed an early version of what would eventually become known as Mr. Potato Head. When the toy first came about, it consisted of a collection of plastic body parts with pushpin backs that were to be inserted into a fruit or potato. The fruit or vegetable was not sold with the toy and was to be supplied by the customer. This waste of food was not a popular notion with a population that just recently dealt with the frugality and shortages of WWII. Because of this, Lerner was unable to find a toymaker that was willing to manufacture the toy. Eventually he sold his invention for $5000 to a cereal company that planned on distributing the toy as a promotion in the cereal boxes.

Lerner knew his toy could be so much more successful than just serving as a giveaway in a cereal box. He met with toy manufacturer, Hasbro in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and decided to buy his invention back for $7000. The new product, “Mr. Potato Head Funny Face Kit”, was released on April 30, 1952. The original kit with 28 parts sold for less than $1.00 as a kit to be used with “any fruit or vegetable”. In the kit were bodies, shoes, hats, facial hair, noses, eyes, ears, glasses and even a pipe. Also that same year, Mr. Potato Head was the very first toy to be advertised on television.

Mr. Potato Head was a great success, earning Hasbro over $4 million in its first year. In 1953 Mrs. Potato was introduced. The happy couple had two children, Brother Spud and Sister Yam. Parts to make pets came along, as well as possessions common to American families, like a Potato Family car, appliances and even a boat.

Starting in 1964, a plastic potato head was included with the other parts, so it was no longer necessary to sacrifice a fruit or vegetable to make a Mr. Potato Head. A whole new line of “friends” was introduced the same year, called the “Tooty Frooty Friends”. Among these new friends were Pete the Pepper, Cooky the Cucumber and Katie Carrot.

In response to the desire among children to have action toys, the “Jumpin’ Mr. Potato Head!” was introduced in 1966. By winding him up, he was able to fly a kite, use a jackhammer, fish and, of course—jump. Mrs. Potato Head had a jumping version too, but her tasks were more housework in nature. (So much for the Women’s Movement.) The huge popularity of Mr. Potato Head led to other companies cashing in on the craze, which resulted in Donald Duck and Bozo the Clown Potato Head sets, as well as a Dunkin’ Donuts Mr. Donut Head, manufactured in 1969.

By the early 1970s, the demand for Mr. Potato Head playsets had waned, and only the Mr. Potato Head character was made available. He was restyled and rereleased in 1983 with some significant changes. He now had permanent arms and a ‘rear’ compartment for storage of extra body parts. In 1985 they introduced Baby Potato Head. The line continued to expand and Mr. Potato Head was used by various companies as premiums. The McDonald’s version was so popular that is was included in the Happy Meal as two separate promotions.

In 1987 there were two major changes to Mr. Potato Head: his arms became replaceable and he quit smoking. His pipe was taken away and he became the spokes-spud for the American Cancer Society that year. He continued to remain a popular classic toy, but with the release of Pixar’s “Toy Story” in 1995, Mr. Potato Head sales soared once again.

There’s something very satisfying to a child to design something their own way, and to redo it over and over just the way they like it. Maybe Mr. Potato Head’s versatility is partly responsible for his classic quality and enduring popularity.

(I would like to acknowledge a wonderful resource I accessed for many of the facts that made writing this blog possible. It is Dennis Martin’s mrpotatohead.net website. His site is a comprehensive source for Mr. Potato Head collectors and features amazing photos of his phenomenal collection.)

Tiddlywinks was is a game that was invented and patented in England in 1888 by Joseph Assheton Fincher of London. In 1889 he trademarked the game under the name “Tiddledy Winks”. It became a popular parlor game in Victorian England, played by both adults and children. The game consisted of counters, made of wood, bone or ivory and a bowl or other similar vessel. Players took turns pressing the edge of one of the larger counters against one of the smaller counters in order to direct or flip it into the bowl.

Students at Cambridge established the modern game of tiddlywinks in 1955, renewing the game’s popularity. The modern version is a much more complex game with new rules. Tournaments are played in both the UK and United States today and the team rivalries are taken very seriously. There are two national Tiddlywinks leagues that have been formed: The English Tiddlywinks Association and the North American Tiddlywinks Association. According to the official website of the North American Tiddlywinks Association, there is a Tiddlywinks Singles event planned for this August 28 and 29 and there will be a tournament here in the US with visiting British teams next year, in 2010.

We’re seeing a revival of Tiddledy Winks as a family game. This classic game is available once more in its original form. This retro version is played with rules that date back to the game’s creation in 1888.

If you haven’t had a chance to stop by and view all of our new products, you’ll want to be sure to take a look. There are a wide variety of new prints and signs for all tastes and interests, as well as all the other items we’ve added in the last couple of months.

New to our Retroplanet Gallery is a great looking Wizard of Oz Wall Decor theme. We hope it will give you some ideas, and perhaps, some inspiration to begin your own decorating project.

The latest posting to the Retroplanet Museum is a 1940s 7Up Progress A1 picnic cooler with stand. This is a beautiful item that we restored, back when we were in the restoration business.

There are also some interesting vintage item blogs that we’ve added and a great new Retro Ramblings post. We hope you enjoy reading these and stop back often.

The Jack-in-the-Box has been one of the most enduring toys throughout the centuries. There are many stories and theories circulating about its origins. One theory is that it was a toy that was popularized in the 15th and 16th centuries, based on the very popular “Punch” puppet featured in the “Punch and Judy” shows seen in public squares throughout England beginning in the Middle Ages. Early Jack-in-the Box toys resembled the jester Punch, with his white painted face. Another theory is that the name “Jack” was a reference to the devil, referred to as a “jack”. There is a legend in England about a medieval ecclesiastic who claimed to have captured the devil by trapping him a boot. This story may have contributed to the toy’s invention as well, as illustrations were made of him holding a boot with the devil’s head popping out of it. Of course, wind-up toys had been evolving since early Grecian days and there was a revival of this earlier technology with clockmakers beginning in the 13th century.

The first documentation of a Jack-in-the-Box toy was of one made in Germany in the early 16th century by a clockmaker as a gift for the son of a local prince. The wooden box had a handle on the side that when cranked, would play music until a “jack”, or devil on a spring was suddenly released. Word spread among the nobles and the demand for this toy was created.

Technology improved, and by the 1700s, the Jack-in-the-Box had become easier to produce, thus becoming a common toy for people of all ages. The Cockney tune known as “Pop Goes the Weasel” became a frequently used melody in the toy. The Jack-in-the-Box itself became a frequently used image in political cartoons, featuring the face of the latest politician to be lambasted.

In the 1930s, the Jack-in-the-Box toy began to be made out of tin, rather than wood. The exterior of the boxes were stamped with images from nursery rhymes and the “jack” was changed to one of the characters featured in the rhymes. The music was the tune traditionally sung along to the rhyme. A huge variety of Jack-in-the-Box characters continue to be made today and make a great toy for young children, due to the surprise factor associated with it. Of course, many people who are merely young at heart enjoy them, too.

G.I. Joe was originally conceived by a licensing agent at Hasbro as a marketing tie-in to a television show about the U.S. Marine Corps called “The Lieutenant”. Hasbro liked the idea of a military doll for boys, but didn’t like the idea of connecting it to the program. Hasbro designers decided to model their doll on a WWII G.I., or member of the United States Armed Forces.

G.I. Joe premiered in 1964 at the American International Toy Fair in New York. According to the story told by the Smithsonian Institution, Hasbro president, Merrill Hassenfeld warned sales reps at the fair not to be overheard referring to G.I. Joe as a “doll”. This was not a “doll” along the lines of Barbie’s companion, Ken. Although it was a doll, the Hasbro team had worked to design G.I. Joe as the most rugged action figure ever made. The original G.I. Joe had dog tags around his neck, a scar on his cheek and came equipped with M-1 rifles, machine guns and bayonets in addition to being a fully articulated action-figure. The public loved G.I. Joe as both a U.S. soldier and as a hero. This 12-inch doll made up almost two-thirds of Hasbro’s total sales for the first two years it was available.

G.I. Joe was joined by an African American companion in 1965 and a female nurse in 1967. Called G.I. Nurse Action Girl, this doll was not very popular and was discontinued after her first year, making her a very collectible item. G.I. Joe was now uniformed and outfitted as a member of the U.S. Army Special Forces fighting in Vietnam, rather than as a pilot or infantryman from WWII. A talking G.I. Joe was introduced in 1967. As the Vietnam War progressed, sales of the G.I. Joe doll and other military toys began to slump amid anti-war protesting. In 1969 production was halted as public opinion turned against Hasbro, who had been getting Joe’s heads from Hong Kong and uniforms from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan. People objected to their American hero being clothed in uniforms made in foreign countries. After the Vietnam War, Hasbro wanted to change G.I. Joe’s image as a military-themed action figure. In 1970 G.I. Joe was updated and released as an adventurer driving an ATV as opposed to soldier with a Jeep. Now he fought giant spiders and space aliens. A G.I. Joe with “Kung-Fu Grip” was released in 1974.

Since a major component of plastic is petroleum, the oil embargo of 1976 resulted in major changes to the G.I. Joe figure. To keep the price of the doll in an affordable range, Hasbro reasoned, he was made much smaller. In 1977 Hasbro released a new line of figures, measuring 8.5 inches tall, called the “Super Joe Adventure Team”. They were produced to the end of 1978.

In 1982 G.I. Joe got smaller yet, when Hasbro re-launched the G.I. Joe brand with figures measuring a mere 3.75 inches high. They were part of a group of special ops characters called “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero”. The line was intended as a revival of the original 1964 brand. These characters were featured in a series of animated adventures and in Marvel comic books, as well as in a toy line that was produced to 1994.

Also in 1994, the newly acquired Kenner division of Hasbro took control of the line and promptly cancelled it. In 1995 the American Hero line was replaced with a new one called “Sgt. Savage and His Screaming Eagles”. (My guess is Kenner didn’t realize that mothers are the ones buying these toys for their kids and would have found a name like that a real turnoff.) Due to poor sales, the line was cancelled within the first year.

The Real American Hero line returned again in 2000. And in 2001, a line of figures commemorating the attack on Pearl Harbor was released. A whole new 3 3/4-inch line of G.I. Joe figures and vehicles was introduced in 2002. Hasbro celebrated G.I. Joe’s 40th anniversary with the release of a line of reproduction dolls and accessories styled after the 1964 line. A “25th Anniversary” collection featuring 100mm versions of the “Real American Hero” line was released in 2007.

Hasbro has experienced incredible success with the G.I. Joe line, keeping him modern and in demand. Over $2 billion worth of G.I. Joe dolls and his related products have been sold since he was first introduced. There is a new movie to be released this August featuring the latest G.I. Joe line, called “The Rise of the Cobra”. Hasbro has created a toy that has proven to be timeless and a classic that will be around for many more years, for sure.

People have been building mechanical figures as far back as ancient Greek times. In 1206, a Muslim engineer and inventor called Al-Jazari built what is believed to be the first programmable humanoid robots. They were musicians that played instruments while floating in a boat on a lake to entertain royal guests. Inventors continued to experiment with the idea of an automated human, including Leonardo da Vinci who made detailed drawings of a mechanical knight. Like a lot of his mechanical drawings, scientists and historians don’t know if he ever actually constructed this knight. But one has been built from his drawings in more modern times, and this robot is able to sit up, move its arms, head and jaw.

The most complex mechanical creations were designed and made by a Japanese craftsman named Hisashige Tanaka who lived from 1799 to 1881. Among these toys were figures that could serve tea, shoot arrows and write.

Japanese factories had begun making simple tin toys in the late 19th century. Japan had observed the large profits earned by German manufacturers and hoped to obtain a share of the market. Japan produced a cheaper, more simple version of the German toys and by the end of WWI, Japan enjoyed the larger share of the business, leaving Germany far behind.

As a means to rebuild the Japanese economy post-WWII, many products that were previously made in the U.S. were sent overseas to be made in Japan. U.S. toy importers then bought the Japanese-made toys to sell to American customers. By the mid-1950’s, Japan had become the world’s primary toy manufacturer.

The word “robot” was first used in reference to artificial people by the Czech author Karel Capek in 1921. It originated from the Czech word “robota”, meaning “work” or “labor”.

The first tin toy robot to be made is believed to be Lilliput from Japan. The square, yellow robot was always thought to date from the 1930’s, but experts now believe he was actually first made in post-War occupied Japan around the mid-1940’s. The next robot that was released was Atomic Robot Man in the late 1940’s. He was given out as a promotional gift at the 1950 New York Sci-Fi Convention.

In 1940 Isaac Asimov released a series of short stories for “Super Science Stories Magazine” featuring a robot that develops affection for a child whose duty is was to protect. Asimov was responsible for developing the Three Laws of Robotics. These stated that (1.) A robot may not injure a human being, or through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. (2.) A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. (3.) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. (James Isam, robotics.megagiant.com.)

Sparked by Asimov’s stories, popular culture’s fascination with robots only grew from there.

The first tin toy robot may have been made in Japan, but in fact, American companies manufactured the majority of the early toy robots. There was the Ideal Toy Corporation’s Robert the Robot, released in 1954. He was able to walk and talk, while his arms swung and his eyes lit up. These motions were initiated by a remote control that connected to the robot’s back with a wire. The release of Robert the Robot was followed by Marvelous Mike, The Robot Dog, Z-Man, Marx Electric Robot and Big Max. To compete with the American market the Japanese released a new and improved battery-operated robot in 1955 that didn’t require any wires.

We have seen robots evolve from a courtly amusement, to the hottest toys ever, to advanced technologies like artificial intelligence. But at Retroplanet.com our favorite incarnation of the robot is that of a retro toy. Robots can revive childhood memories that send you back in time at warp speed. So be sure to take look at the reproduction robots, posters, framed art and even drink coasters that we carry. They’re “out of this world”!

Click here to view all Retroplanet.com Robot products. Our reproduction robots have a video on the product page so you are able to watch what each robot can do. Some shoot sparks, rotate and have blinking lights! All of them walk! The videos are cool and fun—just like these Robots!

A “Hula Hoop” is a toy made from a plastic tube that can be twirled around a person’s waist, arms, legs or neck. The idea of the Hula Hoop has been around for a very long time and its massive popularity assures it will always be a favorite form of entertainment.

The first plastic Hula Hoop may have been produced and marketed in 1957, but the concept behind the toy is thousands of years old. The ancient Greeks exercised with a hoop made of vines over 3,000 years ago, Egyptian children played with them and Native Americans used a similar hoop device for target practice.

Hoop toys were popular in Great Britain since the Middle Ages. Typically, they were made of willow, grapevines or grasses. The name supposedly originated with British sailors in the early 19th century while watching Hawaiian people do the hula dance. Because the hula dance resembled the movements made while playing with the toy, “hula” was eventually applied to it, giving us the “Hula Hoop”.

No one can claim credit for inventing the Hula Hoop, but we know the first manufacturer was David Tolmer, founder of Toltoys of Australia. Department and toy stores had been selling Hula Hoops that were made out of bamboo, when he decided to create a plastic version of the toy. Tolmer began manufacturing plastic tubing hoops in 1957 and sold 400,000 units.  The trademarked name “Hula Hoop” was given to the hoop by the founders of the Wham-O toy company, Richard Knerr and Arthur “Spud” Melin who started marketing them in the U.S. in 1958. They were unable to patent the idea of the Hula Hoop since it was such an ancient concept.

The original price for a Hula Hoop was $1.98. A craze began in 1958 and Wham-O sold an estimated 100 million Hula Hoops their first year. But the frenzy quickly fizzled out. In 1968, with the hope of reigniting the popularity of the Hula Hoop, Wham-O sponsored The National Hula Hoop Contest along with the National Parks & Recreation Network. Starting with 500 U.S. cities the first year, it was renamed the World Hula Hoop Championships with 2,000 cities participating by 1980. Some of the moves executed in competitions have names such as the Knee Knocker, Upsy Daisy, Wrap the Mummy and Hula Hop.

Hula Hoops measure about 40 inches in diameter and have a ball inside to provide the “Shoop-Shoop” sound as you use the toy. Today Wham-O offers Hula Hoops in three sizes and in many colors. They even make a foldable Hula Hoop, called the “Fold-A-Hoop Hula Hoop”. There are many imitators of the Wham-O Hula Hoop as other manufacturers look to cash in on the popular toy.

The Barbie doll was created in 1959 by Ruth Handler, the wife and partner of the Mattel toy company co-founder, Elliot Handler. Post WWII, despite the ongoing baby boom, the Handlers felt there was not much available in the toy market. After some small successes making toys, the Handlers understood that in order to be truly successful, they had to produce toys that were durable, of high quality and unique. They produced a plastic ukulele called the “Uke-A-Doodle” and later, a very successful music box with a patented play mechanism. Financial success allowed them to become a sponsor of Walt Disney’s “Mickey Mouse Club” television program. The handlers capitalized on the Western craze of the late 1950s, and started producing toy guns and holsters in 1957.

Ruth Handler was inspired to create an adult doll for little girls after watching her own daughter, Barbara’s preference for adult paper dolls over baby dolls. The Handlers set out to design a teen fashion model doll. While Ruth was traveling in Europe with her children, she saw a German adult doll called Bild Lilli that was based on a cartoon character. It was a lot like what she had in mind for her doll, so she purchased three of them to take home. She gave one to her daughter and brought the other two to Mattel.

With the aid of Mattel toy engineer, Jack Ryan, Ruth redesigned the doll. She named the doll with her own daughter’s nickname, Barbie. The doll was introduced on March 9 at the 1959 New York Toy Fair. Although the reaction to the doll at the fair was cool, it was a tremendous hit with consumers. The Barbie doll had a nearly endless supply of new clothes offered to purchase separately as well, along with accessories like carry cases. In 1961 Barbie’s boyfriend, Ken was introduced. He was named after Ruth Handler’s son. Other dolls were added, including Midge (1963) and Skipper (1964). In 1965 Mattel’s total sales equaled more than $100 million. Fan clubs were started all over the United States, and by 1968, there were 1.5 million official members. Also in 1965, an African American doll named Christie was added to the lineup.

My own experience with Barbie saw her progress through some of her many developments. My first Barbie, (I must have gotten her around 1965) was what collectors now refer to as the “bubblehead Barbie”. I always found her a little scary, with a rather severe look and stiff bouffant hair. She had some great clothes, though. They included a gold brocade dress ensemble that would be worth quite a bit if I had hung onto it. Unfortunately, all the Barbie items I had were sold at a yard sale many years ago. My next Barbie was the 1968 model with brushable light brown hair. She was an innovative Barbie that had bendable knees and twisted at the waist. She was joined in 1969 by Barbie’s friend, Talking PJ. 1970 saw major changes to the Barbie lineup when the Mod Live Action Barbie and Ken dolls were released (I was fortunate enough to get both). These dolls were dressed like hippies and were fully jointed and could “dance” when their stands were rocked. Some of the accessories that I had then were the dune buggy, camper and beauty parlor. My friends and I played for endless hours dressing our dolls and using the different accessories.

Naturally, when I had my own girls, they were introduced to Barbies as well. It’s wonderful to have seen them enjoy her as much as I did. I’m only sorry they have outgrown dolls, but am sure they’ll pass on the tradition to their own kids some day, since Barbie looks as if she’ll be around for another 50 years.

The Mattel people were marketing geniuses, releasing new and improved dolls every year or so. There were beautiful clothes available to dress your doll foe every possible occasion. They also maintained excellent customer relations. I once broke the leg off my Talking PJ, so my mother called Mattel and they asked her to send them the doll. They sent us a brand new doll without any cost to us. That’s how to keep customers loyal, but I’m not sure many companies offer that same service today.

If you have any special Barbie memories you’d like to share, please blog-in.

Lionel trains are best known for their glory days—the 1950s—when young boys and their dads enjoyed designing train layouts as a great American pastime. Today many collectors and hobbyists enjoy the nostalgia and tradition of Lionel trains.

The Lionel Corporation was founded in 1900 by Joshua Lionel Cowen, an enterprising young inventor. He was born the eighth of nine children to Jewish immigrant parents in 1877. He had dropped out of college three times, unable to conform to the structure of a formal education. He took a job at Acme Lamp assembling battery lamps. His fascination with electricity lead to a patent for a device that could ignite a photographer’s flash powder using dry cell batteries. He also succeeded in creating several other inventions including mine fuses he developed under contract with the US Navy. Cowen grew up at a time when trains had only recently begun to travel across the country with the opening of the Pacific Railroad in 1869. In the late 19th century trains, were the most advanced form of travel and electricity was only beginning to be brought to private homes.

In 1900 Cowen founded the Lionel Manufacturing Company in New York City with his partner, Harry C. Grant, who had worked with him at Acme Lamp. They made a slow start at manufacturing, first creating an electric fan. The public’s response was positive at first, but quickly waned. After seeing a toy push train in a toy store window, Cowen got the idea of creating an electric train that could move on a circular track by itself. The Lionel Manufacturing Company produced the Electric Express as a display for the very toy store where Cowen had first seen the push train. This battery-operated train circled a track and was propelled by a fan motor. It was a large but simple open gondola-style wooden train car that attracted enough customer interest that the store owner requested twelve more train displays because customers wanted to buy them.

In 1902 the City Hall Park Trolley was introduced and was accompanied by a 2-foot long suspension bridge. They followed this model with the electric B&O locomotive with car bearing a motorized derrick. The previously released gondola car was changed from wood to metal construction. Lionel produced its first catalog in 1902 so train hobbyists could view their product lines and plan their own layouts. In 1904 Cowen married Cecelia Liberman. In 1918 the company name was changed to the Lionel Corporation. Cowen became one of the first manufacturers to use print advertising, placing ads in “The Saturday Evening Post”, newspapers and boys’ magazines.

Business for the Lionel Manufacturing Company really took off after Cowen convinced owners of some of the larger department stores to set up a Lionel train beneath their Christmas tree displays during the holiday season. The trains were advertised as a bonding activity for fathers and sons and Cowen hoped the additional exposure in department stores would encourage parents to buy electric trains for their sons as Christmas presents. His plan worked and within a few years Lionel was the biggest toy train manufacturer in the country.

Lionel struggled after the stock market crash of 1929 and through the Great Depression. They continued to falter after they released the No. 400E steam locomotive with a price tag of $42.50, placing it well out of reach for most families. Business improved with the release of the brisk-selling $1 Mickey and Minnie wind-up handcar. A new design trend called “streamline” became popular in the early 1930s and Lionel released train designs based on this new aesthetic. They introduced the Union Pacific diesel M10000, the Hiawatha and the Flying Yankee. In 1935 they introduced trains with a steam whistle. Artists created the first Lionel Showroom for the 1938 New York Toy Fair so people could view Lionel trains among handcrafted scale scenery. Lionel participated in the 1939 New York World’s Fair.

Toy train production was halted during WWII when Lionel was manufacturing compasses and compass cases for the US Navy’s defense efforts. Lionel encouraged people to use this downtime to plan future train layouts. Production of toy trains resumed in 1945 with a move to more realistic scale models. The postwar years through 1956 are considered Lionel’s “Golden Age”. 1953 was the most profitable year in Lionel’s history, but by the mid-1950s they saw significant decreases in sales. Trains were falling out of favor among young boys and were being replaced by toy airplanes and electric racing cars on tracks (slot cars). Hobbyists had begun to favor smaller model trains, or HO-scale models. Lionel responded to the market changes with both HO-scale model trains and slot cars, but their change in direction came too late and sales were disappointing. In 1959 Joshua Cowen sold his Lionel stock to his grand-nephew, Roy Cohn, and retired. Cohn changed most of the company’s management and thereby, the direction of the company. Collectors saw this as the end of Lionel trains as they had been.

Lionel began to diversify their business but profits did not rally. By 1966 40% of Lionel revenue was from government contracts. They filed bankruptcy on 1967. In 1969 they sold the Lionel brand to General Mills. They formed the holding company Lionel, LLC that operated approximately 150 toy stores during the 1980s, putting them up against huge chains like Toys R Us. Lionel continued to make trains, such as the highly successful and collectible Mickey Mouse Express. In 1990 there was an excellent reception of the reissue of the No. 700E. Together with the rock star and model train collector, Neil Young, Kughn developed a model train remote control and digital sound system called Liontech. The Lionel brand was sold to the wealthy real estate developer, Richard Kughn of Detroit, in 1986. Kughn sold the controlling interest of Lionel, LLC to Wellspring Capital Management in 1995. Lionel continued their train building tradition and produced a full-color catalog in 1996, the first in over 30 years.

In 2004 Lionel sought bankruptcy protection, and in 2008 they emerged debt-free. Today they are manufacturing Lionel trains for large department stores like Target and Macy’s as well as hobby shops.