Plastic Toy & Novelty (PTN) Company records

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: 119.4190

Collection Scope and Content Note

This collection consists of the records of New York City based toy manufacturer, Plastic Toy & Novelty Company. The materials are dated from 1960 to 1987. The papers are comprised of production crew set up notes, Mold Cards, blueprints, and facility cost analysis. The production crew setup and rates consists of step-by-step line assembly instructions for each toy and how many pieces per hour each crew can produce. The Mold Cards note the information on each mold the toys were made from. The blueprints and architectural drawings are for Plastic Toy & Novelty Company's final location in Millstown, New Jersey.

The collection has been divided into three series. The physical materials are housed in one document box. The archivist has maintained the original order of the collection.

Dates

Creation: circa 1960-1987

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research use by staff of The Strong and users of its library and archives.

Conditions Governing Use

Though the donor has not transferred intellectual property rights (including, but not limited to any copyright, trademark, and associated rights therein) to The Strong, they have given permission for The Strong to make copies in all media for museum, educational, and research purposes.

Historical Note

Michael Denmark, along with a business partner, founded Plastic Toy & Novelty (later known as PTN) in the early 1950s. Denmark first sold toys from a pushcart to toy wholesalers in lower Manhattan. The company later specialized in plastic preschool toys, such as ride-ons, sand toys, puzzles, and play sets. PTN’s popular products included a sneaker ride-on, sand chair, combo kitchen, and Peggity Pony ride-on. All of the company’s products were produced in the United States and included work with designer Mel Appel. PTN ceased operations in the late 1980s.

Extent

0.33 Linear Feet (1 document box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

This collection consists of the production records of New York City based toy manufacturer, Plastic Toy & Novelty Company. The materials are dated from 1960 to 1987. The papers are comprised of Mold Cards, setup, and production notes.

System of Arrangement

Series I: Facilities, 1986-1987

Series II: Mold Cards, circa 1960-1987

Series III: Production crew setups and rates, 1973

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The papers were donated to The Strong in July 2019 as a gift of Miles J. Denmark in memory of Mickey, Lenny, and Seymour Denmark. The records were accessioned by The Strong under object ID 119.4190 and were shipped by Miles Denmark in ten boxes [nine of the ten boxes contained toys].

Related Materials

Along with the box of archival materials, Miles Denmark donated to The Strong nine boxes of library materials and objects. Included in the donation were 39 trade catalogs and trade sheets that were transferred to the library and 58 toys produced by Plastic Toy & Novelty Company such as the Little Pro Tennis Shoe Ride-On, Combo Kitchen, Combo Workbench, Sand Chair, Power 4 Trac Ride-On, and more.