A. C. Gilbert Company
Overview
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
toy
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
company, once one of the largest toy companies in the world. It is best known for introducing the Erector Set
Erector Set
Erector Set is the trade name of a toy construction set that is popular in the United States.It consists of collections of small metal beams with regular holes for nuts, bolts, screws, and mechanical parts such as pulleys, gears, and small electric motors.The brand name is currently used for...
(a construction toy similar to Meccano
Meccano
Meccano is a model construction system comprising re-usable metal strips, plates, angle girders, wheels, axles and gears, with nuts and bolts to connect the pieces. It enables the building of working models and mechanical devices....
in the rest of the world) to the marketplace.
Gilbert was founded in 1909 in Westville, Connecticut
Westville, Connecticut
Westville is a neighborhood of the city of New Haven, Connecticut located in the western part of the city west of the West River. The official neighborhood planning area for Westville is defined to be the area bordered by the neighboring town of Woodbridge, Connecticut on the west , by the Amity...
, originally as a company providing supplies for magic
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
(Alfred Carlton Gilbert
Alfred Carlton Gilbert
Alfred Carlton Gilbert was an American inventor, athlete, toy-maker and businessman. Born in Salem, Oregon and died in Boston, Massachusetts, Gilbert is best known as the inventor of the Erector Set.-Early life:...
was a magician). Gilbert invented Erector in 1911, inspired by railroad girders, and the construction toy was introduced two years later.
In 1929, Gilbert bought the US company producing Meccano, which had been setup in 1913 by the British parent, and continued production as "American Meccano" until 1938.
By 1935, Gilbert was also producing microscopes.
In 1938, Gilbert purchased American Flyer
American Flyer
American Flyer was a popular brand of toy train and model railroad in the United States in the middle part of the 20th century.- The Chicago era, 1907–1938 :...
, a struggling manufacturer of toy trains.
