The Mighty Marx Toy Company

Do you remember getting a Big Wheel, Rock Em Sock Em Robots or maybe Jane or Johnny West?  Marx was one of the powerhouse toy companies of our time.  Created in the 1920’s by brothers David and Louis Marx, the toy company insisted that “quality is not negotiable” and “give the customer more toy for less money”.  

The company produced cars, trains, dolls, playsets and action figures.  Their early metal wind up figures and train sets are highly sought after by toy collectors.  Louis Marx & Company was located at 200 Fifth Avenue, in New York City where it remained for 52 years throughout Marx ownership. The company began without capital assets, sales base, patents, trademarks, products, processes, machinery, suppliers, or customers for that matter. However, they made up for this with commitment, good instincts, and Louis’s talent, combined with David’s operational skills.
The 1930’s were a period of rapid growth for Marx despite the Great Depression. The first major plants were at Erie and Girard Pennsylvania as well as West Virginia.  The company continued to grow until World War II, when the factories converted for the war effort. 

Marx emerged from World War II as the world’s largest manufacturer of toys, dominating the production of mechanical toys with factories all over the world.

By the Seventies, Marx innovations had become household names and industry standards. At age 76, having divested himself of his international interests and after careful negotiation, Louis Marx sold his U.S. empire to Quaker Oats for $52 million. Just 3 years later, Quaker sold it to the British firm of Dunbee-Combex.  The positive attitude that Marx was built upon quickly faded and they were no longer certain that they could ship the goods. Dunbee-Combex-Marx of England, unable to meet its obligations, lost control and filed for bankruptcy in 1980.

In 1982, American Plastic Equipment of Florida purchased the company’s assets from the Chemical Bank of New York. Later, in 1988, they acquired intellectual rights. By that time, Marx toys and playsets were trading in the collector markets at hundreds and even thousands of dollars. This strong demand was what triggered and gave rise to the Marx Renaissance.   In 1995 Marx Toys, * a new entity, Marx Toy Corporation, was formed in Sebring Ohio.  Nacelle acquired the company in 2021.    There is a lot more information out there on the web if you would like to learn more about this amazing toy company and see some of the popular and well-loved toys, but there is also a lot of misinformation as well so it was a challenge to sort through! 

Happy Collecting and I hope Santa brings you a lot of vintage toys!