The Make-A-Toy Co.

1696 Boston Rd., New York, NY ~1928-1942

An American manufacturer based in New York City, the company was active from about 1928-1929 with their peak production years being 1930-1941 through the start of WWII. Their headquarters and manufacturing were centered in New York, with some of their molds bearing the "New York, N.Y." stamp along with their company name. Edward K. Poole stated in his article on Homecasting that Make-A-Toy was merely a repackager or reseller of other companies moulds. He may have been right, I certainly believe that in the early years of the company they repackaged Sachs or Metal Cast moulds. I think the advertisements in Playthings magazine along with their box cover show models from their line. The 100 series moulds however do have the Make-A-Toy company name on them With the last two moulds actually having the name as part of the mould itself rather than engraved. It is interesting to note that all of the series 100 moulds can be found in the Junior Caster moulds lineup, rather than Sachs/Metal Cast.

Make-A-Toy Co. competed with other major brands like Porter Chemical Company (Kast-A-Toy), Junior Caster and A.C. Gilbert. Their sets typically included two-part metal molds, a ladle, and bars of "safety metal" (usually a lead-tin-antimony alloy).

The decline of Make-A-Toy Co. was driven chiefly by the lack of metal. Starting in 1941, the U.S. government restricted the use of lead, tin, and zinc for non-essential goods. This halted the production of casting kits almost overnight as materials were diverted to the war effort. The company effectively ceased its primary operations during World War II.

Make-A-Toy molds from the 5 sets shown below have their name and location (New York) either carved into or raised letters on the exterior of the mold block itself. The molds were heavy cast iron (early) or bronze blocks (later, chiefly the series 100 moulds) that fit together with alignment pins. Early molds may have had an "L-Handle" integrated into the metal mould which was used to hold the mold shut while pouring. When looking at the early advertisements from Make-A-Toy, the graphics of the soldier on a horse, and the machine gunner are identical to the same model graphics in the S. Sachs 1920 catalog. In fact early documentation for Sachs appears to encourage companies to resell their moulds as in 1923 Sachs offered to produce promotional materials including circulars, cards, stationary and even box labels with "your companies name and logo" on it. So I expect that at least initially, the moulds being sold by Make-A-Toy were in fact Sachs/Metal Cast moulds. 

Make-A-Toy Co. did produce multi-figure molds in the 1930's probably starting around the mid 1930's. the "3-in-1" layout with threaded handle holes for turned wooden handles with a metal screw-stud at the end was the signature style from approximately 1936–1940 production. These moulds almost certainly came from the Rapaport Bros. Junior Caster group. In the early Junior Caster catalog  101 is a match for E-5; 102 is a match for E-4; 103 is a match for E-3; 104 is a match for E-1 and 105 is a match for E-2. With regards to 103, I have the Make-A-Toy, the Junior Caster and the REB moulds and the models they produce are identical. It is interesting however that the Make-A-Toy mould produces the sharpest and most detailed models of the three. I would have thought that the Junior Caster mould would have been the best of the three since it is probably the 1st generation mould. Perhaps because the Make-A-Toy mould is bronze it picked up more detail? 

The 100-Series:
It was their multi-figure line, I have only seen one flyer for Make A Toy. It shows 5 moulds 101 thru 105. While I have the first 5 moulds, I have never seen mould 106, and may in fact may not exist. The first four moulds resemble Junior Caster Moulds with the bottom lip on the mould however they are produced in Bronze. Mould 105 also looks like a Junior Caster Moud however the mould I have is iron rather than bronze.

• 101 - Charging, Machine Gunner, Officer
• 102 - Infantry, Flag Bearer, Cavalry
• 103 - Marine Drummer, Bugler, Flag Bearer
• 104 - Bugler, Cavalry, Marching
• 105 - Bufalo Bill and Two Indians
• 106 - Artillary Crew Rammer, Loader, Gunner with Linstock*

While I have not been able to find a definitive master list, evidence from surviving sets and "Refill" order forms suggests that Make-A-Toy Co. produced approximately 15 to 20 different multi-figure molds in the 2-in-1 or 3-in-1 format. However I have only seen one flyer which shows the first 5 moulds from the 100 series. Reviewing their ads, like the one above, and the cover of their caster box, though, it does appear that there are other moulds separate from the flyer I have. 

Other Moulds that were probably sold by Make-A-Toy Co., as they are on the box cover include:

• Pair of Marching Soldiers - This mould has two soldiers in it based on the image of the mould at the Wisconsin History website
• Horse and Rider, note that the hat is different from the other soldiers on horses. This was undoubtedlt one of their early moulds as the model is shown on their 1928 advertisement in Playthings.
• Kneeling machinegunner. This may be the same as the one found in the 3 figure mould 101 but was probably first a single mould as it is shown in their 1928 advertisement in Playthings before they announced their 3 figure mould.
• Elephant
• Other Animals - Note that the box cover says "Animals" inferring that the Elephant is not the only mould
• Cowboy with Lasso
• Other Cowboys
• Other Indians

Revised: 22 Sep 2026