Marx Toys / Mar Toys (USA), toys and models from 1920s-1970s

Marx Toys, was an American toy manufacturer founded by Louis Marx in 1919. Louis Marx was a former employee of Ferdinand Strauss, the founder of the Strauss Toy Company, and he saw an opportunity to start his own business in the toy industry.

Initially, Marx Toys produced a variety of tin toys, including wind-up cars, trucks, and trains. During the Great Depression, the company shifted its focus to producing inexpensive toys, including a line of toy soldiers that became very popular.

In the 1950s, Marx Toys expanded its product line to include plastic toys, such as playsets and model kits. The company also began producing battery-operated toys, such as robots and space toys, which were popular during the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Marx Toys was known for producing high-quality toys at an affordable price. The company's toys were sold in more... department stores and toy stores across the United States, as well as in other countries around the world.

In the 1960s, Marx Toys faced increasing competition from other toy manufacturers, including Mattel and Hasbro. The company attempted to diversify its product line by producing electronic games and other non-toy products, but these ventures were not successful.

In 1972, Louis Marx sold the company to Quaker Oats, which renamed the company Quaker Oats Toys. However, Quaker Oats was not successful in managing the company, and in early 1976, Quaker sold its struggling Marx division to the British conglomerate Dunbee-Combex-Marx, who had bought the former Marx UK subsidiary in 1967. However Dunbee-Combex-Marx struggled with high interest rates and an economic slowdown and it collapsed and was closed down by 1980. less...