After 20 years, the original toy maker, Bergen Toy and Novelty Co., sold its molds to Banner Plastics in 1958 and shut down. The war in Vietnam was in full swing and public opinion was another major blow to the toy companies’ bottom line. William Britains, Timpo, Cresent and Cherliea’s profits took a hit when lead was banned. When we thought the Little Green Army Men were fighting a war, there were two brands actually doing it.īy the mid-1960s and 1970s, there were a plethora of competitors waging for market share. experimented with historically themed sets and also expanded their distribution through Sears catalogs. They leaned on the appeal of making movie-themed sets such as Ben-Hur, The Alamo, The Untouchables, The Guns of Navarone and Tom Corbett, Space Cadet. They had a different strategy when it came to own plastic legions. The competitor to Bergen Toy and Novelty Co.
Though the little warriors have undergone several changes over the years, their most famous identity is as World War II–era soldiers with “pod feet” attached to keep them standing during battle.” Additionally, the lead poisoning scare of the ’60s made companies quickly shift to non-toxic plastic in 1966.Īccording to Allie Townsed in Time Magazine, “German troops were molded in grey, Japanese forces in yellow. By the 1950s the cost of producing them in plastic drastically decreased to pennies per unit in bulk.
Before the widely adopted plastic, Army Men toys could also be found made of glue and sawdust called simply “ composition” and were unpainted. One could buy hundreds of the mass-produced troops sold in supermarkets, department stores or by mail-order. in 1938 in various poses depicting the combat roles of mid-20th century soldiers, they took backyards by storm.
Manufactured by Bergen Toy and Novelty Co. What a turd… (Wikimedia Commons) Originally made of lead
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