The Remco Toy Company was founded in the 1940s and best known for toys marketed and sold in the late 1950s and 1960s such as the Johnny Reb Cannon and Mighty Matilda Atomic Aircraft Carrier. One of their slogans was: "Every Boy Wants a Remco Toy." In the mid-60's, the Remco Toy Company acquired several licenses for popular culture acts such as the Beatles, Monkees, Munsters, Lost in Space and Batman.
The Remco Toy Company was acquired by Azrak-Hamway International, Inc. in 1964. This was a toy company in New York, New York. In 1997, Jakks Pacific acquired Child Guidance and the Remco Toy Company from Azrak-Hamway International.
Heidi was probably one of the Remco's Toy Company's most popular dolls. She was extremely popular from the mid '60s into the early '70s. Heidi was a little blonde doll standing about 5 ½-inches tall who came with a plastic case, which was similar to Remco's TV Jones line. Heidi had a Japanese friend, whose name was Jan. Both Heidi and Jan featured a magic button on their stomachs that made them wave. They also produced a version that caused the doll to blink when you pushed the magic button. It is rare to find a doll today that still has a working button.
Remco later introduced a sister to Heidi. Her name was Hildy, then there Pip, who was Heidi's little friend, Spunky was her tomboy friend and Herby. Today you will find more of Heidi and Jan. The other dolls are harder to find. There were also many carded and boxed outfits and play sets made for Heidi and her playmates.
The Remco Toy Company was one of the first companies to sell their dolls through television advertising. I, being from the Baby Boomer era, do remember television commercials ending with "made by Remco," (probably during an "I Love Lucy" episode or "Popeye the Sailor Man" cartoons).
Most of their dolls were hard plastic and vinyl dolls of character and entertainment personalities. They are also well known for making the Littlechap Pocketbook doll series. Other dolls made by Remco in the 1960s and 1970s include:
o 1964 Beatles, 4 ½" tall rock musicians, rooted hair, each with a guitar
o 1964 Dave Clark Five, 3-5" tall, rock musicians, vinyl heads plastic body, rooted hair
o 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson, 5 ½" tall
Some of their baby dolls include:
o 1965 Snugglebun, about 16" tall, had a battery operated bottle warmer included, squeeze the doll and she would snuggle up to you, has bent arms
o 1967 Baby Crawl Along, 20" tall, plastic and vinyl, rooted hair, blue sleep eyes, ball socket head, key wound doll marked: Remco/Ind./17 Eye/New/74copyright1967 on head
o 1968 Tippy Tumbles, 16" tall vinyl doll, rooted red hair, battery operated to do somersaults.
o 1969, 14" tall vinyl/plastic doll with rooted strawberry blonde hair, cute face with big blue eyes and full rooted lashes, painted pink mouth (this is my Remco doll, I am still looking for her name). Pictured on my site.
Other memorable Remco Toys include:
o 1953 Medicine Chest
o 1958 Giant Wheel Cowboys'n Indians Game
o 1958 Giant Wheel Thrills'n Spills Horse Race Game
o 1959 Little Red Spinning Wheel
o 1959 Movieland Drive-In Theater
o 1960 Frogman the US Navy Commando
o 1960 Whirlybird Helicopter
o 1961 Hippopotamus Electric Puzzle Game
o 1961 Johnny Reb Cannon
o 1961 Remco Katz Hot Rod
o 1961 Mighty Matilda Aircraft Carrier
o 1961 Shark Remote Control Race Car
o 1964 Senator Barry Goldwater Doll
o 1964 Munsters
o 1966 Batman Wrist Radios
o 1965 Bulldog Army Tank
o 1965 Duffy's Daredevils
Disclaimer: The URL address in the resource box of this article is not associated with the former Remco Company or any other doll or toy company. This article is offered as a source of information for the vintage doll collector or the would-be vintage doll collector.
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© 2007 Connie Limon All Rights Reserved
Written by: Connie Limon. For more information about starting and maintaining a Vintage Doll Collection visit http://smalldogs2.com/VintageDollCollecting For a variety of FREE reprint articles as well as special sections in U.S. History and the Kennedy Administration visit http://www.camelotarticles.com
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