Tyco Toys

Tyco Toys is a division of the Mattel toy company.

History

Mantua Metal Products was a Woodbury Heights, New Jersey, metalworks business founded in 1926 by John Tyler and family. In the 1930s Mantua began to manufacture HO scale model trains of die-cast metal, and became a leading hobbyist brand. In the 1950s Mantua pioneered "ready-to-run" HO-scale model railroad kits under the TYCO (for "Ty"ler "Co"mpany) brand. Many TYCO and Mantua die-cast products, such as steam engines, are collector's items today.

In the 1960s, TYCO changed its focus from train kits to ready-to-run trains sold in hobby shops and also added HO-scale electric racing, or "slot car" sets. By the 1970s, TYCO shifted sales and marketing to a consumer-oriented, mass marketing focus. Eventually the name changed to TYCO Industries, under which name the company was sold in 1970 to Consolidated Foods during an era of corporate conglomerates. As a division of what became the Sara Lee Corporation, Tyco continued to grow.

By the 1980s, Tyco dominated that market in electric racing, also producing the first "slot trucks" known as US-1 Trucks, as well as the radio control category. Diversification continued with the 1989 purchase of the View-Master/Ideal Group, which brought to the company the View-Master, Magna Doodle and the Ideal Nursery line of dolls. In the 1990s, the company branched out with other toys such as airplanes, clones of Lego brand building elements (after the basic patent ran out in 1983), and "Sesame Street" items. It made a hit in 1991 with their Disney's Little Mermaid dolls that were released during the same period the movie came to theaters. It purchased Matchbox, a maker of model cars, in 1993. In 1995, Tyco Preschool was named the primary toy licensee for the Children's Television Workshop. A year later Tyco Preschool launched an extensive new line based on the popular children's program, "Sesame Street". When Tyco was purchased by Mattel on March 27, 1997, it was the third largest toy company in the United States. The brand survives as the Mattel Tyco R/C division.

The Tyco model railroad business was purchased back by the Tyler family in 1977, who revived them under the Mantua Industries brand. Tyco exited the model railroad business after the 1993 catalog. Many of the Tyco model train products were then produced by Mantua and by International Hobby Corporation (IHC). In 2001, Mantua ceased production of its model railroad lines, and sold the model railroad business to the Model Power company, which continues to sell a few items such as steam engines as its Mantua Classics brand.

ee also

*The Incredible Crash Dummies

External links

* [http://tycotrain.tripod.com/tycotrains/index.html Tyco Trains Resource]
* [http://www.shabbir.com/matchbox/tyco.html shabbir.com History of Tyco]
* [http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/2004/200411/20041125.html Canadian Broadcasting Corporation transcript of story about LEGO/Ritvik legal issues] contains Tyco reference
* [http://tycotrain.tripod.com/tycous1trucking/ Tyco US-1 Electric Trucking Resource]