Shop By Toys

Craft -E-Family

As many of you may know, Craft-E-Family was founded in 1980 by my parents, Lloyd & Joyce Ebert. Upon retirement (yeah right) they decided to combine their hobbies. Dad has always loved tinkering and building in the workshop while mom took up painting on, what else, wood. A few years ago they decided to retire . . . AGAIN. They requested that my hubby, Cory and I, Karry, take over the monster they created so long ago. We’ve been the “behind the scenes” helpers for several years. Cory is the mastermind of the website and what little bit of automation we have in keeping up with the orders, without him I would be insane. We share the everyday stuff and Cory works on updating the website when LeeLoo goes down for her nap. My sister, Sherry, lends a hand a few evenings a week and more if need besides helping out at the shows. Another addition to the Craft-E-Family family is Cory’s dad, Bill or “Pops” as we all call him, he is a lifesaver and helps in the workshop since dad lost his vision last year. Also helping out in the workshop is my niece, Vanessa, she’s here a few evenings a week polishing the blocks. The newest member of all is our block tester, she makes sure they’re just right for playing and kid approved . . . our daughter LeeLoo who was adopted from China 6/13/05. She has a ball in the workshop with us and has to inspect blocks, build with them and tell us all the animals on the kid sets with animals.

 

I’m hoping to have some candid pictures out here of everyone working at shows, in the shop, or even playing with the sawmill so you can put a face with the name . . . the only bad thing is we ALL hate to have our picture taken – don’t even ask about my passport photo! Well except for LeeLoo she’s a ham and loves to have her picture taken.

I want to say a special “Thank You” to all of you who have been with us over the years and to those who were understanding last June when we left the country to go meet LeeLoo – without your support and understanding we could have never met the greatest joy of Craft-E-Family family.

Thank you,

Karry

Greenleaf Dollhouses

The chain of events that was to become Greenleaf Steel Rule Die Corporation (Greenleaf SRD) began when the plans for this Church wound up in the 10 yr. old hands of Anthony W. Roberts. Diligence, scrap wood, a hand saw and mother time brought change to his little corner of the universe. His project was the talk of the neighborhood and an interested friend's houseguest was brought by to see his handiwork. Mr. Wiley was his name, making dies was his game, he offered 12 year old Anthony a job on the spot.

1915 was the first year Standard Folding Carton had two die makers and as time passed by, the apprentice became the master. The 30s were hard on most of them, but not Anthony, he had all the overtime he could stand. He saved his money and dreamed of starting his own business. In the spring of 1947 he made his move and opened Greenleaf SRD in a cow barn in upstate Schenevus, NY.

More time passed, the generations changed and so did Greenleaf. The business, now being run by his son Dean, became the worlds largest manufacturer of die cut doll house kits which were marketed under the well known name of Greenleaf Products. In 1986, Dean decided to sell off this part of the business to outside interests, but Greenleaf SRD was contracted to continue on as the manufacturers until 1992. At this point Greenleaf Products started down a long and twisted trail which led to several name changes and owners.

Meanwhile, time rolled by and the generations changed again. With his grandchildren, Lisa and Dean Jr. now running the company, Greenleaf SRD added additional services such as silk screening, laminating and high speed packaging. Even though custom manufacturing has always been the bread and butter of the operations, we did miss being part of the miniature community, so in 1993 we came out with a line of dollhouses which we market under the name Corona Concepts. The Corona line has similar appeal, offering high quality and a large variety of styles and sizes. Many of the current Corona houses are of a more simple design and appeal to entry-level consumers while the Greenleaf houses are more intricate.

As luck would have it, in the winter of 2002 Greenleaf SRD was able to re-acquire the Greenleaf line which was then being marketed under the name of Falls Wood Products. We are currently investing in re-tooling and refining the dies and designs of the Greenleaf Dollhouse line so that the houses can be re-released with the same quality and reliability the Corona Concepts line is well-known for. With the combined lines, Greenleaf and Corona meet the needs of the beginning crafter to the more serious miniature enthusiasts. Both lines will now be manufactured under exacting standards in upstate New York and will provide an exciting and satisfying craft and collectible experience with the widest variety of choice for customers.

Holgate Toys / Pepperell Braiding

Mason Corporation

Mason Corporation has been serving the industry since 1982. It all started when we began manufacturing the Flying Turtle® and the Roller Racer®. Since then, our line has expanded in various directions, but always with a focus on creating high quality products backed by exceptional service. We are proud that our customers circle the globe and we hope that you will be among them in the near future.

Roy Toys

A three-generation family of Maine toy makers

A horse and wagon loaded with Roy Toy building sets leaves the original toy factory, bound for the Machias train station. On a warm August day in 1930, a horse-drawn wagon raced across a dusty Maine road and delivered our grandfather's log building sets to the train station across town. The first shipment of original Roy Toy wooden toys left Machias and a family heritage began.

Since that day, the world has changed greatly. As a Roy Toy customer, you are guaranteed that some things will never change. All of our pieces will continue to be made from wood, the quality of our products will remain unmatched, and our products will continue to be made right here in the U.S.A.

Sincerely, The Dennison Family

Roy K. Dennison in 1924Our Family's Toy-Making History

Roy Toy was established in the mid 1930's by one of the earliest pioneers in the wooden toy industry, Roy K. Dennison. Roy realized that there was an intriguing love for wooden construction sets, and that this excitement was had by both children and their parents.

Roy would often say, "There's no greater feeling for a parent than helping their child explore their own imagination". This became the inspiration for his classic log building designs. For these challenging sets, Roy used unique rectangular shaped logs with a tight notching fit leading to structures that wouldn't topple easily. The logs were hand-cut and honed to a realistic finish.

Roy filled the hearts of children and families with joy and wonder for nearly 30 years, until his death in the 1960's. At that time, the machines stopped and the doors to his factory closed. The machines were dismantled and stored with various relatives for close to 30 years.

Reviving the Family Business

When Roy's grandson, Bruce Dennison, decided to revive the Roy Toy business as a hobby in 1992, he was faced with a daunting task. Not only did he have to round up the stored toy-making equipment, he discovered that many pieces did not fit together, some were missing motors, others missing shafts and gears, and only a handful of blades were still around.

To recreate his grandfather's building sets, Bruce needed help determining how the wooden blocks were cut. How did these aging pieces of equipment once work, and could they ever work again? He found the answers amongst boxes of remaining pieces, photos, old packaging, and an earful of old stories. But there were still many questions left unanswered and it would be over a year before Bruce would put the pieces of the puzzle together.

Keeping the Tradition

Bruce understood the classic look his grandfather wanted in his log buildings and wasn't about to change the toys that he remembered. Bruce believed that the key to this classic look was the toy's handmade design. With this design the logs have a realistic quality and feel and fit together snuggly, resulting in structures that are much larger than most other log building sets. Roy Toy still hand cuts their sets from pine logs and stains them with a non-toxic dye, creating the same bright red wooden gables and traditional green wooden roof planks as originally designed.

At Roy Toy we cherish our heritage, and as one generation ends, another is there to pick up where they left off. We like to think that some things never change. We hope your family enjoys our products and passes them on to the next generation.

Stuffington Bear Factory, LLC.

Stuffington Bear Factory is a USA Toy manufacturer of American teddy bears, American stuffed animals and American stuffed animal accessories based in Phoenix, Arizona. We have been creating unique American stuffed animal gifts since 1959. Our creations are unique and also of very high quality, designed to be a lasting friend well into the future for you or that special someone.

Stuffington Bear Factory is one of the few stuffed animal manufacturers with production based in the United States. We are proud of our Made in the U.S.A. status and what it means to all of us. We know how important to your family and our economy American Toys from a USA Toy Manufacturer are.

We have one manufacturing facility located in Phoenix, Arizona. This facility is 16,000 square feet and is a complete "cut and sew" production environment. Any finished fabric item from stuffed animals to clothing can be produced here from scratch. In fact, we often produce custom cut and sew items under contract. All products are made by hand with nearly no automatic production machines involved. In general, our facility is capable of producing roughly 5,000 units in a single week.

On the same property we have a retail store where we sell our teddy bears and stuffed animals. Shoppers can come in anytime and have a teddy bear or stuffed animal made right away. We also host factory tours,school field trips, birthday parties and special events. During these events, visitors learn all about teddy bears and are able to stuff, comb, bathe and dress up their very own teddy bear. Our events are very popular, with a high frequency of return bookings.

We always enjoy showing visitors around the manufacturing facility and the retail store. Visitors have a great time learning about how a stuffed animal is made and an even better time selecting and creating their own favorite teddy bear or stuffed animal.