Playtoy Industries was a Canada-based toy company founded by 1973 in Toronto, Ontario, with president Jerry Smith[1][2][3][4] and vice-presidents Stephen Morris and Ron Burke.[5][6] In 1997, it moved to Concord, Ontario.[7] They went out of business in mid 1999.[7]

Playtoy both developed its own games, and licensed from others. Most often, they licensed from Pressman Toy Corporation. Playtoy Industries would then translate the product into French in order to ship a bilingual product.[8] Playtoy introduced three new Canadian games each year.[9] They licensed some of these to Pressman Toy Corporation, as in the case of IQ2000. The company also distributed a range of games in Canada for the Sega Genesis.

Games were manufactured both locally at their combined offices/factory and overseas. The most notable exceptions were hoolahoops[2] and some other plastic products which were assembled by ARC Industries (a sheltered workshop for adults with a developmental disability).

Playtoy also manufactured games based on TV game shows, such as La Guerre des clans from TQS, and other shows from CBC Television and some other Canadian channels. They were Johnson & Johnson's infant toys distributor in Canada (and responsible for the French translation).

Playtoy's mass manufactured Co-Operative Game line was licensed from Jim Deacove[8][6] (Family Pastimes), who continued to manufacture the same games in small batches. Thus the same games, with the same titles, were sold in two forms at the same time.

Distributed games

Red Box Line (value line)

Developed by/for Playtoy

  • IQ 2000 / Jeu de savoir (1984)[1][11][5][12][13][14] Game of Knowledge (UK), Spiel des Wissens (Germany), Kwestie van weten (Netherlands), Seneca, el juego del saber (Spanish)
  • IQ 2000 Rock Edition[11][14]
  • Inve$tor (1985)[15][16]
  • Domino Rally
  • Tongue Twister (1988)[9]
  • Monster Dominoes
  • Forever Green (1991)[5]

Licensed from Pressman Toy Corporation

  • Picture Tri-Ominos (1973)[1][14]
  • Safely Home Game (1985)[17]
  • La roue chanceuse / Wheel of Fortune (1988)[8]
  • "Siege" ( Game of Battle Action similar to Crossbows and Catapults ) 1994
  • Rummikub (rummy tile game - Manufactured in Taiwan © Israel) 1995
  • 'Smath[18]

Licensed from Palmer-Cornale Games

Licensed from BroderBund

  • Where in the World is Carmen San Diego (board game)

Co-Operative Games Line, licensed from Family Pastimes, Inc[6][8]

Unknown

  • La Guerre des clans /Family Feud (1993)
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Sewer Hockey (this is the only known Playtoy product which was sold in Quebec, without being translated into French)
  • Dizzy Dizzy Dinosaur
  • Real Squirmin' Bugs (1997)[3]
  • Crazy Bones[20][21]
  • Grand Champion Toy Horses[7]

Distributed on behalf of Johnson and Johnson

  • Balls in a Bowl

References

  1. 1 2 3 Durnford, Nancy (25 November 1983). "Board games are hot sellers for 1983". The Gazette. Montreal, Quebec. p. F1. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  2. 1 2 Ketcham, Brock (27 August 1990). "Noise-making exercise hoop raises Airdie mom's concern". Calgary Herald. p. 11. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  3. 1 2 Dubé, Francine (4 February 1997). "In search of the next Elmo - Making it big in $1.4-billion toy industry isn't child's play". The Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  4. ↑ "Canadian Toy Industry Hall of Fame Inductees -Moe Smith". Canadian Toy Industry / L'Association Canadienne du Jouet. Retrieved 30 January 2019. In 1955 Mr. Smith founded Lido Toys and turned it into the largest manufacturer of plastic toys by the time he sold it in 1964. He later amalgamated several other of his companies into Plastoy, the forerunner of Playtoy Industries Inc. now owned by his son Jerry Smith.
  5. 1 2 3 Hryniuk (30 November 1991). "This game can make the world a better place". The Leader-Post. Regina, Saskatchewan. p. 10. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Evenson, Brad (29 December 1986). "Co-operative games prove a winner". The Ottawa Citizen. p. B3. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 Côté, Tony (19 June 2000). "Company to forward pair of toy Clydesdales". The Ottawa Citizen. p. D7. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kennedy, Janice (25 January 1988). "A new kind of game is teaching kids to co-operate". The Gazette. Montreal, Canada. p. 20. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  9. 1 2 Ibbitson, John (25 November 1988). "Terry ties trendy toy to twisting tongues". The Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. p. B16. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  10. 1 2 "Hamilton Toy Museum". Gluseum. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  11. 1 2 "Trivia game caters to rock music fans". The Lethbridge Herald. CP. 25 July 1984. p. C9. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  12. ↑ "Designing new game is not a trivial pursuit". Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 30 August 1983. p. C2. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  13. ↑ Bean, Bill (25 August 1983). "This trivia is for kids". Edmonton Journal. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. p. F5. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  14. 1 2 3 "Artist: Playtoy Industries". Canadian Museum of History / Musée Canadien de l'Histoire. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  15. ↑ Grenby, Mike (25 October 1985). "Your Money". The Vancouver Sun. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. p. B6. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  16. ↑ "Inve$tor, published by Playtoy Industries, c. 1983". The Strong National Museum of Play - Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  17. ↑ McKay, Sharon (1988). The New Child Safety Handbook. Macmillan of Canada. p. 189. ISBN 9780771599125.
  18. ↑ Chamberland, Gilles; Provost, Guy (1996). Jeu, Simulation et Jeu de Rôle. PUQ. p. 48. ISBN 9782760521247.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Bedard-Bidwell, Betty (2001). Hand in Hand. GeneralStore Publishing House. pp. 178–179. ISBN 9781894263382.
  20. ↑ "Kids go crazy for Crazy Bones". Strategy. 4 January 1999. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  21. ↑ Habib, Marlene (11 December 1998). "Don't toy around when buying toys". Nanaimo Daily News. Nanaimo, British Columbia. The Canadian Press. p. C2. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
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