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30-409: The Toy Association leads the health and growth of the U.S. toy industry, which has an annual U.S. economic impact of $ 102.8 billion, and represents hundreds of companies including manufacturers, retailers, licensors, and others who are involved in the youth entertainment industry. Its manufacturing members drive the annual $ 41 billion U.S. domestic toy market. It was founded in 1915 by A. C. Gilbert , as

60-507: A Geiger counter and cloud chamber . Alfred Carlton Gilbert earned money by performing magic tricks while a medical student at Yale. He and John Petrie formed the Mysto Manufacturing Company (later the A. C. Gilbert Company ) in 1909, and began selling boxed magic sets. By 1917, they sold chemistry sets, which they produced through World War II , in spite of restrictions on materials. Robert Treat Johnson, noting

90-655: A degree in medicine. His thesis had the title The Genito-Urinary Phenomena of Athletes . An accomplished athlete, he broke the world record for consecutive chin-ups (39) in 1900 and the distance record for running a long dive in 1902. He invented the pole vault box and set two world records in the pole vault including a record for 12′ 3″ (3.66 meters) at the Spring meet of the Irish American Athletic Club , held at Celtic Park, New York, in 1906. He tied for gold with fellow American Edward Cook at

120-407: A potential career in chemistry was often explicit in the sets' naming and promotion. Chemistry sets may have been the first American toys marketed toward parents with the goal of "improving" children for success in later life. The target market for chemistry sets was almost exclusively boys, deemed "young men of science." However, during the 1950s, Gilbert introduced a set targeting girls. They sold

150-530: Is a dramatization of Christmas during the years 1917 and 1918 when America was involved in World War I . He was portrayed by Jason Alexander . The film takes several historical liberties. It debuted December 15, 2002. Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon, has a residential hall named after him that was opened in 2009. Chemistry set A chemistry set is an educational toy allowing

180-731: The 18th century in England and Germany to teach chemistry to adults. In 1791, Description of a portable chest of chemistry : or, Complete collection of chemical tests for the use of chemists, physicians, mineralogists, metallurgists, scientific artists, manufacturers, farmers, and the cultivators of natural philosophy by Johann Friedrich August Göttling , translated from German, was published in English. Friedrich Accum of London, England also sold portable chemistry sets and materials to refill them. Primarily used for training druggists and medical students, they could also be carried and used in

210-601: The 1908 Summer Olympics in London for pole vaulting. Choosing not to pursue a medical career, Gilbert founded Mysto Manufacturing, a manufacturer of magic sets , with his friend John Petrie, in 1907. This company later became the A. C. Gilbert Company . Gilbert developed the Erector Set , a construction toy, in 1913 (preceded by the similar Meccano set conceived by Frank Hornby in 1898 which he developed and patented as "Mechanics Made Easy" in 1901 ). His inspiration

240-582: The Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Laboratory , which contained radioactive ore samples of autunite , carnotite , torbernite and uraninite . In 1908, he married Mary Thompson, whom he had met at Pacific University. They had three children: two girls and a boy. In the 1930s, they lived in a property in Hamden, Connecticut called Maraldene which included kennels where Gilbert bred German Shepherds including one which won

270-590: The Max von Stephanitz award. He also owned a nearby 600-acre estate that he called Paradise . He used it for hunting and it housed his big-game trophies. It was a venue for him to entertain clients and guests attending the Yale Bowl . Upon his retirement in 1954, Gilbert turned his company over to his son. The same year, he published his autobiography, titled The Man Who Lives in Paradise. After his death in 1961,

300-591: The Toy Manufacturers of America trade association and was its first president. Frustrated that invention was an important part of American society not taught in schools, in 1941, Gilbert opened the Gilbert Hall of Science in New York City a science and technology museum. It served the dual purpose of promoting interest in science and selling Gilbert's products. In 1950–1951 he marketed

330-409: The "Chemcraft" trademark, were "chemical magic" sets, selling for less than one dollar (or about $ 25 in 2017 ). By the 1920s, they sold six different sets, the largest of which sold for $ 25 (or about $ 320 in 2017 ). Their range of toys broadened throughout the 1930s. In the 1950s it was possible to buy toys featuring radioactive ores, such as the " Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Laboratory ," which included

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360-520: The Erector sets. He also added chemistry sets , microscope sets, and other educational toys to his product line, accumulating more than 150 patents during his 50-year career. In 1938, he acquired the rights to the American Flyer toy train line from W. O. Coleman and moved their production from Chicago to New Haven. At the same time, he adopted a 3/16 scale for this train line while keeping

390-592: The Porter Chemical Company went out of business in 1984. Modern chemistry sets, with a few exceptions, tend to include a more restricted range of chemicals and simplified instructions. Many chemistry kits are single use, containing only the types and amounts of chemicals for a specific application. Several authors note from the 1980s on, concerns about illegal drug production, terrorism , and legal liability have led to chemistry sets becoming increasingly bland and unexciting. In recent years,

420-540: The TOTY (Toy of the Year) Awards program, recognizing the best of the best in toys, games and properties each year. All proceeds from the awards program benefit The Toy Foundation's programs to bring toys & play to children in need globally. Alfred Carlton Gilbert Alfred Carlton Gilbert (February 15, 1884 – January 24, 1961) was an American inventor, athlete , magician , toy maker and businessman. As

450-647: The Toy Manufacturers of America, and he became its first president. The average price of a toy is around $ 10, but the estimated 3 billion units sold across the United States each year generates approximately $ 41 billion in direct toy sales. From toy inventors to store clerks, the toy industry supports an estimated 573,379 jobs (FTE) generating more than $ 33.8 billion in wages for U.S. workers. The toy industry generates $ 11.1 billion in tax revenue each year. The Toy Association produces Toy Fair New York,

480-567: The chemistry set has been re-imagined as a self-study kit, typically offering students better equipment and more explanatory tutorial content. For example, Thames & Kosmos offers a range of CHEM series chemistry sets targeting older children, culminating in the C3000 Kit, which includes a 172-page manual describing 387 experiments, although it does retail for almost US$ 300. Typical contents found in chemistry sets, including equipment and chemicals, might include: The experiments described in

510-522: The family sold its remaining shares in the A. C. Gilbert Company to Jack Wrather . It went out of business in 1967, although the Erector trademark continued to be used. A museum in Gilbert's birthplace of Salem, Oregon, A. C. Gilbert's Discovery Village , is named in his honor. The museum comprises several historic structures, including the house of Gilbert's uncle Andrew T. Gilbert. It opened in 1989. The television movie The Man Who Saved Christmas

540-453: The field. Scientific kits also attracted well-educated members of the upper class who enjoyed experimenting and demonstrating their results. James Woodhouse of Philadelphia presented a Young Chemist's Pocket Companion (1797) with an accompanying portable laboratory that specifically targeted ladies and gentlemen. Jane Marcet 's books on chemistry helped to popularize chemistry as a well-to-do pastime for both men and women. Beginning in

570-561: The founder of A. C. Gilbert Company , Gilbert was known for inventing the Erector Set and American Flyer Trains . Gilbert was educated at the Tualatin Academy and attended Pacific University in nearby Forest Grove, Oregon , where he was a member of the Gamma Sigma Fraternity. He left Pacific after 1902 and transferred to Yale University , financing his education by working as a magician , and earning

600-468: The largest American producers of chemistry sets, other manufacturers such as the Skilcraft corporation were also active. John J. Porter and his brother Harold Mitchell Porter began The Porter Chemical Company in 1914. Their initial purpose was to sell packaged chemicals, but they soon introduced kits. John researched the experiments, while Harold wrote the instruction manuals. Their earliest toys, under

630-558: The largest toy show in the Western Hemisphere. Other initiatives include educating consumers on safe play via PlaySafe.org, advocating for strong legislation that will ban the sale of unsafe, counterfeit toys (among other issues of priority to toy companies), promoting the value of play through The Genius of Play initiative, and delivering the gift of play to children in underprivileged communities through its philanthropic arm, The Toy Foundation. The trade association administers

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660-805: The late 1850s, John J. Griffin & Sons sold a line of "chemical cabinets", eventually offering 11 categories. These were marketed primarily to adults including elementary school teachers as well as students at the Royal Naval College, the Royal Agricultural Society , and the universities of Oxford and Cambridge . From the mid to the late 1800s, in England, magic and illusion toys enabled children to make their own fireworks, create disappearing inks, and cause changes in color, tricks that were mostly chemically based. The Columbian Cyclopedia of 1897 defines "CHEMISTRY TOYS" as "mostly pyrotechnic ; recommended as illustrating to

690-430: The number of chemistry students at Yale whose interest in the science began with a chemistry set, argued the production of chemistry sets was a "patriotic duty." Toy companies promoted chemistry sets through advertising campaigns, the "Chemcraft Chemist Club" and its accompanying "Chemcraft Science Magazine", comic books, and essay contests such as Porter's "Why I want to be a scientist". The goal of attracting students to

720-807: The range of materials and experiments available in chemistry sets. In the United States, the Federal Hazardous Substances Labeling Act of 1960, the Toy Safety Act of 1969, the Consumer Product Safety Commission , established in 1972, and the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 all introduced new levels of regulation, which led to the decline of chemistry sets' popularity during the 1970s and 1980s. The A. C. Gilbert Company went out of business in 1967, and

750-477: The set in an attractive pink box, but the set identified girls as "laboratory assistants" or "lab technicians," not scientists. In 1971, a Johnny Horizon Environmental Test Kit was licensed by the U. S. Department of the Interior and produced by Parker Brothers . It included four air pollution tests and six water pollution tests for young environmental scientists. The Johnny Horizon Environmental Test Kit

780-457: The three-rail O-gauge track then associated with Lionel , a competitor. Following World War II, O-gauge track was abandoned in favor of two-rail S-gauge track. Gilbert was lauded for his adherence to scale realism, making American Flyer trains look more real and less toylike. Gilbert is credited with originating the concept of providing benefits for his employees , including free medical and legal advice and maternity leave . In 1915 he founded

810-521: The user (typically a teenager ) to perform simple chemistry experiments . The forerunners of the chemistry set were 17th century books on "natural magick", "which all excellent wise men do admit and embrace, and worship with great applause; neither is there any thing more highly esteemed, or better thought of, by men of learning." Authors, such as Giambattista della Porta, included chemical magic tricks and scientific puzzles along with more serious topics. The earliest chemistry sets were developed in

840-402: The young the rudiments of chemistry, but probably more dangerous than efficient for such use", listing a variety of hazardous examples. Beginning in the early 1900s, modern chemistry sets targeted younger people with the intention to popularize chemistry. In the United States, Porter Chemical Company and the A. C. Gilbert Company produced the best known sets. Although Porter and Gilbert were

870-526: Was marketed to both boys and girls. Well-known chemistry sets from the United Kingdom include the 1960s and 1970s sets by Thomas Salter Science (produced in Scotland) and later Salter Science , then the "MERIT" sets through the 1970s and 1980s. Dekkertoys created a range of sets which were similar, complete with glass test tubes of dry chemicals. Around the 1960s, safety concerns began to limit

900-744: Was steel construction girders used on the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad . In 1918, with the United States embroiled in World War I and the Council of National Defense considering a ban on toy production, Gilbert argued successfully against it. The press gave him the nickname "The man who saved Christmas." Gilbert had by then contributed to the war effort by becoming one of the Four Minute Men who gave short lectures to movie audiences, thus encouraging citizens to purchase war bonds . By 1935, his company had sold more than 30 million of

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