Structo 1950s Pressed Steel Teal Green Road Grader Truck Toy 18"

Description

Vintage 1950's Structo green / teal pressed steel road grader with solid rubber tires.

"The Structo Manufacturing Company was founded by C.E. Thompson of Boston, along with Louis and Edward Strohacker in 1908. The small enterprise produced erector sets made up of metal parts to be assembled by children into various mechanical structures. In 1911, the Thompson name was dropped and the Structo Manufacturing Co. was incorporated. In 1912, the operation moved into quarters at 112 N. Powell Ave. Soon, new products such as wind-up vehicles, steel pull toys, and sand box toys were introduced. Structo was said to be the first toy manufacturer to introduce battery-powered headlights to their lines. In 1927, Structo introduced its line of weaving looms for hobbyists. This was one of the company’s most prominent products in those earlier years. These and other innovations helped the company weather through the Great Depression. An industrialist named William Ogden Coleman came along as a stockholder and began a new complete line of classic Structo toys, distributed through the Chicago offices of American Flyer Co., of which he was president. Throughout World War II, the toy production was brought to a halt for the company to manufacture water chests for machine guns, bomb racks, and incendiary bomb cases. The plant also loaded hand grenade fuses. Immediately after the war, J.G. Gorkey Sr. became chairman of the board and W.A. Wenner, company president. By 1950, a new, modern 105,000 square foot facility and additional warehouses were completed just east of Freeport on Highway 75 and Structo Road. An additional 68,400 square feet of manufacturing space, plus a 7,000 square foot employee cafeteria, were added, bringing 9 ½ acres under one roof, “making it the largest toy manufacturing plant in the world at the time.” Barbecue grills were added in 1960, and five years later, the company was acquired by King-Seeley Thermos Co. and renamed the Structo Division. The next years after Household International acquired the company in 1968, gas-fired grills were introduced into the Structo line. And in 1972, Structo Division took on the manufacturing of vehicle license plates for the State of Illinois. Production of the old staple weaving looms was discontinued. It was in 1974 that the classic line of Structo toys was discontinued in Freeport and sold to Ertl Co. in Dyersville, Iowa. A whole new industry evolved east of Freeport. The company discontinued the license plate production in 1975, and concentrated solely on gas and charcoal barbecue grills. In 1976, Halsey Taylor, manufacturer of coolers and drinking foundations, was relocated to Freeport as a consolidation with Structo. Between 1984 and 1986, Household International reorganized as Household Manufacturing and merged its Structo and Thermos divisions. The Structo name was dropped. It was the end of an era." (Source: Lost Illinois Manufacturing - Facebook)

Condition

Good Overall - Scrapes/scuffs/paint loss/stains commensurate with use/age; missing connective pieces between parts, no engine

Dimensions

18" x 7" x 5.75" (Width x Depth x Height)