Tyco Toys

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.

From 1942 to 1945, production of model railroad products was suspended as the company participated in manufacturing of precision measuring and mapping equipment for the U.S. Army and Navy in World War II. The company received the Army-Navy ‘E’ Award for Excellence in Production in 1945. After the war, they converted the plant back to production of model railroading equipment.

Launching in 1957, Mantua pioneered "ready-to-run" HO-scale model railroad kits under the TYCO (for Tyler Company) 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. The slot car range started in 1963. 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 mid 1980s, Tyco dominated the market in electric racing, also producing "slot trucks" known as US-1 Trucks, as well as the radio controlled vehicles.

In the late 1980s and early 90s, Tyco expanded and diversified by acquiring several popular toy companies. In 1989, the company purchased the View-Master/Ideal Group, which brought to the company the View-Master, Magna Doodle and the Ideal Nursery line of dolls. In 1992, Tyco purchased the Illco Toy Company, bringing Illco's extensive line of toys based on the children's show Sesame Street to Tyco. It purchased Matchbox, a maker of model cars, in 1993.

In the 1990s, the company also branched out with other toys such as airplanes and clones of Lego brand building elements (after the basic patent ran out in 1983). It made a hit in 1991 with their Disney's Little Mermaid dolls that were released in conjunction with the movie.

Tyco's Sesame Street line increased dramatically in popularity in 1996, when the plush doll Tickle Me Elmo became the most sought-after toy of the Christmas season.

When Tyco was purchased by Mattel on March 27, 1997, it was the third largest toy company in the United States. The brand survived into the early 2010s as the Mattel Tyco R/C division, while much of the Sesame Street line, Magna Doodle, and the View-Master were transferred to the Fisher-Price 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 (now a division of MRC), which continued to sell a few items such as steam engines and freight cars as its Mantua Classics brand. In early 2014, Model Power ceased its business operations.