Palitoy
Encyclopedia
Palitoy was the name of a British
toy
company.
It manufactured some of the most popular toys in Britain, some original items and others under licence. Its products included Action Man
, Action Force
, Tiny Tears
, Pippa, Tressy
, Star Wars figures and the Care Bears
.
, Leicestershire
in 1909
to produce celluloid
and fancy goods. Their first toy was in 1920 and the first doll
in 1925.
Cascelloid was bought in 1931 by British Xylonite and the word "Palitoy" was created as a trademark in 1935 for their toy division. Injection moulding
was developed by British Xylonite in 1941 and was used for the Palitoy toy ranges.
In 1978 the Chad Valley
toy company was sold to Palitoy.
Palitoy was sold to General Mills
in 1968, but became the Palitoy Company in 1980 when Palitoy, Denys Fisher
, and Chad Valley broke away from General Mills. It closed as a business in 1984. The factory, toy moulds and copyrights were all bought by Hasbro
from whom they had been a major licencee.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
toy
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
company.
It manufactured some of the most popular toys in Britain, some original items and others under licence. Its products included Action Man
Action Man
Action Man is an action figure boys' toy launched in Britain in 1966 by Palitoy as a licensed copy of Hasbro's American "moveable fighting man": G.I...
, Action Force
Action Force
Action Force was a 1980s range of European action figures initially based on Action Man, and later used to introduce G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toys to European markets...
, Tiny Tears
Tiny Tears
Tiny Tears was a doll manufactured by the American Character Doll Company. She was introduced in 1950 and remained in production through the early 1960s. Her distinguishing feature was her ability to shed tears from two tiny holes on either side of her nose when her stomach was pressed after...
, Pippa, Tressy
Tressy
Tressy is an American fashion doll who's most distinguishing features is a growing hair mechanism. Tressy was first produced by American Character Doll Co in the 1960s and later by Ideal Toy Company in the 1970s....
, Star Wars figures and the Care Bears
Care Bears
The Care Bears are characters created by American Greetings in 1981 for use on greeting cards. The original artwork for the cards was painted by artist Elena Kucharik. In 1983, Kenner turned the Care Bears into plush teddy bears...
.
History
The Cascelloid Company was founded by Alfred Edward Pallett in CoalvilleCoalville
Coalville is a town in North West Leicestershire, England, with a population estimated in 2003 to be almost 33,000. It is situated on the A511 trunk road between Leicester and Burton upon Trent, close to junction 22 of the M1 motorway where the A511 meets the A50 between Ashby-de-la-Zouch and...
, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
in 1909
to produce celluloid
Celluloid
Celluloid is the name of a class of compounds created from nitrocellulose and camphor, plus dyes and other agents. Generally regarded to be the first thermoplastic, it was first created as Parkesine in 1862 and as Xylonite in 1869, before being registered as Celluloid in 1870. Celluloid is...
and fancy goods. Their first toy was in 1920 and the first doll
Doll
A doll is a model of a human being, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have traditionally been used in magic and religious rituals throughout the world, and traditional dolls made of materials like clay and wood are found in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe. The earliest documented dolls...
in 1925.
Cascelloid was bought in 1931 by British Xylonite and the word "Palitoy" was created as a trademark in 1935 for their toy division. Injection moulding
Injection moulding
Injection molding is a manufacturing process for producing parts from both thermoplastic and thermosetting plastic materials. Material is fed into a heated barrel, mixed, and forced into a mold cavity where it cools and hardens to the configuration of the cavity...
was developed by British Xylonite in 1941 and was used for the Palitoy toy ranges.
In 1978 the Chad Valley
Chad Valley
Chad Valley is a long-established brand of toys in the United Kingdom owned by Home Retail Group. The company has its roots in a printing business established by Anthony Bunn Johnson in Birmingham in the early 19th century...
toy company was sold to Palitoy.
Palitoy was sold to General Mills
General Mills
General Mills, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 corporation, primarily concerned with food products, which is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets many well-known brands, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno's, Pillsbury, Green...
in 1968, but became the Palitoy Company in 1980 when Palitoy, Denys Fisher
Denys Fisher
Denys Fisher was an English engineer who invented the spirograph toy....
, and Chad Valley broke away from General Mills. It closed as a business in 1984. The factory, toy moulds and copyrights were all bought by Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
from whom they had been a major licencee.