A.C. Gilbert

One of this country’s toy industry pioneers, A.C. Gilbert was a man of originality and vision. He held more than 150 patents, and some of the toys he created and manufactured through the A.C. Gilbert Company - like the perennially popular Erector construction sets - have been enjoyed by generation after generation of children.

The A. C. Gilbert Company, established in 1909, initially sold magician’s supplies, Gilbert being a magician himself. Over the years, the company would manufacture items ranging from microscopes to military aircraft used in World War II, but Gilbert’s toys, including Meccano construction sets, toy trains, chemistry sets, and most notably the Erector sets, left an indelible mark on the industry.

Gilbert was a strong leader and an early proponent of spreading toy sales more evenly throughout the year. It was largely due to his determined effort and skill as an organizer that the industry’s first trade association, Toy Manufacturers of America, was established in 1916. Gilbert served as the first president of the new organization.