Toys From Your Childhood and Who Makes Them Now

The Etch A Sketch you shook clean a thousand times is now owned by a Toronto company. The Slinky that walked down your stairs is made by a private firm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on the same 1945 machines. The Play-Doh you sculpted into worms started life as wallpaper cleaner. The Rubik's Cube that frustrated you for hours belongs to the same Canadian company that owns the Etch A Sketch.

Etch A Sketch, Slinky, Play-Doh, Lincoln Logs, Rubik's Cube, Mr. Potato Head, Tonka. These toys felt like they had been around forever. Many had. But the companies behind them changed dramatically over the last few decades. Some toys were acquired. Some were licensed out. Some passed through multiple owners and bankruptcy auctions.

We traced who makes the toys from your childhood today. The ownership picture shows how two companies, Spin Master and Hasbro, came to control most of the classic toy brands through acquisition and licensing. For more on the brands your parents grew up with, see our brands your parents loved and who owns them today.

Etch A Sketch: Ohio Art to Spin Master

The red-framed, pencil-free drawing toy debuted in 1960, produced by The Ohio Art Company. More than 100 million Etch A Sketches have been produced since. For over 50 years, Ohio Art manufactured the toy in Bryan, Ohio.

Spin Master acquired the Etch A Sketch brand in 2016. The acquisition included all brand-related patents, trademarks, tooling, and inventory. Ohio Art sold the brand to focus on its metal lithography business, which makes packaging and promotional items for other companies.

Spin Master is a Toronto-based public company traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker TOY. The company said it planned to increase the distribution of Etch A Sketch by leveraging its global sales and partnership networks. Spin Master also owns Paw Patrol, Hatchimals, and Bakugan, making it one of the largest toy companies in North America.

The toy you turned the knobs on is now Canadian-owned.

Slinky: James Family to Poof to Alex Brands to Just Play

Inventors Richard and Betty James debuted the Slinky in 1945. Richard James was a naval engineer who noticed a torsion spring tumble end over end when knocked off a shelf. Betty James came up with the name, which she found in a Swedish dictionary meaning "sleek and sinuous."

The Slinky passed through several owners. Betty James sold the company to Michigan-based Poof Industries in 1999, creating Poof-Slinky. Poof-Slinky later became part of Alex Brands, which acquired Slinky in 2013. Alex Brands collapsed in 2020, and its assets went to auction in May of that year.

Just Play, a private toy company based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, acquired Slinky and Shrinky Dinks in the 2020 auction. Just Play still makes about three million metal Slinkies a year on the original 1945 machines in the Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania factory. The machines are the same 11 that Richard James built back in 1945. Slinkys sell for between $3 and $4 each.

During the Vietnam War, soldiers used Slinkies as portable radio antennas. The jingle "Everyone knows it's Slinky" ran for decades. The toy that walks down stairs is still made in America, just under a different owner.

Play-Doh: Kutol Wall Cleaner to Hasbro

Play-Doh was originally known as "Kutol Wall Cleaner," a compound that removed coal residue from wallpaper. In the 1950s, when homes switched from coal to gas heating, the wallpaper cleaner market collapsed. The company rebranded the compound as a children's toy in the mid-1950s.

Following multiple acquisitions over the years, Hasbro has manufactured Play-Doh for the longest period of time, since 1991. Hasbro trades on the Nasdaq under the ticker HAS and is the world's second-largest toy company behind Mattel. Play-Doh is one of Hasbro's most recognizable brands, sold in over 75 countries.

The toy that started as wallpaper cleaner is now owned by a publicly traded company worth roughly $10 billion in market capitalization.

Lincoln Logs: John Lloyd Wright to Hasbro to Basic Fun!

John Lloyd Wright, son of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, invented Lincoln Logs in 1916. He got the idea while watching his father build the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, which used interlocking timber beams that resisted earthquakes.

Hasbro currently owns Lincoln Logs, but licenses the brand to Basic Fun!, a Florida-based toy company. Basic Fun! has produced Lincoln Logs since acquiring K'NEX, the previous licensor, in 2017. Basic Fun! also produces other licensed classic brands including Tonka and Care Bears.

Lincoln Logs is a case study in how Hasbro manages its legacy brands. Rather than manufacturing every classic toy itself, Hasbro owns the intellectual property and licenses production to smaller, specialized companies. The toy invented by Frank Lloyd Wright's son is now licensed to a company most consumers have never heard of.

Rubik's Cube: Ernő Rubik to Ideal Toys to Spin Master

Ernő Rubik's colorful cube first debuted in 1974 as the "Magic Cube" in Hungary. It got a new name when Ideal Toys started distributing the toy globally in 1980. One in every seven people around the world, adding up to more than 1 billion people, has played with a Rubik's Cube.

Spin Master acquired Rubik's Brand Ltd. in October 2020 for approximately $50 million, completing the deal in January 2021. The acquisition was Spin Master's 22nd since the company was founded in 1994 and its 12th since its 2015 initial public offering. The Rubik's Brand operations moved from London to Spin Master's games team office in Long Island City, New York.

Spin Master now owns both Etch A Sketch and Rubik's Cube. Two of the most iconic toys of the 20th century are now controlled by the same Toronto company. Anton Rabie, Spin Master's chairman and co-CEO, called buying Rubik's Cube "a pinch-me moment."

Mr. Potato Head: Hasbro Since 1952

Mr. Potato Head has been manufactured and sold by Hasbro since its launch in 1952. The original version of the toy featured body parts that kids could stick into a real potato, which was not included in the box. Parents had to supply the vegetable.

Mr. Potato Head was also the first toy to be advertised on television. The 1952 commercial ran on network TV before toy advertising on the medium was common. Hasbro has kept the brand for its entire 74-year history, making it one of the few classic toys that has stayed with the same manufacturer.

In 2021, Hasbro rebranded the character as simply "Potato Head" to allow for gender-neutral family configurations, though the classic Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head products remained. The toy that started as a real potato with plastic parts is still Hasbro-owned after seven decades.

Tonka: Mound Metalcraft to Hasbro to Basic Fun!

Before it made toys, Tonka made gardening tools. The company got its name from Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota, where it was founded as Mound Metalcraft in 1946. The steel toy trucks became the brand's signature product, and Tonka became synonymous with durable toy construction vehicles.

Hasbro acquired Tonka in 1991 as part of its broader strategy of buying classic toy brands. Like Lincoln Logs, Hasbro currently licenses the Tonka brand to Basic Fun!, which manufactures the steel trucks today. The licensing arrangement lets Hasbro earn revenue from the brand without operating the manufacturing.

Tonka trucks are still made of steel, still built to survive being thrown down stairs, and still manufactured by a licensee rather than the brand's owner.

The Classic Toy Ownership Map

The ownership of classic toys has consolidated around two companies. Spin Master acquired its way into the portfolio. Hasbro owns brands and licenses production.

Spin Master owns Etch A Sketch, Rubik's Cube, Meccano, Gund, and Aerobie through acquisition. Hasbro owns Play-Doh, Mr. Potato Head, Lincoln Logs, and Tonka, licensing some production to Basic Fun!. Mattel owns Little People, Barbie, and Hot Wheels. PlayMonster owns Colorforms.

The pattern is clear. Classic toy brands get acquired by larger companies that want established IP. Some brands stay in-house. Others get licensed to smaller manufacturers who handle the actual production. The toy on the shelf looks the same. The corporate structure behind it is completely different.

FAQ

Who makes Etch A Sketch now?

Spin Master Corp. (TSX: TOY) acquired the Etch A Sketch brand from The Ohio Art Company in 2016. The acquisition included all patents, trademarks, tooling, and inventory. Spin Master is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Is Slinky still made in America?

Yes. Just Play, a private company based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, makes about three million metal Slinkies a year on the original 1945 machines in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. Just Play acquired Slinky in a 2020 auction after Alex Brands collapsed.

Who owns Play-Doh?

Hasbro (Nasdaq: HAS) has manufactured Play-Doh since 1991. The compound was originally sold as Kutol Wall Cleaner in the 1930s before being rebranded as a children's toy in the mid-1950s. Hasbro is the world's second-largest toy company.

What company makes Lincoln Logs?

Hasbro owns the Lincoln Logs brand but licenses production to Basic Fun!, a Florida-based toy company. Basic Fun! has produced Lincoln Logs since acquiring K'NEX, the previous licensor, in 2017. Lincoln Logs was invented in 1916 by John Lloyd Wright, son of architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

Explore Related Brands

• Etch A Sketch - Drawing toy, owned by Spin Master (Canada)
• Slinky - Spring toy, owned by Just Play (US, private)
• Play-Doh - Modeling compound, owned by Hasbro
• Lincoln Logs - Building toy, owned by Hasbro, licensed to Basic Fun!
• Rubik's Cube - Puzzle, owned by Spin Master (Canada)
• Tonka - Toy trucks, owned by Hasbro, licensed to Basic Fun!

Browse all baby and kids brands →

Sources

1. The Toy Book: Iconic Toys through Time -- https://toybook.com/ 2. PRNewswire: Spin Master announces the purchase of Etch A Sketch -- https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spin-master-acquires-etch-a-sketch 3. Spin Master: Spin Master to Acquire World-Famous Rubik's Cube (Oct. 27, 2020) -- https://www.spinmaster.com/en-us/corporate/media/press-releases/122850/ 4. Bloomberg: Etch A Sketch Maker to Acquire Rubik's Cube in Iconic Toy Tie-Up -- https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-27/etch-a-sketch-maker-to-acquire-rubik-s-cube-in-iconic-toy-tie-up 5. The Toy Book: Just Play Acquires Slinky and Shrinky Dinks Brands -- https://toybook.com/just-play-acquires-slinky-and-shrinky-dinks-brands/ 6. The Philadelphia Inquirer: A Philadelphia engineer invented the Slinky by accident (Aug. 27, 2026) -- https://www.inquirer.com/arts/slinky-betty-richard-james-james-jingle-20260827.html 7. 6abc Philadelphia: Pennsylvania-made Slinky still springs forward -- https://6abc.com/ 8. Smithsonian Magazine: How the Etch A Sketch Etched Itself Into Pop Culture -- https://www.smithsonianmag.com/

All brand ownership data verified through WhoBrands.com research methodology. Last updated: September 2026.

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