Table of Contents
Scope and Contents of the Collection
| Ask a question |
| Request a visit |
| Potentially harmful content statement |
Overview of the Collection |
|
| Creator: | Ohio Art Company. |
| Title: | Ohio Art Toy Company Film Collection |
| Inclusive Dates: | 1965-1981 |
| Quantity: | 43 items |
| Abstract: | Filmed television advertisements promoting products of Ohio Art Company |
| Language: | English |
| Repository: |
Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center |
Biographical History
The Ohio Art Company, established in 1908 by Dr. Henry S. Winzeler in Archbold, Ohio, and later moved to Bryan, Ohio, is an American toy manufacturing company known for its creative products including Etch-A-Sketch.
For over a century, the company was known for producing two significant product lines: toys and high-quality metal lithography. The company began as a manufacturer of metal picture frames and over time, expanded its business to produce 20,000 frames per day.
In 1912, the company moved to Bryan, Ohio and started exclusively expanding its lithography business, producing advertising signs and scale dials. During World War I the company returned to manufacturing toys due to the lack of imports from Germany. The company's business flourished with toys such as windmills, colorful tea sets, climbing monkeys, drums, farmhouses, globes, and more. In the 1930s, Ohio Art was one of the first companies to license characters from Walt Disney.
In the 1950s, André Cassagnes, a French electrician, invented a drawing toy with an erasable function that used a joystick, glass, and aluminum powder. The invention, called "Telecran," was presented in 1959 at the Nuremberg International Toy Fair, Germany, where the Ohio Art Company saw it. In 1960, the Ohio Art Company purchased the rights to the toy for $25,000 and renamed it the Etch-A-Sketch. Since then, Ohio Art has been at the forefront of developing toys that encourage learning and creativity.
Briefly, the Ohio Art Company appeared in the music industry releasing vinyl records advertising the "Emenee" Jukebox & Jubilee musical instrument for adults.
In 2016, in order to focus on its metal lithography business, Ohio Art Company sold its Etch-A-Sketch and Doodle Sketch brands to Spin Master Corp. in Canada. Today (2023) the company is focused on partnerships with major consumer goods companies such as Coca-Cola, Campbell's Soup, Budweiser, Kodak, and Nascar.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The Ohio Art Toy Company Film Collection contains 43 film prints of television commercials. Most are single reels of 30- or 60-second ads for products of the Ohio Art Company; there are also six compilation reels featuring multiple ads, and a promotional film for the Jamieson Film Company. The ads promote various toys, including Etch-A-Sketch, Bizzy-Buzz-Buzz, Lil' Sport toys, O-YO, Sonic Ear, and Musical Storybook.
All items are barcoded; please request by ID number.
Restrictions
Access Restrictions
The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advance notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.
Access to audiovisual material requires advance notice to produce a use copy.
Use Restrictions
Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.
Subject Headings
Persons
Corporate Bodies
Subjects
Places
Genres and Forms
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
Ohio Art Toy Company Film Collection,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
Acquisition Information
Purchase, 2023
Finding Aid Information
Created by: IRP
Date: 15 Jun 2023
Revision history:
Inventory
| Films | |||||||||||
| Reel | 3-D Set: Draw, Draft, Design from Ohio Art Company 1965 - one 60 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:60) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_030) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Astroscope from Ohio Art Company undated - one 30 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_013) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Baseball Kid from Ohio Art Company 1968 - one 30 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_034) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Bizzy-Buzz-Buzz from Ohio Art Company (revised) 03/30/1972 - one 30 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_022) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Bizzy-Buzz-Buzz from Ohio Art Company (revised) 7/30/1976 - one 30 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_023) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Coast-to-Coast stores: Your hardware store, from Ohio Art Company undated - one 30 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_001) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Doodle Lite; Spudsie from Ohio Art Company 1969 - one 60 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:60) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_016) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Spudsie from Ohio Art Company 1976 - one 30 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_017) | ||||||||||
| Reel | [Drag Trucks] from Ohio Art Company [copy 1] undated - one 30 sec. commercial; same as ohio_art_toy_007 (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_003) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Drag Trucks from Ohio Art Company [copy 2] 1977 - one 30 sec. commercial; same as ohio_art_toy_003 (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_007) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Drag Vans from Ohio Art Company 1976 - one 30 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_012) | ||||||||||
| Reel | "Emenee" Jukebox & Jubilee 1973 - one 60 sec. commercial advertising Emenee Jukebox Jamboree and Enemee electric organ (16mm film; running time 0:60) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_026) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Etch-A-Sketch from Ohio Art Company 1974 - one 30 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_009) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Etch-A-Sketch: Action Packs Grand Prix from Ohio Art Company [copy 1] 6/19/1981 - one 30 sec. commercial; same as ohio_art_toy_011 (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_008) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Etch-A-Sketch: Action Packs Grand Prix from Ohio Art Company [copy 2] 6/19/1981 - one 30 sec. commercial; same as ohio_art_toy_008 (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_011) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Etch-A-Sketch: Pirates Cove from Ohio Art Company 10/10/1980 - one 30 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_010) | ||||||||||
| Reel | The Farmer in the Dell [Musical Color TV] from Ohio Art Company [1976] - one 30 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_019) | ||||||||||
| Reel | [The Farmer in the Dell] Musical Color TV from Ohio Art Company 1/30/1974 - one 30 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_025) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Fli-Back O-YO from Ohio Art Company undated - one 30 sec. commercial without logo (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_002) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Fli-Back O-YO from Ohio Art Company 1975 - one 30 sec. commercial with short header (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_021) | ||||||||||
| Reel | O-YO from Ohio Art Company undated - one 60 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:60) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_020) | ||||||||||
| Reel | O-YO from Ohio Art Company (A-roll) [1974?] - one 60 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:60) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_036) | ||||||||||
| Reel | [Jamieson Film Company, promo film] [1970] - one 60 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:60) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_037) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Lil' Sport Basketball from Ohio Art Company undated - one 30 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_004) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Lil' Sport Basketball from Ohio Art Company (revised) 6/2/1980 - one 30 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_005) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Lil' Sport Power Hitter from Ohio Art Company (TV version) 1977 - one 30 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_032) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Lil' Sport Toys from Ohio Art Company (dupe) Aug 25 1978 - two identical 30 sec. commercials featuring Lil' Sport Basketball, Power Hitter and Football (16mm film; running time 6:00) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_006) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Lil' Sport Football Goal Set from Ohio Art Company 1978 - one 30 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_035) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Lil' Sport Tetherball from Ohio Art Company 1976 - one 30 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_033) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Lil' Sport Toss 'N Turn from Ohio Art Company 1975 - one 30 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_031) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Musical Storybook from Ohio Art Company 5/13/1981 - one 30 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_024) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Ohio Art Toys: 60th Anniversary 1960-1981 (16mm film) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_039) | ||||||||||
| Accompanying note list the following toys and years of release: Etch-A-Sketch (1960); Twirl-O-Paint (1970); Toss & Turn (1975); Lil' Sport Football (1978); Sonic Ear (1978); Woody Woodpecker (1975); Target Master (1969); Bizzy Buzz Buzz (1969); Astroscope (1970); Walker Farm (1977); Power Hitter (1977); Drag Vans (1977); Drag Trucks (1977); Lil' Sport Basketball (1977); OYO (1977); Spudsie (1969); Tetherball (1976); Juke Box (1977); Wishing Well 1 (1977); Talking Train (1969); Doodle Lite (1969); Baseball Kid (980); Musical TV; Etch-A-Sketch Grand Prix (1981); Musical Story Book (1981); Etch-A-Sketch Pirates Cove (1980); Doodle Lite, Spudsie (1969). | |||||||||||
| Reel | SAC [Space Age Communicator] Sonic Ear from Ohio Art Company 1978 - one 30 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_027) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Talking Train Doodle Lite from Ohio Art Company 1968 - one 60 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:60) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_015) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Target Master from Ohio Art Company undated - one 30 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_014) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Twirl-O-Paint from Ohio Art Company 1976 - one 30 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_028) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Walker Farm from Ohio Art Company (dupe) 1977 - one 30 sec. commercial (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_018) | ||||||||||
| Reel | Walter Lantz Woody Woodpecker Slide-Projector from Ohio Art Company 1974 - one 30 sec. commercial featuring Walter Lantz (16mm film; running time 0:30) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_029) | ||||||||||
| Reel | [Outtakes of various Ohio Art ads] [1967] (16mm film) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_042) | ||||||||||
| Reel | [Various Ohio Art ads] [1968] (16mm film) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_041) | ||||||||||
| Film reel contains eight commercial ads: Koo Choo Choo; Puffy the Talking Train and Doodle-Lite; Hi YO; Etch-A-Sketch; Bizzy Buzz Buzz; Sketch-A-Line Musical Toy; Spudsie; Doodle-Lite. | |||||||||||
| Reel | [Various Ohio Art ads] 10/21/1966 - film reel contains: Hi-YO; Bizzy Buzz Buzz; Etch-A-Sketch; Musical TV Nite Lite (16mm film) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_043) | ||||||||||
| Reel | [Various Ohio Art ads] [copy 1] 2/3/1967 - same as ohio_art_toy_040 (16mm film) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_038) | ||||||||||
| Film reel contains eight commercial ads: Etch-A-Sketch; Spudsie; Bizzy Buzz Buzz; Sketch-A-Line Musical Toy; Spudsie; Doodle-Lite; Koo Koo Choo Choo; Puffy the Talking Train and Doodle-Lite; Hi YO. | |||||||||||
| Reel | [Various Ohio Art ads] [copy 2] 2/3/1967 - same as ohio_art_toy_038; accompanying by a note with different content (16mm film) (ID#: ohio_art_toy_040) | ||||||||||
| Film reel contains eight commercial ads: Etch-A-Sketch; Spudsie; Bizzy Buzz Buzz; Sketch-A-Line Musical Toy; Spudsie; Doodle-Lite; Koo Koo Choo Choo; Puffy the Talking Train and Doodle-Lite; Hi YO. | |||||||||||