Maker record
Kenton
Kenton Hardware Company was an American maker of cast-iron toys based in Kenton, Ohio. Its products included miniature fire engines, circus wagons, carriages, automobiles, trains, stoves and mechanical banks. The company began making toys in the 1890s and developed a broad catalogue of small iron playthings. Its Gene Autry cap pistol became a major product in the late 1930s, as Kenton continued to make cast-iron toys alongside cap guns.
- Founded
- 1890
- Final year
- 1952
- Countries
- United States
- Locations
- Kenton, Ohio · 1890
- Founders
- F.M. Perkins · Austin Dunlap
The story of Kenton
Kenton’s manufacturing history began with the Kenton Lock Manufacturing Company, first organized in 1890. The business later became the Kenton Hardware Company and added toys to its production. Its cast-iron range included toy stoves, banks, fire-company outfits and horse-drawn vehicles, followed by automobiles and trains. A 1923 catalogue listed more than 700 toys, reflecting the breadth of the company’s miniature iron products.
Under L. S. Bixler’s management, Kenton remained a major cast-iron toy maker. In 1937 the company introduced its Gene Autry toy pistol; the Ohio History Connection reports sales of two million in its first year, while the Ohio historical marker dates production at the plant from 1938. After the Second World War, cheaper materials including plastic made it difficult for Kenton to compete on price with its cast-iron toys. Production ceased in 1952. The company was formally dissolved in 1956.