Maker record
Gilbert
A. C. Gilbert was an American maker of construction toys, magic sets, and science kits. Its Erector set, introduced in 1913, used structural metal parts to build models and mechanical constructions. The company expanded its range to include microscopes, telescopes, chemistry sets, and kits covering engineering and physics. Its products centered on hands-on learning, and it operated from New Haven, Connecticut. Gilbert’s company name dates from 1916, following its earlier operation as Mysto Manufacturing.
- Founded
- 1909
- Final year
- 1967
- Countries
- United States
- Locations
- New Haven, Connecticut, United States
- Founders
- Alfred Carlton Gilbert
The story of Gilbert
Alfred Carlton Gilbert partnered with a friend while at Yale to form Mysto Manufacturing Company, which sold boxed magic sets. In 1911, Gilbert began designing a construction toy based on steel building girders he had seen on a train journey. He bought out his partner around the time he introduced the Erector Structural Steel and Electro-Mechanical builder set in 1913. By 1916, he had renamed the company A. C. Gilbert Co.
The product range grew to include science toys and equipment such as microscopes, telescopes, chemistry sets, and kits for studying engineering and physics. The company made learning tools and operated its factory at Erector Square in New Haven. In 1961, Jack Wrather bought the company. It was bankrupt by 1967; the Erector toys were sold to Gabriel Industries and American Flyer toys to Lionel. The Gilbert name continued in use until 1976.