Block set:Mix & Match Me Blocks

The simply designed, brightly colored wooden toys made by Holgate have entertained and trained generations of children since 1929. The company--founded in 1789 to produce broom handles, feather dusters, and other wood products--took up toy making at the time when child psychologists and educators believed that stylized or simple toy designs encouraged kids to use their imaginations more. Holgate mass-produced its toys from the nearby hardwood forests of Kane, Pennsylvania. Some of its educational toys were designed by Jarvis Rockwell, brother of American illustrator Norman Rockwell. The company produced distinctive block sets, pull toys, wheeled vehicles, Noah's arks, rattles, and the classic Bingo Bed with colored pegs and hammer. Holgate continues to make quality wooden toys even though it was purchased by Playskool in the 1958s and has since been under the corporate umbrella of Milton Bradley and Hasbro, Inc. Parents who fondly remember the wooden toys of their childhood can still purchase Holgate toys for their kids today.