Bergen Toy & Novelty Company

Bergen Toy & Novelty Company was an American toy manufacturer based in Carlstadt, New Jersey. It is best remembered under the short name Beton and for its role in the transition from cast-metal toy figures to inexpensive molded plastic toys. The business began in 1932 as Marcak Toy & Novelty Company, founded by Charles Marcak and his wife, Elsie. In 1936, the company adopted the Bergen Toy & Novelty Company name, referencing Bergen County, New Jersey, where its operations were located. In its early years, the company produced hollow cast lead toys. That product approach reflected the construction methods commonly used for small inexpensive figures during the period. In 1938, Beton changed its material to cellulose acetate. This shift was an important manufacturing decision: the company became an early producer of plastic military figures, the type of small figures later widely recognized as army men. The use of plastic allowed figures to be produced in substantial quantities and sold at accessible prices, while also supporting a broader range of subjects than the company's initial lead-toy assortment. Beton's products were distributed primarily through mass-market American retail channels, including dime stores, grocery stores, and drugstores. Figures could be sold individually on display spinners or in boxed sets. Its catalog covered toy soldiers, cowboys and Indians, firemen, policemen, farmers, railroad workers, townspeople, zoo animals, and circus performers. Many early figures were attached to a separately molded plastic base bearing the words “Beton” and “Made in USA.” Later designs incorporated the base into the figure as a single molded unit. Faces and selected clothing details were hand painted, giving the inexpensive toys additional visual character. The company's cowboy and Indian figures also appeared in product combinations with Lincoln Logs during the 1940s. These figures replaced smaller lead figures that had previously been supplied with those construction-toy sets, placing Beton's products within a broader play pattern that combined building toys with imaginative role-play. Beton toys remained popular through the 1950s, when American children’s merchandise continued to include inexpensive occupational, animal, Western, and military figures. The company nevertheless faced growing pressure from foreign manufacturers offering lower-priced products. Increased competition from these imports contributed to the end of production in 1958. Bergen Toy & Novelty Company is therefore primarily a historical toy brand rather than a continuing operating business. Its significance lies in its early adoption of molded plastic for military figures and in the range of affordable character and occupational figures it supplied to American retailers during the mid-twentieth century.

Bergen Toy & Novelty Company originated in 1932 under the name Marcak Toy & Novelty Company. It was established by Charles Marcak and his wife, Elsie, in Carlstadt, New Jersey. Four years later, the business changed its name to Bergen Toy & Novelty Company, taking its new name from the New Jersey county in which the company operated. The abbreviated name Beton became associated with the company's products. The company initially manufactured hollow cast lead toys. In 1938, it adopted cellulose acetate, a plastic material that enabled a different style of inexpensive molded figure. This material change is historically notable because it made Beton an early producer of plastic military figures, the category later popularly represented by small plastic army men. The change also helped the company develop a broad range of small figures for children's play. Beton primarily sold hard plastic figurines as boxed assortments or as individual pieces presented on retail spinners. Its distribution included American dime stores, grocery stores, and drugstores, placing the products in widely accessible retail environments. The company produced figures representing soldiers, cowboys and Indians, firefighters, police officers, farmers, railroad employees, ordinary townspeople, zoo animals, and circus performers. Early figures were frequently mounted on separate plastic bases, with the underside marked with the Beton name and “Made in USA.” Later examples used a one-piece construction in which the base was molded as part of the figure. Hand-painted faces and selected costume details added differentiation to the mass-produced pieces. During the 1940s, Beton's cowboy and Indian figures were packaged with Lincoln Logs. They replaced smaller lead figures that had previously accompanied some Lincoln Logs products, giving the construction sets larger figures for supplemental imaginative play. This arrangement illustrates how Beton participated not only in stand-alone figure sales but also in the accessory and combination-toy market. Beton products continued to enjoy popularity into the 1950s. The company ultimately ceased production in 1958, when competition from lower-cost foreign manufacturers made it difficult for the American producer to maintain its position. Bergen Toy & Novelty Company is consequently a defunct historical manufacturer. Its surviving toys are of interest to collectors and toy historians because they document the mid-century shift toward molded plastic, the growth of mass-market character and occupational figures, and the early development of the plastic army-man format.

• 1958

  Production ended

  [1]Bergen Toy & Novelty Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The company stopped production amid increased competition from lower-priced foreign manufacturers.

• 1940

  Figures packaged with Lincoln Logs

  [1]Bergen Toy & Novelty Companyen.wikipedia.org

  During the 1940s, Beton cowboy and Indian figures were supplied with Lincoln Logs, replacing smaller lead figures.

• 1938

  Shift from lead to cellulose acetate

  [1]Bergen Toy & Novelty Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Beton moved from hollow cast lead toys to cellulose acetate and became an early producer of plastic military figures.

• 1936

  Name changed to Bergen Toy & Novelty Company

  [1]Bergen Toy & Novelty Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The company adopted the Bergen Toy & Novelty Company name, derived from the New Jersey county where it was located.

• 1932

  Company founded as Marcak Toy & Novelty Company

  [1]Bergen Toy & Novelty Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Charles Marcak and Elsie Marcak established the business in Carlstadt, New Jersey.

An American mass-market toy manufacturer positioned around inexpensive, hand-painted figures and playsets for children, with particular historical importance as an early producer of molded plastic military figures.

• Military toys · 1938

  Beton plastic military figures

  Beton's plastic military figures were among its most historically significant products. Introduced after the company's 1938 change from lead to cellulose acetate, they helped establish the small molded plastic soldier format later associated with army men. The figures were sold individually and in boxed assortments, often with simple hand-painted facial and clothing details.

• Western figures

  Beton cowboy and Indian figures

  These hard plastic Western-themed figures represented cowboys and Indians and were sold both as individual pieces and in sets. During the 1940s, versions of the figures were packaged with Lincoln Logs, where they replaced smaller lead figures previously included with the construction toy.

• Role-play figures

  Beton occupational and community figures

  The company produced a broad assortment of occupational and community characters, including firemen, policemen, farmers, railroad workers, and townspeople. These figures supported open-ended role-play and were distributed through accessible retail channels such as dime stores, grocery stores, and drugstores.

• Animal and entertainment figures

  Beton animal and circus figures

  Beton's non-human and entertainment-themed assortment included zoo animals and circus performers. Like its human figures, these products were made as small hard plastic pieces, commonly sold in boxed sets or individually on retail display spinners.

• Metal toys · 1932

  Beton hollow cast lead toys

  The company's early product line consisted of hollow cast lead toys. This range preceded the 1938 move to cellulose acetate and represents the earlier manufacturing phase of the business before Beton became associated with molded plastic figures.

• 1958

  End of productionStrategy

  Background

  Beton remained popular through the 1950s but encountered stronger competition from foreign manufacturers selling toys at lower prices.

  Action taken

  The company stopped production.

  Aftermath

  Bergen Toy & Novelty Company became a defunct historical toy manufacturer.

  Source

• 1938

  Adoption of cellulose acetate for toy figuresStrategy

  Background

  The company had originally made hollow cast lead toys and faced the manufacturing and market limitations associated with that format.

  Action taken

  Bergen Toy & Novelty Company changed its material to cellulose acetate, enabling production of hard plastic figures and establishing an early plastic military-figure offering.

  Aftermath

  The material shift broadened the company's range and contributed to its historical association with plastic army men and other inexpensive molded figures.

  Source

1. 1Bergen Toy & Novelty Companyen.wikipedia.org