Manoil Manufacturing Co.

Manoil Manufacturing Company was an American toy maker best known for inexpensive hollowcast lead toy soldiers and related figures sold through the United States dime-store trade. The company was established in 1935 by brothers Maurice Manoil and Jack Manoil, although the brothers began making toys in a Manhattan factory in 1934. Its early output included die-cast toy cars, after which the business expanded into toy soldiers and other play-oriented metal products. Manoil's toy soldiers were sculpted by Walter Baetz and became the company's defining product. The figures belonged to the broad category often called dimestore soldiers: relatively inexpensive hollowcast figures designed for mass retail distribution rather than for specialist collectors. Manoil was particularly successful during the period from 1937 through 1941, when its military figures reached a wide American consumer audience. The business also made toy airplanes and cars, extending its range beyond figures into small-scale vehicles. The company later broadened its offerings with farm and western playsets. These sets combined figures and accessories around familiar themes, allowing children to create scenes and narratives rather than use the products only as individual toys. Such products reflected the retail and play patterns of the prewar and wartime American toy market, in which affordable metal figures and themed sets were commonly sold through general retailers and dime stores. From June 1940, Manoil was located on Providence Street in Waverly, New York, in Tioga County. This move placed the company's documented later manufacturing operation outside Manhattan while retaining its identity as an American toy producer. Available reference material does not establish a public stock listing, a later parent company, or a successor brand. Manoil ceased production in 1959. Its historical significance rests chiefly on its contribution to American hollowcast toy soldiers and mass-market metal toys of the 1930s and 1940s. The company's products are now primarily encountered through toy-soldier collecting and historical research into American dime-store figures. The available record is limited and does not provide a complete catalog, detailed sales history, or a full account of the company's operations between its relocation and closure.

Maurice and Jack Manoil began manufacturing toys in Manhattan in 1934. The business was formally established as Manoil Manufacturing Company in 1935 and initially produced die-cast toy cars. It soon expanded into toy soldiers, which became the company's central product category. The figures were sculpted by Walter Baetz and were manufactured as hollowcast lead toys intended for inexpensive, broad distribution. The company's strongest period was from 1937 to 1941. During these years, Manoil participated in the American dime-store toy economy, supplying affordable figures that could be purchased by a wide range of families. Its hollowcast soldiers were part of a larger tradition of mass-produced military figures used for imaginative play and collected in later decades. The company also manufactured toy airplanes and cars, giving it a broader vehicle range than its soldier products alone would suggest. Manoil subsequently produced farm and western playsets. These products brought figures, vehicles, and thematic accessories together in packaged play environments. Farm and western themes were established subjects in American children's toys, and their inclusion indicates that Manoil sought to serve multiple forms of imaginative play rather than focusing exclusively on military figures. From June 1940, the company was based on Providence Street in Waverly, New York, in Tioga County. The available historical record identifies this as the company's later documented location but does not provide a detailed explanation of the move from Manhattan or a complete chronology of its factories and distribution arrangements. Similarly, surviving reference material does not establish a comprehensive list of retailers, production volumes, or changes in ownership. Manoil ceased production in 1959. Its products have continued to attract attention from collectors and historians of American toy soldiers, especially because of the company's role in producing hollowcast lead figures for the dime-store market. The company is generally remembered as a historical toy manufacturer rather than as an ongoing consumer brand.

• 1959

  Production ends

  [1]Manoil Manufacturing Co.en.wikipedia.org

  Manoil ceased production.

• 1940

  Operations move to Waverly, New York

  [1]Manoil Manufacturing Co.en.wikipedia.org

  From June 1940, the company was located on Providence Street in Waverly, New York.

• 1937

  Peak period begins

  [1]Manoil Manufacturing Co.en.wikipedia.org

  Manoil entered its most successful period as a producer of hollowcast lead toy soldiers for the dime-store market.

• 1935

  Manoil Manufacturing Company established

  [1]Manoil Manufacturing Co.en.wikipedia.org

  The company was established and began producing toy soldiers after initially making die-cast toy cars.

• 1934

  Toy manufacturing begins in Manhattan

  [1]Manoil Manufacturing Co.en.wikipedia.org

  Brothers Maurice and Jack Manoil began manufacturing toys in a Manhattan factory.

Affordable American mass-market metal and plastic toys, with particular recognition for hollowcast toy soldiers sold through the dime-store market.

• Toy soldiers · 1935

  Hollowcast lead toy soldiers

  Manoil's signature products were inexpensive hollowcast lead soldiers made for the American dime-store market. Sculpted by Walter Baetz, the figures represented the company's strongest commercial identity and are the products most associated with its place in American toy history. They were designed for children's imaginative play and later became objects of interest to collectors of vintage toy soldiers.

• Toy vehicles

  Toy airplanes

  Manoil produced toy airplanes as part of its broader range of small-scale metal toys. The available reference material does not identify specific aircraft types, production dates, or detailed construction variations, but the airplane line demonstrates that the company extended beyond figures into vehicle play.

• Toy vehicles · 1934

  Toy cars

  Die-cast toy cars were among Manoil's earliest products. They preceded the company's expansion into toy soldiers and formed part of its initial effort to manufacture affordable small-scale vehicles for the American toy market.

• Themed playsets

  Farm playsets

  Farm playsets were among the themed products made by Manoil. These sets broadened the company's range by offering a setting for role-play involving agricultural scenes and figures. Specific set names, contents, and release dates are not identified in the available reference material.

• Themed playsets

  Western playsets

  Western playsets added a popular frontier theme to Manoil's product range. Like the farm sets, they were intended to support scene-based imaginative play with figures and accessories. The surviving reference does not provide a complete catalog or detailed specifications.

1. 1Manoil Manufacturing Co.en.wikipedia.org
2. 2American Dimestore Toy Soldiers and Figuresschifferbooks.com