The company’s wooden log sets have been beloved for decades, but have almost disappeared forever.
Bruce Dennison never let his family’s legacy die.
In 1992, Dennison and his wife Susan revived the toy business his grandfather had founded in 1930 and operated until his death in 1967.
The company is Roy Toymakes a set of log building parts that kids have used for generations to build log cabins, farms, and forts.
After the death of original founder Roy K. Dennison, his six adult children had established their own careers and were not interested in continuing in the toy business. And Roy Toy remained closed until 1992, when Roy’s grandson decided to revive the small company in Maine.
“Believe it or not, I was working in furniture at the time and I was passing by where the old Roy Toys Store was and there was a little news on the radio saying that wooden toys were the biggest market share. “There’s been a little fact that we’ve come back in the last 20 years,” Bruce Dennison said. “When I was told that, I thought, what do I know about wooden toys? I was only seven years old when I remember getting a Roy toy for Christmas. , I don’t remember much about my grandfather.
Out of curiosity, Dennison learned that parts of Roy Toy’s machines were scattered among various relatives living within 100 miles of the original manufacturing facility. He gathered all his old equipment and established a workshop near the Atlantic coast in East Machias, Maine.
When you think of Roy Toy, think of the popular Lincoln Logs, which has been in business a little longer than Roy Toy (now sourcing much of its product line from overseas).
“Both companies started operations around the same time,” said Sue Dennison, Roy Toy’s sales and logistics manager. “Lincoln Logs came first. When my husband’s grandfather’s children were little, they used to get frustrated with the Lincoln Logs because they were round and wouldn’t fit together properly and would sometimes roll over each other. The logs would fall over when the cat walked by, so I wanted to create a set that looked more like a log cabin and would hold together better.
“Roy Toy logs are more like boards. They have a different design and interlock a little better than round ones. The pieces are all flat, and they’re all wood. They’re all pine wood from Maine.”
Roy Toy 2024 Made in America Holiday Gift Guide We produce a selection of 100% American-made toys. The company sources all its lumber from Robin’s Lumber, a premier white pine sawmill in eastern Maine.
“We have never imported anything or used suppliers from overseas,” says Sue Dennison. “Our packaging comes from New England. Our canvas comes from Maryland. Everything comes from the United States.
“The Made in America story is finally starting to take hold. We’ve been hearing about it for years, but it didn’t really mean much. But in the last few years, it’s starting to make some sense. It seems like we have it. Many of our customers want to know if our sets are made in the USA.”
And in fact, all the wood comes from the forests of Maine. As soon as you open the Roy Toy Set box, you’ll be greeted by the aroma of pine, making it the perfect Christmas gift.
The small log pieces of wood in the Roy Toy construction set are stained to get an old rustic era look. Most of the building’s logs are brown, with green roofs and red and yellow accents. All pieces are colored with non-toxic plant-based food dyes.
“This is the same kind of coloring that we use on popsicles,” says Sue Dennison. “Obviously, it’s for the kids, and sometimes kids end up putting pieces in their mouths. There are log cabins that don’t use any dye at all.”
When Bruce Dennison started the Roy Toy revival, he was just doing it out of curiosity. After two years of trial and error, the Denison family began selling replica throwback kits in Maine.
However, as things progressed and business became viable, Roy Toy sets were sold throughout the United States and Canada. Currently, the annual market size for wooden toys in the United States is $27 billion.
“We started out selling in a few retail stores, but little by little we took off,” says Sue Dennison. “We added more designs and sets, and now our line is a replica of what Bruce’s grandfather had.”
The toys are designed to evoke memories of early Americana. A learning experience for children aged 3 to 7, it teaches them how to build things with their own hands before they fall prey to digital screens and battery-powered toys.
Roy Toy offers 13 different wooden building sets, including an original camp, an original farm, and an original fort. There’s also a set that pays homage to Paul Bunyan, the giant lumberjack from American and Canadian folklore.
“We have the largest deluxe set at 550 pieces. It comes with instructions to build five different buildings and includes almost every piece we’ve designed and manufactured,” Sue Dennison he said. “We have lots of logs with unique designs. We also have a small ladder that you can use to build a treehouse. We have a farm where you can build a small silo. We also have a gorgeous farm set where you can actually create a garden. .”
Dennison’s has a 4,000 square foot store with a cutting room, dyeing room and packaging room. There is also room for storage and a spot to fulfill inventory. The 10 employees have been making wooden sets since August, preparing for the Christmas rush.
Most of Roy Toy’s business is wholesale, and Roy Toy wooden sets can often be found in small gift and souvenir stores across the country. Most souvenir shops in America’s national parks carry Roy Toy wooden sets, and they are available at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center along with Roy Toy canvas bags depicting places like Yosemite and Yellowstone. But you can find it.
Roy Toy’s log building set is also available for purchase on the company’s website. Website. Set prices range from $11.95 for a small set to $89.95 for a 550-piece deluxe set.
Bruce and Sue Dennison are both “70 years old,” but they don’t have to worry about their family legacy continuing after they retire. Their son, Troy, is the production manager and plans to keep the business alive for generations to come.
