History

 

Generations have known the joy of a Remco Toy!

A young Navy veteran and engineer had an idea. With World War II ended, warehouses were piled high with surplus military equipment. No one knew what to do with them —but Isaac "Ike" Heller did.

Spending his days visiting warehouse after warehouse, the vet searched through tons of material to locate every last set of aviator's earphones in New York City.

Heller was repurposing the earphones to make walkie-talkie toys of his own invention, which were fast becoming a big seller in his burgeoning one-man toy business he named Remco. Soon joined by his accountant cousin Saul Robbins, they formally established the business in Newark, NJ in 1949.

A contraction of "REM” for remote and “CO” for control, Heller and Robbins were early innovators by bringing together technology and combining it with toys and products aimed specifically at children. Starting with crystal radios and 'walkie-talkies',  Remco became ever more sophisticated by releasing a variety of electric, motorized and battery operated remote control toys.

Heller and Robbins were looking to be "ahead of the curve" not just in technology and products but also in marketing. 

In 1952, Remco saw the potential of television advertising. The partners were looking for a marketing director who understood how to push the limits of the new medium. Meeting Bernie Schiff at a toy manufacturers luncheon, Schiff, then marketing director of American Character Doll Company, was just the man for the job. Starting first with their electronic Radio Station, Remco saw sales skyrocket to $1-2 million dollars annually. (~$22.4mm adjusted)

Not wasting time, this success drove them to increased investment and innovation with TV commercials and sponsorships leading to even more sales. This feedback loop of new products and TV advertising allowed them to expand their product lines and grow the business.

As the post war boom of the 1950s and Remco was hitting its full stride, toys such as the Space Commander Walkie Talkies, the Big Max, Flying Fox Airliner, the Whirlybird Helicopter, and many more provided thrills and fun for children. Remco and their toys were at the center of mid-century modern design.

Heller, with the eye on engineering and technology, brought to market new products to meet the electronics and science boom of the era. Long before STEM ( Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) was a catchy education abbreviation, Remco released Science Kits. The products covered topics such as mechanics, electro-magnetism and electronic circuitry for budding engineers of the Space Age.

Moving into the 1960s, Remco also pushed business strategy and sales via Licensing. Remco had a keen understanding of how licensing well known brands would help sell toys and unlock synergy with such popular brands as the Beatles, the Munsters, Lost in Space, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Batman, Star Trek and many, many more.

As Remco was one of the first companies to sell their dolls through television advertising, the Remco dolls grew in popularity as well. While the Baby doll remained perennially the most iconic and loved, the company also made hard plastic and vinyl dolls of their own brands and characters -- probably best known being the Littlechap Family and the Heidi Pocketbook doll series.

Along with the Remco brands of dolls, they also featured celebrity characters and entertainment personalities.

Remco’s success in the toy market continued strong during the peak years of the 1960s. The market for toys was strong. Mattel, Hasbro, Ideal and many more Toy companies growing as well. It was a great time for the American child during what was popularly known as the baby-boom.

With the strong economy and stable revenues and after years of building up the company and successes, Heller and Robbins sold Remco in 1966.

But the dawn of a new decade brought change both with the company and in America. Without the leadership and innovation of the founders and with the early 1970s economy struggling, Remco ran into financial problems.

Eventually the assets of the company were sold to Marvin Azrak's Azrak-Hamway International, Inc (AHI) in 1974. A New York, NY toy company, AHI was known to have a strong licensing program and a creative set of products like dress-up utility belts, accessory kits and a wide variety of battery operated toys.

After the sale in the 1970s, Remco continued to produce toys from popular brands and expanded to include brands like Marvel Comics superheroes Spider-Man and the Incredible Hulk, DC Comics Superman and Batman, McDonalds McDonaldland, Disney Mickey Mouse and even the mega popular rock band Kiss.

In the competitive market of the tumultuous decade of the 70s, Remco continued to bring to market new ideas. Dolls like Rainbow and Her Electric Fashion Computer Center, battery operated “energized” Spider-man, the Green Goblin, Superman and Batman figures, thrilling floating controllable Batcopters, Star Trek Enterprise and Rescue Choppers thrilled the next generation.

The company in the 1980s continued with new ideas and products which brought them continued success and into a new heyday. Following in the tradition of 3 & 3/4 inch figures of Hasbro G.I. Joe Real American Hero and Kenner Toys Star Wars Figures, Mattel’s He-man, Remco introduced several lines of action figures in imaginative genres. In this era Remco produced Karate figures, Military adventure, Monsters, Ninjas, Robots, Pirates - everything kids of the 80’s played with and love.

Licensing continued with the much beloved action figures of Universal Monsters, DC Comics Sgt. Rock and Warlord, Conan the Barbarian, and Archie Comics Mighty Crusaders and the classic Karate Kid figures.

The power of the right licensing at the right time supercharges sales and creates historic product lines. Remco 's Vice President of Marketing Steve Rosenthal knew how to wield this power. Inspired by spending time with his son watching professional wrestling, Steve reached out to the legendary father of pro-wrestling, Verne Gagne.

Rushing to be first to market with the greatest wrestling figures and talents, Steve and his team signed a deal with Verne for AWA Wrestling action figures. Once on the market these figures were a huge success selling millions. These totally awesome 80’s wrestling figures fetch hundreds of dollars from collectors today and spawned a multimillion dollar toy category.

The 1990s brought toys of Arnold Schwarzenegger for the Terminator 2: Judgment Day Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, Swat Kats action figures and more.

This decade also saw the introduction of Steel Tec, an Erector and Meccano compatible building construction sets with innovative tools and components. Steel Tec Kits of mega evergreen brands like Star Wars and its showcase spaceship the Millennium Falcon, the Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise and Harley Davidson Motorcycles brought new excitement to building and assembly for young and old.

In 1997, Jakks Pacific acquired Remco from Azrak-Hamway. For years the beloved Remco brand sat dormant with-in Jakks Pacific while they continued to grow their company.

As the new century dawned and hit its stride, the ability to purchase vintage collectables online became a mainstream passion. Remco fans of all ages found that collecting their beloved Remco toys from their past brought new excitement! These toys were passed along to new generations continuing the epic legacy of Remco on to today.

No matter which generation you come from, Remco is there. We believe in helping you unlock the power of play and its ability to develop creativity, learning and imagination. Remco is dedicated to making the world more fun for all.

So join us in our next hey-day and blaze new paths in the 21st century!

We guarantee You will find joy in every Remco Toy!