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Gibbs Toys

The Gibbs Manufacturing Company of Canton, Ohio, began making toys in the 1890s and

GibbsWagon.jpg (202488 bytes)
Gypsy Wagon 
No. 57

 continued until 1969 - a very long run for a toy company. Their early toys included  musical or humming tops which they sold continuously, in some form, until they ceased toy production. 

GibbsHorse.jpg (187299 bytes)

Detail of litho
gypsy horse

Their toys are very popular with collectors today. They are a mix of wood construction and tin - some all wood , some all tin, and some tin and wood. Most have colorful lithographed paper applied.

The Gibbs Manufacturing Company in 2001 declared bankruptcy and in March of 2002 their buildings and equipment in their Canton, Ohio facility were auctioned off. Many of their toy tops were auctioned by the box.

 

See the Gibbs Photo Gallery of many old Gibbs toys here.

 

 

Click on the thumbnails below to view Gibbs toy ads from "Playthings" and "Toys and Novelties"  
magazines 1925-1927 and other catalogs.
GibbsAd1910.jpg (129968 bytes) GibbsAd1911.jpg (152396 bytes) GibbsAd1914.jpg (149460 bytes) GibbsAd1914a.jpg (136861 bytes) GibbsAd1914b.jpg (176460 bytes) GibbsAd1927.jpg (132646 bytes) GibbsAd1928.jpg (162841 bytes) GibbsAd1928a.jpg (127288 bytes)
1910 1911 1914 1914 1914 1927 1928 1928
GibbsAd1930.jpg (116728 bytes) GibbsAd1931.jpg (128694 bytes)   GibbsPlaythingsAd1925.jpg (95800 bytes) GibbsAdPlaythings.jpg (573570 bytes) GibbsToysNoveltiesAd1927.jpg (88886 bytes)   GibbsCat1912.jpg (85505 bytes)
1930 1931   1926 1927 1927   1912
 
Aeroplane
 GibbsG79F.jpg (39096 bytes)GibbsG79B.jpg (40649 bytes)
Gibbs Aeroplane No. 79  ca 1927-1930. This pull toy is about 10 inches long, made of wood with a metal propeller. Usually stamped "G-79" on its side.Wheel axle drives, via a spring, the propeller. Gibbs also made a monoplane version.
Click on thumbnails to enlarge photos.

 

Bunny cart
GibbsRabbitCartFaceRed.jpg (35915 bytes) GibbsRabbitCartRabbit3Red.jpg (41381 bytes) GibbsRabbitCartRightRed.jpg (42850 bytes)
Gibbs Bunny Cart No. 102 ca 1928-1930.  Patent number 1704019 stamped on underside. This patent was for the mechanism for animating the animal as the toy is pushed or pulled. The front and back legs are driven by the cart's wheels.
Click on thumbnails to enlarge photos.

 

Gibbs Frisky Puss
GibbsCatPullClose.jpg (30600 bytes) GibbsCatPulLeft.jpg (31861 bytes)GibbsCatPulRight.jpg (29700 bytes)GibbsCatPullFull.jpg (15973 bytes)
Gibbs Cat pull toy No. 33 "Frisky Puss Push Toy". Ca 1929.  Its body is made of wood, front legs metal, and wheels metal.   Cat is about 10 inches long front nose to tip of tail.  Beautiful old toy. Cat's body moves and its tail goes up and down as toy is pushed Has20-inch wood handle. This example has a replaced tail, bell (with an old one), ears (possibly) and neck ribbon. 
Click on thumbnails to enlarge photos.

 

Gibbs Pony Pacer
 GibbsPonyRacer1.jpg (68706 bytes) GibbsPonyRacer2.jpg (38003 bytes)
Gibbs Pony Pacer No. 15 ca. 1910. This toy has one of the early horse designs. He is pulling a metal sulky. The horse's legs move in a racing pacer's manner.
Click on thumbnails to enlarge photos.

Photos courtesy of Reba (rshypoke)

 

The following is a list of Gibbs Toys found. This list is not complete. Help is wanted from Gibbs collectors to fill in missing toys. 

See Gibbs ID guide

Name No. Description
Waddle Duck 4 Duck with feet that walk
Pony Chariot 6 Chariot pulled by litho pony
Dolly Sulky 7 Designed to carry dolls
Teeter Kids Toy 8 Two kids on high teeter tooter
Daisy cart 10 Two wheeled metal cart
Fairy Hay Cart 11 Wooden two wheel cart
Dixie Dancing Top 12 Musical spinning top
Delivery 14  
Pony Pacer 15  Single horse pulling racing wagon
Circus trick horse 16 Pull toy with horse - does tricks
Hobby horse 18 Rocking horse
Rob-Roy Rocking Toy 19 Tin boy riding litho rocking horse
Pacing Bob 20 Single horse pulling hay wagon (two wheels)
Performing Jumbo 23 Elephant marked "Jumbo" on pull toy platform
Trick Elephant 24 JUMBO elephant stand alone
"Daisy" Express Wagon 25 Four wheel wagon marked "EXPRESS" on side
Fairy Hay wagon 26 Four wheel wooden wagon
U.S. Mail Cart 27 Cart marked "U.S. Mail", pulled by litho horse
Butterfly Push Toy 28

Push toy with butterfly over two wheels

Derby Rider Push Toy 29 Boy riding litho horse over metal wheels push toy
Doll Sulky 30 Metal sulky for use with dolls
Cuban Cart 31 Like gypsy wagon but wagon has only 2 wheels
Pioneer Wagon 32  Canvas covered four wheel wagon
Frisky Puss 33 Cat push toy
Never-Stop See-Saw 35 Two kids on see-saw attached to column
Pacing Joe 35 Single horse pulling fairy wagon
Hurdle Rider 39 Jockey on race horse jumping fence pull toy, new in 1925
English Pony Cart 40 Litho horse pulls tin wagon
Dick & Duke Push and Pull Toy 45 Boy on horse inside wheels
Gray Beauty Pacers 50  Two horses pulling four wheeled wagon
Black Beauty Pacers   Two black horses pulling four wheeled metal wagon.
Pony Circus Wagon 53 Colorful circus wagon pulled by two horses
Strutting Rooster Push Toy 54 Rooster push toy 
Pacing Joe 55 Single horse pulling two wheel wagon
Yankee Dump Cart 56 Marked "Yankee" on cart's side, has shovel
Gypsy Wagon 57 Canvas covered wagon pulled by two horses, four metal wheels
Steeple Chasers 58 Two jockeys on horses jumping fence
Jim and Jack  60 Boy riding 4 wheel cart pulled by dog
Pretty Polly 61 Colorful Bird on pull toy
Auto truck and Trailer 70 Wooden truck pulling trailer, new in 1927
Tractor and Trailer 72 Wooden and metal farm tractor with trailer, new in 1927
Stake Truck 75  Stake truck
Rush delivery 77 Delivery truck
Lindyplane 78 Wooden monoplane
Aeroplane 79 Biplane, metal and wood, Marked "G-79", new in 1927
Filling Station 80 Metal and wood, 15 inches long, new in 1925
Sand Wagon 82 Flower on side, has shovel
Rooster Cart 101 Rooster pulling fairy wagon (two wheeled)
Bunny Cart 102 Bunny pulling fairy wagon (two wheeled). Marked Patented 1,704,019
Bunny Wheelbarrow 160 Rabbit shaped wheelbarrow
     
Tea Company Mule Cart    
     
Never-Stop Humming Top   Has push to start mechanism
The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. Cart    
"Rainbow" Humming Top   Bright colors
"Old Glory" Top   Flag theme top
Cat Push Toy   Cat with articulated tail, metal wheels (see photos below)