The holidays would not be the same without
thinking of toys, and one of the largest toy makers is Fisher Price.
The company is named after Herman Fisher and Irving Price. The
original founders of the toy company back in 1930 were businessmen
Herman Fisher and Irving Price, but also a children’s book author
and illustrator named Margaret Evans Price, Irving's wife, and a toy
store owner named Helen Schelle.
While the businessmen were instrumental in launching the company, it
was actually the two women who collaborated on most of the company’s
early and successful products, like Dr. Doodle, the duck push-pull
toy that was based on a character from Margaret's books. Also, a lot
of the early success of the company can be attributed to Helen
Schelle, who had many connections in the incipient toy industry.
Fisher came from Pennsylvania and went to Penn State. If you visit
the Penn State campus, you may have seen The Fisher Plaza, which was
named after him. Before founding Fisher-Price, he worked as Vice
President and General Manager of All Fair, Inc., a toy and game
manufacturer. When Fisher and a group of investors (including Price)
unsuccessfully tried to buy All Fair Inc., they decided to start
their own company instead. Fisher is credited with coining the term
“preschool toys” in 1934.
His partner, Irving Lanouette Price married into the wealthy Evans
family of New York. His wife Margaret was a rich and well-known
children’s author. Irving had a long career as an executive with
Woolworth before retiring young and becoming Mayor of East Aurora,
New York. His wealth helped start Fisher-Price.