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Stratoman remembers...I LOVED Erector sets. There was always a motorized set in my house from when I was five until fourteen. ... More »
Posted on 02/14/09
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Most toys are really only half made, waiting for a child’s imagination before they can officially be declared “complete.” Virtually every toy is made with the idea of some child, somewhere, having a little bit of fun. Some people develop toys hoping to instill a little bit of education on youngsters. But rarely is a toy ever made with the guarantee of being a part of history.
When toy manufacturer and Olympic gold medal-winning pole vaulter A. C. Gilbert invented the Erector set in 1911, he had no idea that he was creating something that would be more than just fun. It would be revolutionary.
The A. C. Gilbert Company released Erector Set in 1913, much to the chagrin of the industry leader Meccano at the time. Erector’s metal girders differed from Meccanos thanks to the addition of flanges that made them much sturdier than the British company’s. Erector Sets were simply miniature construction sites, complete with small metal beams that had holes for nuts, bolts, screws and any other number of means for connecting girders. Kids used pulleys, gears, and even small electric motors, kids could construct virtually anything. History records that the Erector Set was probably the very first children’s toy to be the focus of its own national advertising campaign.
While some kids used Erector sets simply as blacksmiths shops for forging simple swords, most kids understood the engineering possibilities and hungered for more. Gilbert responded, releasing more and more elaborate sets. Various numbered model sets produced anything from construction vehicles to power plants. One model featured a complete amusement park with all the classic rides, all fully functional. Dozens of Erector Sets have swept across the shelves throughout the years, including the famous “Mystery Walking Giant” robot. So influential were Erector Sets that the Eli Whitney Museum in Hamden, Connecticut now houses model trains, chemistry sets, and other scientific and educational toys made by the A. C. Gilbert Company.
Erector Sets have changed owners over the years, today being owned ironically enough by Meccano who in turn answers to Nikko (a Japanese Company). Plastic construction toys and mass competition have diminished sales to a large degree. But budding physicists and civil engineers still recognize the name that puts the power of constructing in their hands. From a gold medal winner came a gold medal standard and a place in folk culture history, proving that if anyone knew how to build a lot out of very little, it was A. C. Gilbert.
