Transogram was an American producer of toys, games and other leisure products from the early 20th century to 1971. It is best known for such long-produced games as Tiddledy Winks and Game of India, as well as such baby-boomer favorites as Green Ghost and television tie-in board games for such characters and series as Atom Ant, The Flintstones, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Perry Mason and Tom and Jerry.
History Early years Around the turn of the 20th century, Charles Raizen took a summer job with a manufacturer of embroidery patterns. Years later, he found a method of transferring images using friction, and circa 1915, the company became the Friction Transfer Pattern Company, first located on 2nd Street, between Avenues C and D, in Manhattan, then at 113-115 University Place. It quickly found that children enjoyed transferring the friction patterns, and the company shifted toward children's products such as Art-Toy Transfer Pictures. In 1917, Raizen bought the company and renamed it Transogram, but using 1915 as the founding date in its company logo. Moving to 200 Fifth Avenue, (abstract; full article requires subscription) the company developed the Toy Research Institute to test toys with input by a child psychologist, leading to the 1920s tagline that its toys were "Kid Tested". The company also began licensing media properties, manufacturing the likes of a Little Orphan Annie set of clothes pins.
After producing toys, play sets and activity items, the company in 1929 produced its first game-like product, Orje, The Mystic Prophet, which one historian calls "a solitaire fortunetelling pastime".
In early 1939, the company announced that its new game Movie Millions would have a marketing push, headed by advertising manager Lee Sheldon, in magazines, trade magazines, newspapers and radio. (abstract; full article requires subscription)
Later years In 1955, Transogram introduced its first TV-series licensed board game, Dragnet.
In 1960, Transogram was one of seven toy-makers, including Ideal and Parker Brothers, that the Federal Trade Commission accused of violating antitrust law by allegedly soliciting discriminatory advertising allowances from suppliers. (abstract; full article requires subscription)
Transogram advertised on television in 1968 for the first time in six years, with a million-dollar campaign centered on Green Ghost and Hocus Pocus, its two glow-in-the-dark games; Ka-Bala, a future-telling game; and the printing kit Inkless Printing. The TV commercials were produced by the advertising agency Smith / Greenland. (abstract; full article requires subscription)
Going public and final years Following a previous incorporation in New York, the Transogram Company incorporated in Pennsylvania on September 4, 1959. In May 1962, Transogram made an initial public offering of 196,000 shares of common stock from Charles Raizen's private account. It sold for US$10 a share. Raizen retained control with 61.4 percent of outstanding stock.Note: It was not listed a recent issue in The New York Times until August. (abstract; full article requires subscription)
In 1966, Transogram's total sales were $18,665,631. (abstract; full article requires subscription) In the first six months of 1967, the company posted a loss of $1,191,000 on sales of $4,713,000, down from $6,169,000 in sales during the same period the year before. For the first nine months of 1970, Transogram reported a loss of $2,328,000 on sales of $21,642,000, compared to a loss of $293,000 on sales of $17,938,000 during the same period in 1969. Transogram announced in August 1969 that it had agreed to acquire 81% of the stock in Mountain Savings and Loan of Boulder, Colorado, in exchange for an unspecified number of shares of Transogram stock. (abstract; full article requires subscription)
The financial holding company Winthrop Lawrence, controlled by du Pont heir Lammot du Pont Copeland Jr. and Thomas A. Sheehan, bought controlling interest in Transogram in 1969 and installed Joseph Bruna as chief executive officer. On February 26, 1971, Transogram declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy, listing liabilities of $12,067,307 and assets of $3,009,072. Trading on the American Stock Exchange had been suspended the week prior. (abstract; full article requires subscription)
The Transogram trademark and assets were liquidated in 1971, with the marks and toy molds purchased by Jay Horowitz of American Plastic Equipment. Horowitz later transferred all rights to American Plastic Equipment's subsidiary, American Classic Toys. In 2019, American Classic Toys entered an exclusive license agreement with The Juna Group to represent the Transogram brands in all categories worldwide. In 2023, the Transogram exclusive license agreement was acquired from The Juna Group by CSN Press LLC., publishers of the weekly newspaper, Comic Shop News.
Products Board games Big Business (1935) Game of India (1938) a.k.a. Pa-Chiz-Si: The Game of India Wink Tennis Tiddledy Winks (1938) Ring the Schnozzle Movie Millions Happy Landing Steps 'n' Slides Betsy Ross Flag Disneyland Score a Word Screwball: A Mad Mad Game Jamoose Superman Green Ghost (1965) Hocus Pocus Kabala or Ka-Bala Michigan Rummy & Ace-Hi Horse Race (2-in-1)
Licensed film & TV board games Source unless otherwise noted: Arrest and Trial Around the World in 80 Days Dragnet Hogan's Heroes Snagglepuss Fun at the Picnic Johnny Ringo The Monkees Outlaws Space Angel Game (1965) Overland Trail Perry Mason Stoney Burke Tic-Tac-Dough The Virginian Wyatt Earp
Other Inkless Printing The Little Country Doctor and Nurse Kit.Charles Raizen entry at the Toy Industry Association's Toy Industry Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on April 12, 2017. New Twists To Cords and Knots (1938) Paint by Number Mosaic Art Pictures (abstract; full article requires subscription) Photomate (1967) Pretzel-Jetzel (1965) Pyrocon plastic modeling products Swing Wing (c. 1965) Triple Treat Milk & Juice Bar (1960)
Subsidiaries and manufacturing plants
Source unless otherwise noted: Anchor Toy Corporation Graphic Products, Inc. National Assembly CompanyBy 1936, the Transogram subsidiary the National Assembly Company moved to the Karpen Building at 37-08 Northern Boulevard in the Long Island City neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens, per (abstract; full article requires subscription) Playwood Plastics Company Toy Research Institute, Inc. Toy Scouts of America Transco Adult Games Transogram Midwest, Inc.
Divisions Tag, Inc., maker of jigsaw puzzles (abstract; full article requires subscription)
Manufacturing plants Sturgis, MichiganIn October 1962, Transogram announced that it in order to better integrate its Playwood Plastics Company subsidiary, the company had added 90,000 square feet to its toy and juvenile-furniture manufacturing facility in Sturgis, Michigan, per (abstract; full article requires subscription) Easton, Pennsylvania Sikeston, Missouri Canada.
Personnel Al Capp, prior to his success as the cartoonist creator of the comic strip Li'l Abner, was a graphic designer for Transogram.
By mid-1948, Harold Ross, formerly of Kermin, Thall and Lavelle, had joined as advertising art director. (abstract; full article requires subscription) In 1956, Jack Arnold, former advertising manager of Saxon Paper Corp., joined Transogram as advertising manager. (abstract; full article requires subscription)
Leroy Fadem became executive vice president and chief financial officer in the late 1950s and served in this position until 1971.
By 1968, Jerry Tolk was executive vice president of Transogram. (abstract; full article requires subscription)
Founder Charles S. Raizen
Company founder Charles S. Raizen (1892-1967) and his wife Patricia Tolk were living in New Rochelle, New York, in 1958 when their son Roy R. Raizen became engaged. A graduate of the Salisbury School in Connecticut and of Lafayette College, and a U.S. Army first lieutenant who had been stationed in Europe, Roy Raizen was a vice president of Transogram at the time. (abstract; full article requires subscription) In 1964, he was elevated from executive vice president in charge of operations to president, succeeding his father, who became chairman. The couple additionally had a daughter Edna Mae. (abstract; full article requires subscription)
Charles Raizen, who served a stint as president of the Toy Manufacturers of the US, was residing at 309 Beechmont Drive in New Rochelle when he died on May 13, 1967, age 74, at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan while attending a charity dinner. In 1986, Raizen was posthumously inducted into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame.Toy Industry Hall of Fame at the Toy Industry Association. Archived from the original on April 12, 2017.
References
External links Transogram Company print advertising at Magazine-Advertisements.com. Retrieved on December 17, 2017. Charles Raizen interview on his views on toy industry, in (abstract; full article requires subscription)