1950s and 60s toys made in Japan, marketed by Cragstan Toys, New York

Cragstan Toys was a New York-based toy marketing and distribution firm which specialized in importing mechanical and battery-operated toys from postwar Japan. It is believed to have operated from the late 1950s through to the late 1960s.

The name "Cragstan" is believed to be a combined name of the names of the two company's owners. The "Crag" part of the name may have come from the name of one of the owners, Frank Stanton, who was an enthusiastic squash player. The "Stan" part of the name may have come from the name of the other owner, Stanley Kaplan.

Cragstan imported toys from a variety of Japanese manufacturers, including Daiya, Yoshiya, and Yonezawa. The toys they imported were often innovative and high-quality, and they quickly became popular with American children.

Some of the most popular Cragstan toys included the Cragstan Robot, a battery-operated robot could walk, more... talk, and even shoot a ball and was one of the first Japanese robots to be marketed in the United States; the Cragstan Spaceship which could fly and make sound effects; Cragstan Tin Windup Toys which were popular with children of all ages and featured a variety of characters, including animals, cars, and planes.

Cragstan Toys was a successful company, and its toys were popular with children all over the United States. However, the company eventually went out of business in the late 1960s. The exact reasons for the company's demise are unknown, but it is possible that it was due to competition from other toy companies, or to changes in the toy industry. less...