Like clockwork, on a warm, August afternoon, the Horse Drawn Wagon would slowly back up to the Old Factory that was set down in Gram's field just beyond her Farmhouse.  A couple of sturdy, young men were waiting at the dock to begin loading the wagon for another trip across town.  The Train Station was just up the road from the Roy Toy Factory, but only a matter of minutes for a Horse of such speed. The dust from the early Maine roads of the 1930's would rile and blow through the cool late summer breeze as the Horse Raced Across Town.  Old-Timers will swear to this day, that Horse could get Roy's Log Cabins to the Train Station faster than the blink of an eye.

Roy K. Dennison

Roy Toy was established in the mid 1930's by one of the earliest pioneers in the Wooden Toy Industry, Roy K. Dennison.  Like the early pioneers, Roy realized that there was an intriguing love for Wooden Construction Sets, and that this excitement was shared by both children and parents alike.  Roy would often say, “There's no greater feeling for a parent than helping their child explore their own imagination”.  This became the inspiration for his Classic Log Building Designs.  For these challenging sets, Roy used unique rectangular shaped logs with a tight notching fit, making for structures that wouldn't topple easily.  The logs were also Hand Cut and Honed to a finish which gave them a Realistic Feel and Truly Classic Look.  Roy filled the hearts of children and families with joy and wonder for nearly 30 years, until his death in the 1960's.  At that time the machines stopped and the doors to the Factory were closed and Roy Toys were nearly forgotten forever.

However, with the Ingenuity of his Grandfather buried deep in his genes, Grandson, Bruce Dennison set out to pick up where his Grandfather left off.  But it wouldn’t be easy.  Bruce quickly learned that the old machines from his Grandfathers Factory had been scattered throughout town.  One wound up at an Aunt's House, yet another at an Uncle's House, leaving many other pieces not properly fitting together. Most were missing motors and others were missing shafts and gears and only a handful of blades were still around. Bruce required more help to put the 60-year-old puzzle back together.  He needed to know how they were cut and how did these aging pieces of all this equipment once work and could they ever work again?  Bruce found some of the answers he needed amongst boxes of remaining pieces, pictures, old packaging and an earful of old stories. But there were still many questions left unanswered and it took over a year before Roy's grandson was able to put the pieces of the puzzle together again.

After nearly 30 years and three generations, the doors to Roy Toy Manufacturing were open once again!  Bruce understood the Classic Look his Grandfather wanted in the Log Buildings and wasn't about to change the toys that he remembered one bit.  Bruce believed that the key to this Classic Look was the toy's Hand Made Design.  With this design the logs have the Realistic Quality, and Feel that Truly Captured the Classic Look his Grandfather set out to create.  Not only are the logs more Classic Looking but they also fit together much tighter, making for structures that can be much larger than most other log building sets.  Time has also helped to retain Roy Toy's Classic Look. Roy Toy still uses pine logs just as before, which are stained with a Non-Toxic dye and unlike many of today's Wooden Building Sets, Roy Toys still have Red Wooden Gables and Green Wooden Roof Planks.

At Roy Toy we Deeply Cherish our Heritage, and as one generation ends, another is there to pick up where they left off. We like to think that some things Never Change.

The Toys that you Remember.