Private company

Creative Playthings

American Toy Company

Creative Playthings was an educational toy store and catalogue that was established by Frank and Theresa Caplan in 1945. The goal of Creative Playthings was to provide simple and beautifully designed toys to promote a child’s creativity and imagination. The original Creative Playthings store was located at 102 West 95th Street in New York City (which they eventually moved to Madison Avenue and 72nd Street).² Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1945Founded¹

Industrygame industry¹
HeadquartersNew York City¹

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The story

Founded by Frank Caplan and Theresa Caplan in 1945.¹

Leadership

Who has led Creative Playthings, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

FounderFrank Caplan¹
FounderTheresa Caplan¹

Products and brands

Listed on Wikidata.¹

Acquisitions

In 1966, CBS purchased Creative Playthings as part of its move to corner the educational material and media market. Frank Caplan stayed on for two years as a consulting director and in 1968 became president of the CBS Learning Center. He eventually resigned in 1969. In the mid-1980s, CBS revived the Creative Playthings name to use on a line of wooden playground equipment. These were produced in Herndon, PA, and a CBS-owned plant, which had also made Tinkertoys. After CBS divested itself of its toy lines beginning in 1985, the name was sold to a playground equipment manufacturer in Framingham, MA.

From Wikipedia’s article on Creative Playthings, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.³

Timeline

1945Founded Founded¹

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

1
WikidataCreative Playthings on Wikidata
2
WikipediaCreative Playthings on Wikipedia
3
WikipediaCreative Playthings on Wikipedia (revision used)
4
Wikimedia CommonsCreative Playthings photo by Creative Playthings toy company, CC BY-SA 3.0