Stuart History

The Stuart Toy Manufacturing Company and Samuel Levinson, was listed in an old Cincinnati city directory at 9 E. Third Street in 1948. Stuart was producing a series of 12 children's night lights at 215 W. Fourth Street when Levinson sold the company to Dexter L. Balterman in 1952-1953. The directory showed that the company name was altered at the 215 W Fourth Street address.* (See Stuart Sets.)

In researching Stuart 1950s-60s western toys, I discovered other companies that were connected in some way to Stuart and also needed to be researched. A 1953 Post Cereals premium, advertised as a Roy Rogers Ranch Set, was created by another company for Post Cereals and ended in 1954.* (See the Post Premium page.) The miniature plastic items of this premium included a rearing horse, running horse, 3 figures, a dog, two saddles and two bridle styles. It also came with lithographed cardboard ranch, gate and animals. When Post Cereals no longer needed this premium, the company that did the molding for Post, passed the plastic items on to Dexter Balterman at Stuart. Balterman remembered that day in his office, when president, James Russell, of Columbus Molded Plastics, Columbus, Indiana, offered him the toys. (The molding company name was shortened in 1951).* Stuart did not market the premium plastic toys the same but sold them in sets like Texas TV Rancher, Home on the Range, Canadian Mounty, and with their own newly designed miniature western toy line. (See Stuart Sets.)

The Stuart designed walking horse is three and a quarter inches tall, The Stuart rider is two and one sixteenth inches tall. Stuart figure accessories included a cowboy hat, feathered headdress, coonskin cap, kepi (cavalry or Civil War hat), tomahawk and rifle. Other Stuart accessories included a pack saddle, packs (luggage), and travois (Native American sled). Balterman researched his western toys to insure historical accuracy. Columbus Molded Plastics, in Columbus, Indiana, also did the western toy molding for Stuart.* The assembly into packaging was done in Cincinnati at the Stuart building.* Stuart's slogan was "Stuart Quality is First Quality".


Dexter Balterman, left, and salesman, Murray
Richards, right, at the N.Y. Toy Fair with the 1960 toys.

In addition to the western toy miniatures, Stuart also made quality science sets in a variety of sizes and prices. Dexter Balterman was a chemist before he acquired Stuart. I was told that he was proud of the quality, affordable Stuart science sets, which ranged from small blister packs to large boxed sets. Additional Stuart products during the 1950s and 1960s included a Wonder Wheel Designer (spirograph), Bazooka, Spin-a-Plates (circus style), Jr. Gearshift, Changeabout Doll Houses and a Stuart's Prize Animal Farm (with a hard plastic horse, dog, sheep, cow and bull). (See the Other Products page.)

Increased Western toy sales in 1958 prompted a move to larger quarters at 337 Fifth Street. Balterman hired Phillip D. Gossard as plant manager, to help him run Stuart. Samuel Levinson left Stuart and stayed at the 215 Fourth Street address to start another company – The Anchor Buggy and Carriage Company. Levinson had acquired permission to use the name in 1935, to make exact Anchor model carriages and horses. These models were made from approximately 1958 to 1963. Samuel Levinson passed away in 1964. (See Anchor History.)

According to Andrew Balterman, western toy sales declined in the 1960s and Stuart found it increasingly hard to compete with larger toy companies. Stuart changed direction again to commercial printing and packaging. When Stuart relocated to 1455 Dalton Street, the company was already in production. The Stuart business was sold to plant manager, Phillip D. Gossard, a few years before Dexter Balterman retired in 1969. Today The Stuart Company is on Patterson Street in Cincinnati, specializing in commercial printing, laser die making, die cutting, glue finishing and folding carton industries, owned by Philip G. Gossard. Stuart quality is still first quality.


I was fortunate to have been in contact with the Baltermans before Dexter Balterman passed in 2003. He was surprised to hear how the western toys are still loved and collected, and that there was a website called Those Elusive Stuarts.



Dexter L. Balterman in 2000, with
a 1960 Cavalry Patrol set.

*Please note: I've had to omit or alter some of my original research at this website due to a 2019 publishing copyright.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Andrew Balterman provided Stuart information, materials and photos, digital images, some newspaper clippings, and pointed me in some other directions during Stuart research. Without information from Dexter and Alice Balterman, Joseph Levinson, Phillip D. Gossard, Phillip G. Gossard (The Stuart Company), Clarence F. Block and John Block, Mrs. Elsie Russell, Steve Bluhm, and Catherine Wilson (COMO Plastics), more details of this history would have been lost. Thanks to the Cincinnati Historical Museum for their help; Collectors and dealers of Stuart, Anchor and Post Premiums also filled in pieces of the puzzle and pointed me to Cincinnati. My gratitude to Tom Terry – Plastic Figure and Playset Collector Magazine (Sept.-Oct. 2000, no. 68 issue and June 2001, No. 72 issue), and Rusty and Kathy Kern – Playset Magazine (Oct. 2009, no. 47 issue), who helped me get Stuart information to the public.

I was given permission by the original Stuart connected families, and others, to use this material. Please do not use this material or photos without permission, and give credit to Lizabeth West, vintagestuart7.com.
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