Auburn Jet Fighter (L), Sun Pursuit Fighter (R)
| Auburn Rubber Co. Toys (12 Views) | Toy Gallery Home |
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Auburn Rubber Company, Auburn, Indiana & Connellsville, Pennsylvania (Circa 1936-1956):
In 1935, The Auburn Rubber Corporation of Auburn, Indiana made bold to create a new world of toys
in the home town of the Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg automobiles. Certainly the neighborhood
provided plenty of inspiration, and from the company's beginning may have set the bar for the
quality of its toys.|
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Starting with toy soldiers inspired by the lead armies fighting pitched battles in the homes and
yards of Europe, Auburn soon began to turn out rubber automobiles and trucks. First on the market
was a lovely Cord, 6" long and very realistic. The Cord was followed quickly by high-quality models
of the popular Ford sedans and coupes of 1935.
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In the years prior to WWII, a steady stream of Auburn's brightly colored rubber toy cars and trucks
rode the wave of America's love of the automobile. Highly detailed Buicks, Oldsmobiles and Plymouths
in shiny red, green, orange and blue (and more) poured on to the highways of kids' imaginations.
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The company's truck line was made up of sturdy, handsome White and International trucks. Like the
automobiles, the trucks gradually became less realistic, though no less detailed, so that children
would continue to find them appealing year after year. There were small trucks and large, ranging
from stake trucks to car transporters.
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Auburn also enjoyed great sales success with its lines of farm equipment, airplanes, and ships. A
railroad train on rubber tires could be enjoyed by a child with little setup and, as was the case
with most of the rubber toys, no risk of ruining floors and damaging furniture. Priced below the
cast and stamped metal toys, rubber cars and trucks were affordable, high-quality and durable. It
was not long before other rubber toy makers appeared on the scene.
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| Auburn Jet Fighter (L), Sun Pursuit Fighter (R) |