The company’s wooden log sets were beloved for decades, but they almost disappeared forever.
Bruce Dennison would not let his family’s legacy die.
In 1992, Dennison and his wife Susan resurrected a toy business that his grandfather founded in 1930 and operated until his death in 1967.
The company is Roy Toy, which manufactures sets of log-building pieces that children have been using to build log cabins, farms, and forts for generations.
Upon the death of original founder Roy K. Dennison, his six adult children had established their own careers and were not interested in continuing the toy business. And so Roy Toy stayed shuttered until 1992, when Roy’s grandson decided to bring back the small Maine company.
“Believe it or not, I was doing cabinet work at that time, and I was just going by where the old Roy Toy shop was and a little blip came on the radio with little facts that said that wooden toys had made the largest share comeback in the last 20 years,” said Bruce Dennison. “When they said that I was thinking what do I know about wooden toys? I was only 7 years old when I remember getting the Roy Toys for Christmas and can barely remember my grandfather.”
Out of curiosity, Dennison learned the pieces of machinery of Roy Toy were scattered among different relatives who lived within 100 miles of the original manufacturing facility. He gathered all the old equipment and set up a workshop near the Atlantic Coast in East Machias, Maine.
When you envision Roy Toy, think of popular Lincoln Logs, which has been in business a bit longer than Roy Toy (and now sources at least some of its product line overseas).
“The two companies started about the same time,” said Sue Dennison, who serves as sales and logistics manager at Roy Toy. “Lincoln Logs came out first. My husband’s grandfather’s kids, when they were small, were frustrated with the Lincoln Logs because they were round, and they didn’t interlock tightly so they just kind of rolled off each other sometimes. When the cat walked by it just knocked the logs over, so he wanted to make a set that would look more like a log cabin and would stay together better.
“Roy Toy logs are more like planks. The design is different, and they interlock a bit better than the round ones. All of the pieces are flat, and they are all wood. It’s all pine, sourced here in Maine.”
Roy Toy, a 2024 Made in America Holiday Gift Guide selection, produces 100% American-made toys. The company sources all its wood from Robbins Lumber, Eastern Maine’s premier white pine sawmill.
“We’ve never imported anything or use any suppliers from overseas,” said Sue Dennison. “Our packaging comes from New England; our canvas comes from Maryland. Everything comes from the United States.
“The Made in America talk is finally starting to catch hold. We’ve been hearing about it through the years but it really didn’t mean much. But in the last few years it does seem to mean something. A lot of customers want to know if our sets are American-made.”
And, indeed they are, with all wood coming from the forests of Maine. When you open the box of Roy Toy sets you are immediately hit with the scent of pine which makes it a perfect gift for Christmas.
The small log pieces of wood in a Roy Toy building set are dyed to obtain that look of older rustic times. The colors of the logs are mostly brown for the structures with green used for the roofs and red and yellow for the accent pieces. All pieces are colored with non-toxic, vegetable-based food dye.
“It is the same type of coloring that you would use in popsicles,” said Sue Dennison. “Obviously, it’s for the children and sometimes they put pieces in their mouths. We even have a log cabin that has no dye whatsoever.”
When Bruce Dennison began the revival of Roy Toy, he was just doing it out of curiosity. After two years of tinkering, the Dennisons began selling replica throwback kits in Maine.
But as things progressed and the business became viable, Roy Toy sets were being sold throughout the United States and Canada. Today, wooden toys are a $27 billion annual market in the United States.
“At the beginning, we sold in a few retail stores and it just kind of took off a bit,” said Sue Dennison. “We’ve added more designs and sets, and our line is now a replica of what Bruce’s grandfather had.”
The toys are designed to invoke memories of early Americana. They are a learning experience for children from ages 3 to 7, teaching them how to build things with their hands before they fall prey to digital screens and battery powered toys.
Roy Toy offers 13 different sets of wood construction which includes original camp, original farm, and original fort. They also have sets that pay homage to Paul Bunyan, the giant lumberjack in American and Canadian folklore.
“We have a 550-piece deluxe set which is our biggest. It comes with directions to build five different buildings, and it has just about every piece that we design and make,” said Sue Dennison. “We have a lot of unique design logs, like to build our treehouse we have little ladders that you can use. We have a farm where you can build a little silo. And we have a deluxe farm set where you can actually build a garden.”
The Dennison’s have a 4,000-square-foot shop with a cutting room, a dying room and a packaging room. They also have rooms for storage and a spot for inventory fulfillment. Its 10 employees have been cranking out the wood sets since August and are ready for the Christmas rush.
Most of Roy Toy transactions are wholesale and its wood sets are often found in small gift and souvenir shops throughout the country. Most souvenir shops in America’s National Parks carry the Roy Toy wood sets, and they can even be found in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, along with the canvas bags Roy Toy makes that are emblazoned with locations such as Yosemite or Yellowstone.
Roy Toy log building sets can also be purchased through the company’s website. Sets range in price from $11.95 for small sets to up to $89.95 for the 550-piece deluxe set.
Both Bruce and Sue Dennison are “70ish,” but won’t have to worry about the family legacy continuing after they retire. Their son Troy is the production manager and plans to keep the business alive for generations to come.