Kilgore Manufacturing Company

Founded in 1917 by Joseph Kilgore, the company evolved from iron toy pistols to creating cast iron mechanical banks in the 1930s, including the beloved “Thrifty Four.” With contributions from artist M. Elizabeth Cook and wartime production efforts, Kilgore left a unique legacy in American toy history.
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Kilgore Manufacturing: From Cap Pistols to The Thrifty Four Banks

Joseph Kilgore established Kilgore Manufacturing Company in 1917, in Homestead, Pennsylvania, before moving its operations to Westerville, Ohio, in 1919. Initially, the company focused on producing toy cap pistols, originally mode of iron, and then, Bakelite, the first synthetic plastic.

The business was very successful, and branched out in the 1930s, producing several cast iron mechanical banks that were designed by M. Elizabeth Cook, a well-known artist and sculptress.

In addition, the company became known for its line of plastic housewares, fireworks and distress signals for boats and airplanes.

During World War II, Kilgore produced incendiary bombs, hand grenade fuses and signal flares of the navy. After the war, however, their production slowed down and they were forced to close the Westerville operations. Kilgore released a line of four cast iron. Mechanical banks that became known as “The Thrifty Four” or “The Toytown Workers Group, consisting of the Turtle Bank, Rabbit in Cabbage, Frog on Rock, and two variations of an Owl bank, one with the coin slot in the head and the other in the book it was carrying.