It’s Skyline for 1956

Page 31 of 1956 Eaton's Christmas Catalogue

As it’s alleged that the Peter-Austin Manufacturing Company released both their Structural Building Set and Trans Canada Bridge Set toys only in 1956, I was curious to see if Eaton’s carried them in their 1956 Christmas catalog. Luckily for me the only Eaton’s Christmas Catalog scan from the 1950s I could find online was the one from 1956. Unluckily for me, the toys were nowhere to be found.

Page 30 of 1956 Eaton's Christmas Catalogue

Regardless, the search wasn’t in vain. Look at these toy train pages. On page 31, down in the bottom right, you can see an ad for Sta-Lox bricks, confirming that there was some Peter-Austin stuff in the catalog. But, look what’s beside it where I thought I’d see an ad for the Structural Building Set: a toy Eaton’s describes on page 30 as “Skyline” Plastic Construction Sets. Wikipedia calls it: American Skyline. It was manufactured by a Chicago company, Elgo Plastics / Halsam Products Company. Here’s what the Eaton’s catalog says about the Skyline toy:

Developed after years of study of children’s play habits and designed to bring out their creative ability in building true-to-life skyscrapers. True architectural scale-unit parts make it easy to assemble many fine models (1/8-inch per foot, actual size). Interlocking pieces of simple design with three basic parts - made of strong, flexible Plastic for safe play. Precision-fitting. Building units combine artistically with the simulated tile sections provided for floors and roofs. Fine, modern building kits for hours of creative fun. Colourfully boxed.

27-P-575, 229-piece set. Price, del’d…2.59

27-P-574. 476-piece set. Price, del’d…4.95

27-P-573, 723-piece set. Price, del’d…7.95

Lower right corner of page 31: Sta-Lox & Skyline

For reference, those prices are in Canadian dollars, and that top-of-the-line set would cost around $77.50 CDN in today’s money.

A proper investigation would search all Eaton’s catalogues from the 1950s and early 1960s for the elusive toys, but until I either find them online, or at a brick-and-mortar library, that’ll be an activity for the future.