Playwood Plastics was one of the few United States toy soldier producers to be active during World War II. Despite the scarcity of metal, they were able to create bronze molds out of scrap to create their line of dimestore-sized figures. The material used to create their figures was a mix of triple zero wood flour from Wisconsin (very fine-grained, almost talc like), 20 Mule Team Borax, unbleached white flour (condemned by food inspectors who marked the inedible flour with chicik blood), and water. It was mixed in a dough mixer and extruded into bars 3″ wide and 1 1/2″ thick. They were cut into strips and fed into a hydraulic press using the molds to create the figures. They did not survive the post-war period with competition from other mediums including metal and plastic.
Playwood Plastics Gallery
Their limited line of soldiers includes only one medical figure shown below.
R O’Brien. Collecting American-Made Toy Soldiers: Identifcation and Value Guide. 3rd ed. Books Americana; 1996.
