Bergen Toy and Novelty Company
Bergen Toy and Novelty Company was a US firm that made toy soldiers and animals in plastic. Started in 1935 the company was making hard plastic animals by about 1938, the first company to do so in the US. The company is also known as Beton, an abbreviation of BErgen TOy and Novelty. Among collectors it's often referred to as Beton-Bergen. The animals are sorted here into three sections. Most animals were made in a hard brittle dark plastic of an acetate type called Tenite, in the later years of the company they used a soft plastic in bright colors. The company closed in 1958, with molds being sold to Banner Plastics.
Copyright dates are mentioned on the animal pages when known, but most were in production prior to that date. Product numbers are also mentioned, but many are not known at this time.
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| Example of hard plastic wild animals | Example of soft plastic wild animals, typical colors |
Wild Animals
Farm Animals
- Beton Bull
- Beton Calf
- Beton Chick
- Beton Chicken
- Beton Cow Running
- Beton Cow, Sitting
- Beton Cow Standing
- Beton Duck
- Beton Duckling
- Beton Goat Kid
- Beton Goat Nanny
- Beton Goat Billy
- Beton Goose
- Beton Gosling
- Beton Lamb
- Beton Pig
- Beton Piglet
- Beton Ram
- Beton Rooster
- Beton Sheep
- Beton Turkey
Horses
Most horses were used with riders as part of the toy soldier lines. These included civilian figures like hunt riders and policemen as well as cowboys and Indians and military figures.
- Beton Broncho Bucking
- Beton Colt
- Beton Horse Jumping with Stand
- Beton Prancing Horse, Large
- Beton Prancing Horse, Large with No Saddle
- Beton Running Horse
- Beton Standing Horse
- Beton Standing Horse, Large
- Beton Trotting Horse
- Beton Trotting Horse with Rifle and Sword