HALSAM

Chicago toymaker Halsam was founded in 1917 by Harold Elliot and Sam Goss, Jr. (creating the company name by combining their first names ... HAL+SAM). It was a family business ... Harold was married to Hazel Goss (Sam's sister) and also managed the Goss Printing Press Company, inventors and manufacturers of the rotary printing press... The Halsam factory was located at 1417 Ravenswood, Chicago, Illinois and produced embossed wooden toys and games ... primarily alphabet blocks, checkers and domino sets. They received several patents for their block products, including the block sets with rounded corners, which they marketed as "safety blocks." The company later developed new products, such as Hi-Lo blocks, American Bricks, Frontier Logs a variation of Lincoln Logs), Notchies, Aeroplay Contruction Blocks, Color Cubes (by acquiring their rival The Embossing Company), and a rotating block face puzzle called Changeable Charlie (acquired through their purchase of Gaston Manufacturing)...

Also known as: Scott Bultman