Est. 1969
Heritage & History
Thomas G. Murdough founded Little Tikes in 1969 in Aurora, Ohio, driven by a conviction that American families deserved toys built to last. After a decade working in toy marketing, Murdough had grown frustrated watching the industry race to cut costs by cheapening materials and moving production overseas. He started with nine employees in a converted barn, committed to making large, durable plastic products that children would actually grow up with rather than break in a season.
The company's early bet on rotational molding proved transformative. By shaping superheated plastic resin inside slowly rotating molds, Little Tikes could produce toys of unusual size and strength with fewer seams and assembly points. The 1979 introduction of the Cozy Coupe became the defining product of the brand, selling around 500,000 units per year by the early 1990s. Rubbermaid acquired the company in 1984, funding a move to a purpose-built campus in Hudson, Ohio. Newell Rubbermaid later folded in the brand through its 1999 acquisition, and MGA Entertainment purchased Little Tikes in November 2006, where it remains today.
Made in Hudson, Ohio
Little Tikes manufactures its core product lines at its Hudson campus using rotational molding for large hollow forms like playhouses and the Cozy Coupe, and blow molding for smaller hollow parts. The campus spans four production buildings and a 650,000-square-foot distribution facility. The company is one of the largest rotational molders in the world, and in 2016 formalized that expertise into a separate commercial division, LT Molding Solutions, which produces custom industrial parts for outside clients.
The practical argument for keeping production in Hudson is partly economic: bulky plastic products are expensive to ship internationally, and proximity between the design studio and the factory floor allows rapid prototyping that overseas manufacturing cannot match. The facility employs roughly 500 people, including workers with tenures of two to three decades. Little Tikes operates a dedicated Made in the USA collection on its website covering ride-ons, climbers, slides, playhouses, sandboxes, and storage products.
Little Tikes First Slide - Red and Blue, Indoor and Outdoor
Little Tikes
Baby & Kids
Little Tikes Princess Cozy Coupe Ride-On Toy - Magenta
Little Tikes
Baby & Kids
Little Tikes Cozy Coupe Dinosaur Ride-On - Amazon Exclusive, Green
Little Tikes
Baby & Kids
Little Tikes Fairy Cozy Coupe Ride-On - Amazon Exclusive
Little Tikes
Baby & Kids
Little Tikes Cozy Ice Cream Truck Ride-On with Music and Accessories
Little Tikes
Baby & Kids
Little Tikes Hide and Seek Climber and Swing with Slide
Little Tikes
Baby & Kids
Little Tikes Easy Store Slide and Explore Indoor Outdoor Climber Playset
Little Tikes
Baby & Kids
Little Tikes Easy Store Large Play Slide - Blue and Green
Little Tikes
Baby & Kids
Little Tikes Cape Cottage Playhouse with Working Door and Windows - Tan
Little Tikes
Baby & Kids
Little Tikes Dirt Diggers Excavator Sandbox with Lid and Accessories
Little Tikes
Baby & Kids
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Little Tikes made in the USA?
Yes. Little Tikes manufactures 21 verified products in Hudson, OH. Little Tikes has manufactured iconic plastic children's toys at its Hudson, Ohio campus since 1969, pioneering rotational molding technology that made the Cozy Coupe the best-selling car in America.
Where is Little Tikes manufactured?
Little Tikes is headquartered in Hudson, OH. Manufacturing takes place in Hudson, OH.
What Little Tikes products can I buy?
We carry 21 verified Little Tikes products across Baby & Kids. Every listing links directly to Amazon with verified American manufacturing.
When was Little Tikes founded?
Little Tikes was founded in 1969. Little Tikes has manufactured iconic plastic children's toys at its Hudson, Ohio campus since 1969, pioneering rotational molding technology that made the Cozy Coupe the best-selling car in America.