Schaper Toys, or W.H. Schaper Mfg. Co., Inc. as it was originally known, was a game and toy company founded in 1949 by William Herbert Schaper in Minneapolis, Minnesota. "Herb" Schaper published a variety of games but was best known for having created the children's game, Cootie. Through the 1970s and 1980s, the company operated as Schaper Toys, a subsidiary of Kusan Inc. In 1986, Schaper Toys was acquired by Tyco Toys. Cootie was the company's bestseller.
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William Herbert "Herb" Schaper was a Minnesotan postman who created, developed, and manufactured a children's game known as Cootie.[1] After whittling a fishing lure in 1948, he molded the object in plastic, fashioned a game around it, and formed the H. W. Schaper Mfg. Co., Inc. to manufacture and publish the game. In the fall of 1949, the game was launched on the market,[1] and sold through Dayton's department stores.[2] Schaper sold 5,000 Cootie games by 1950, and over 1.2 million games by 1952.[2][3]
Schaper Toys manufactured a host other games including the well-known Ants in the Pants and Don't Break the Ice.[1][2] Schaper toys was one of the first toy and game manufacturers to extensively use plastic in its products. While most children's games of the period were made of paper and cardboard, Schaper games were constructed almost solely of plastic. The company introduced Stompers a battery powered line of toy trucks and other vehicles in 1980.
Schaper Manufacturing operated as the Schaper Toy division of Kusan Inc. in the 1970s and 1980s.[4] In 1986, Schaper Toys was acquired by Tyco Toys, which is now a division of Mattel Inc. In the deal, Tyco sold the rights to four Schaper games including Cootie to Hasbro's Milton Bradley division.[5][6] Cootie is manufactured and sold today through Milton Bradley with legs featuring in-line skates, sneakers, and other fanciful accessories.[2]
Dunce (1955) is a game for two to four players. Its object is to avoid being the first player to complete a plastic figurine of a boy wearing a dunce cap. Components consist of a stool, a body, a head, a dunce cap and a die. The plastic parts are acquired at the roll of the die beginning with the stool and ending with the cap. The player who completes his figurine first is the loser.[7]
Li'l Stinker (1956) is a game for any number of players ages 4 to 8. The game is similar in concept and play to Old Maid. Components consist of 41 plastic tiles depicting a variety of characters with one tile picturing a skunk. Tiles are paired and discarded until one player loses the game by holding the skunk.[8]
Shake (1950) is a game of chance for two to four players ages 8 to adult. The object of the games is to complete a row of six numbers in the same line; either straight across, up and down, or diagonal from corner to corner. Components consist of a plastic board, chips, and dice.[9]
Stadium Checkers is a race game for two to four players ages 8 to adult. The object of the game is to move one's five colored marbles from the outer rim of the 'stadium' to a slot in the center of the board. The game was introduced in 1952.[10] In 2004, the game was republished as Roller Bowl by Winning Moves Games USA. Its original name was restored in 2007.
Tickle Bee (1956) is a physical skill game for one player ages 3 and up. Components consist of a molded plastic maze covered with a clear plastic film, a metal "bee" confined within the maze, and a magnetic wand. The game is won when the bee is guided through the maze without touching the tip of the wand.[11]
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