These are the things FUN is made of

Greetings, Fun Fans.

Today's post promises to be a semi-illuminating look at what makes up FUN Inc. Whereas last week I examined (or rather, scratched the surface of) what FUN Inc. is capable of, this week I'll talk about what it's made of.

Though the exact date of the company's genesis is hazy, signs point to its founding in 1941, by Jules Traub, who'd retailed magic in the lobby of the New Yorker hotel in NYC for a time. After founding FUN Inc., Traub merged the business with S.S. Adams for a time, but the partnership did not last. After re-establishing himself under the banner of Party Products, Traub settled in Chicago where he revived the name FUN Incorporated. It was at this point that the business was off and running.

Over the years, FUN Inc. acquired a number of other businesses, including Richard Appel's Jo-King company (Jay Marshall once worked for Appel), a chemical novelty business run by Paul Fried (now of D. Robbins & Co.), and Morris Foxes Royal Magic Company (which you may have read about in previous posts). Fox was the one to establish the identity of Chandu the magician, who still appears on Royal Magic packaging and instructions to this day.

In Chicago, FUN Inc. established ties with Marshall Brodien and other large clients, and produced tricks for a gigantic market.

Later, in the 1980s, in addition to producing magic and novelties (the legendary H. Fishlove Company was purchased by FUN in the 80s), the company began producing many of the classic prizes included in Crackerjack boxes. Annual output of Crackerjack prizes by FUN Inc. was over 20 million.

The company's most recent acquisition, in 1999, was Hampton Ridge Magic Creations of West Virginia, the manufacturer of the popular Card Toon deck and many well-known instructional videos and professional magic products. It was in 1999 that FUN Inc. became a distributor of over 2000 products, not just a manufacturer of its Royal Magic and Fishlove Novelty lines.

Stay tuned for another installment on the historical tip.

Until next week...