The Erector Set construction toy has given joy to boys and girls throughout its existence in America. However, not many people know the man behind the creation of the Erector Set, A.C. Gilbert. He had an active and playful life in his youth. He achieved considerable success in athletics. His creation of the Erector Set was his greatest achievement. He was also credited with “saving Christmas” during World War I. Alfred Carlton Gilbert left a lasting mark on the fields of athletics, entertainment, and educational toys.
Daniel Boustead explains.
Alfred Carlton Gilbert at Pacific University. Source: Public domain, Page 84 of Pacific University's 1902 Heart of the Oak, available here.
Alfred Carlton Gilbert was born on February 15, 1884, in Salem, Oregon.[1] His family moved to Idaho in 1892 when he was eight years old (ibid., 29). As a child, he hauled wood to heat the family home.[2] One of Gilbert’s favorite boyhood pursuits was building a wild wagon hay ride (ibid., 6). His active, playful curiosity would serve him well in his later years.
A.C. Gilbert went on to achieve great success in athletics. In 1896, Alfred formed the Moscow Athletic Club in his father’s barn when he was only 12 years old.[3] In 1901, Gilbert set a world record with 40 chin-ups.[4] In 1902, he entered Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon (ibid., 26). On June 14, 1902, Gilbert set a world record in the running long dive, with a distance of 15 feet and 9 inches.[5] In 1905, he entered Yale Medical School. While there, he also pole vaulted (ibid., 35 to 36).
Gilbert competed in the pole vault at the 1908 Olympic Games.[6] Gilbert won the first heat, clearing 12 feet.[7] In the second heat, Edward Cook of Cornell won with a vault of 12 feet 2 inches. These heats sent two Americans through to the final (ibid., 47). Later that same day, he topped 12 feet in the final—the only man to do so.[8] Gilbert thought he had won outright, but the British officials ruled that he had only equalled Edward Cook’s mark of 12 feet 2 inches from the heats. With the bar set at 12 feet 2 inches, he missed his first attempt, kicking the bar off, and missed again on his second. On his third try, he cleared it by a fraction of an inch. Before and during the event, the officials had asked whether he wanted to win outright on his own, which spurred Gilbert to a fourth attempt. They then raised the bar by 4 inches, but he failed to clear it. The Olympic records still list the 1908 pole vault as a gold-medal tie between A.C. Gilbert and Edward Cook (ibid., 47 to 48).
A.C. Gilbert’s greatest contribution was the Erector Set. Gilbert came up with the idea of making construction sets for young boys in the fall of 1911 after watching a construction site from the train on his way home from a visit to New York City.[9] A British company, the Meccano Company, already had a similar construction set on the market, but his differed in some important technical respects.[10] The Erector Set had steel beams that were not flat but were bent lengthwise at a 90-degree angle. This allowed four steel beams to be nested side by side, forming a sturdy square hollow support beam. The Erector Set came on the market in 1913, backed by a major American ad campaign originally titled “Mysto Erector Structural Steel Builder” (ibid.). From 1913 to 1966, A.C. Gilbert and the A.C. Gilbert Company sold more than 30 million Erector sets.[11]
In 1916, Gilbert founded and became the first president of the Toy Manufacturers of America.[12] Alfred retired from the group after its 1918 meeting.[13] A hearing before the Council of National Defense—the body that oversaw war production—would prove pivotal for American toy manufacturers.[14] In 1918, during World War I, the Council of National Defense was considering a ban on toy sales for the holiday season.[15] When Gilbert addressed the Council, he argued that toys were not merely playthings but also taught boys to imagine future careers.[16] He added that toys would help shape the men and women who would fight future wars and preserve the peace. Gilbert concluded that depriving boys of toys would mean, in his words, that “the country will lose a generation of doctors, engineers, and scientists” (ibid., 99 to 100). Gilbert’s testimony helped persuade the Council to drop the proposed ban for the holiday season of 1918.[17] The Boston Post (America’s largest-circulation daily newspaper) gave him an enduring nickname: “THE MAN WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS FOR THE CHILDREN”.[18]
On January 23, 1961, Alfred Carlton Gilbert suffered a heart attack and died the following day.[19] Many American newspapers ran obituaries (ibid., 186). The Erector name later passed to the Meccano Company (now Meccano Toys Ltd, Gilbert’s original rival), which continues to sell Erector sets today.[20]
By 1967, the A.C. Gilbert Company had lost $20 million.[21] Early in 1967, the company laid off its final workers and closed its factory doors in New Haven, Connecticut, after 58 years of operation. [22] The Erector Set is still sold today, including at Walmart.[23]
The Erector Set has delighted millions over the years. Gilbert achieved great success in athletics and won lasting fame for his performance at the 1908 Olympics. During World War I, he raised Americans’ spirits and helped prevent a ban on toy sales during the 1918 holiday season. A.C. Gilbert truly left a positive legacy in business, sports, and educational toys.
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References
Gilbert, A.C. and McClintock, Marshall. The Man Who Lives in Paradise. New York, New York: Rinehart & Company, Incorporated, 1954.
Lemelson-MIT. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “A.C. Gilbert-Erector Set-Consumer Devices”. Accessed July 24, 2026. https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/ac-gilbert.
McAlister, Mary Ann Nelson, and Robert Young. The Magic of A.C. Gilbert. Chambersburg, Pennsylvania: Real Writing Press, 2011.
Walmart.com. “Erector Sets STEM model Building Toys Ferris Wheel Model Kit Gifts for Kids Age 8-16 Blue”. Accessed August 5, 2026. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Erector-Sets-STEM-Model-Building-Toys-Ferris-Wheel-Model-Kit-Gifts-for-Kids-Age-8-16-Blue/5372776830.
Watson, Bruce. The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made: The Life and Times of A.C. Gilbert, the Man Who Saved Christmas. New York, New York: Penguin Books, 2002.
[1] Watson, Bruce, The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made: The Life and Times of A.C. Gilbert, the Man Who Saved Christmas. New York, New York: Penguin Books, 2002. 29.
[2] McAlister, Mary Ann Nelson, and Robert Young. The Magic of A.C. Gilbert. Chambersburg, Pennsylvania: Real Writing Press, 2011. 6.
[3] Watson, Bruce, The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made: The Life and Times of A.C. Gilbert, the Man Who Saved Christmas. New York, New York: Penguin Books, 2002. 33.
[4] McAlister, Mary Ann Nelson, and Robert Young. The Magic of A.C. Gilbert. Chambersburg, Pennsylvania: Real Writing Press, 2011. 26.
[5] Watson, Bruce, The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made: The Life and Times of A.C. Gilbert, the Man Who Saved Christmas. New York, New York: Penguin Books, 2002. 35 to 36.
[6] Watson, Bruce, The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made: The Life and Times of A.C. Gilbert, the Man Who Saved Christmas. New York, New York: Penguin Books, 2002. 43 to 44.
[7] Watson, Bruce, The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made: The Life and Times of A.C. Gilbert, the Man Who Saved Christmas. New York, New York: Penguin Books, 2002. 47.
[8] Watson, Bruce, The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made: The Life and Times of A.C. Gilbert, the Man Who Saved Christmas. New York, New York: Penguin Books, 2002. 47 to 48.
[9] McAlister, Mary Ann Nelson, and Robert Young. The Magic of A.C. Gilbert. Chambersburg, Pennsylvania: Real Writing Press, 2011. 13 to 14.
[10] Lemelson-MIT. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “A.C. Gilbert-Erector Set-Consumer Devices” . Accessed July 24th, 2026. https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/ac-gilbert .
[11] Watson, Bruce, The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made : The Life and Times of A.C. Gilbert, the Man Who Saved Christmas. New York, New York: Penguin Books, 2002. 4 to 5.
[12] Watson, Bruce, The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made: The Life and Times of A.C. Gilbert, the Man Who Saved Christmas. New York, New York: Penguin Books, 2002. 56.
[13] Gilbert, A.C. and McClintock, Marshall. The Man Who Lives in Paradise. New York, New York: Rinehart & Company, Incorporated, 1954. 151.
[14] Gilbert, A.C. and McClintock, Marshall. The Man Who Lives in Paradise. New York, New York: Rinehart & Company, Incorporated, 1954. 151 to 152; Watson, Bruce, The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made: The Life and Times of A.C. Gilbert, the Man Who Saved Christmas. New York, New York: Penguin Books, 2002. 95 to 96.
[15] Watson, Bruce, The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made: The Life and Times of A.C. Gilbert, the Man Who Saved Christmas. New York, New York: Penguin Books, 2002. 95 to 96.
[16] Watson, Bruce, The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made: The Life and Times of A.C. Gilbert, the Man Who Saved Christmas. New York, New York: Penguin Books, 2002. 99 to 100.
[17] Watson, Bruce, The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made: The Life and Times of A.C. Gilbert, the Man Who Saved Christmas. New York, New York: Penguin Books, 2002. 95 to 96 and 99 to 101.
[18] Watson, Bruce, The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made: The Life and Times of A.C. Gilbert, the Man Who Saved Christmas. New York, New York: Penguin Books, 2002. 101 to 102.
[19] Watson, Bruce, The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made: The Life and Times of A.C. Gilbert, the Man Who Saved Christmas. New York, New York: Penguin Books, 2002. 186.
[20] Lemelson-MIT. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “A.C. Gilbert-Erector Set-Consumer Devices” . Accessed July 24th, 2026. https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/ac-gilbert .
[21] Watson, Bruce, The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made: The Life and Times of A.C. Gilbert, the Man Who Saved Christmas. New York, New York: Penguin Books, 2002. 4 and 191.
[22] Watson, Bruce, The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made : The Life and Times of A.C. Gilbert, the Man Who Saved Christmas. New York, New York: Penguin Books, 2002. 5 and 191.
[23] Walmart.com. “Erector Sets STEM model Building Toys Ferris Wheel Model Kit Gifts for Kids Age 8-16 Blue”. Accessed, August 5th, 2026. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Erector-Sets-STEM-Model-Building-Toys-Ferris-Wheel-Model-Kit-Gifts-for-Kids-Age-8-16-Blue/5372776830?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=101506113&wmlspartner=wlpa&cn=FY25-ENTP-PMAX_cnv_dps_dsn_dis_ad_entp_e_n&gclsrc=aw.ds&adid=222222222975372776830_101506113_0000000000_21407473164&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=&wl4=&wl5=9006720&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=5310701070&wl11=online&wl12=5372776830_101506113&veh=sem&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21690411341&gbraid=0AAAAADmfBIphNrgF1335ZnR53rrMv-6Mr&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwKOQ_LaMlgMVQHFHAR3y7hb9EAQYAiABEgK2X_D_BwE
