The Marvelous History of Toys for Tots

Nearly 80 years ago, one small act of kindness helped launch a charitable organization that distributes 18 million toys to 7 million less fortunate children, annually. In 1947, Marine Corps Reserve Major Bill Hendricks’ wife Diane tried to donate some homemade Raggedy Ann dolls to needy children but failed to find an organization to do so. At her suggestion, Hendricks gathered a group of Marines to collect and distribute some 5,000 toys for local children.  

Their efforts proved so successful that Toys for Tots was launched as a national campaign the following year. Using his civilian job as Director of Public Relations at Warner Brothers Studios, Hendricks was able to enlist the support of many celebrities. Walt Disney even designed the first Toys for Tots poster of a miniature three-car train, which was subsequently adopted as the official Toys for Tots logo. In 1956, a theme song for the program was recorded by Nat King Cole, Jo Stafford, Peggy Lee, among others.

Toys for Tots’ mission is “to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November, and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted.” The stated goal of the charitable organization is to “deliver, through a new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to less fortunate youngsters that will assist them in becoming responsible, productive, and patriotic citizens.” Today, local Toys for Tots campaigns are set up all around the world in various drop locations allowing millions of people to contribute to the holiday spirit.