Mattel produced some beautiful tinplate toys when I was a child in the
early 1950s. I have three clocks, an Easter Egg and _three_ pies -- none
of which work. They were crimped, not screwed down. I have a feeling the
rubber belt that drove the mechanism rotted over the years.

I am curious about the patent on these as they _could_ be marketed again
by another company with better materials. They would have to be marketed
to "Adults Only" because of the stupid hazardous material laws against
tinplate.

But does anyone know where the drawings could be obtained, since no toy
came with a parts list or schematics. I believe they were also called
"plink-plunks". Does anyone out there have any information about these
amazing toys and why they are not being reproduced as an "Adults Only"?
And does anyone have a list of drawings?

Here is what I found at https://en.everybodywiki.com/Ted_Duncan_(inventor) 
Inventor Ted Duncan was granted his first U.S. Patent in 1939 while still
working full time in radio, film and recordings. He continued designing
and patenting devices including a mechanical toy, a whistling toy,
a moisture proof salt shaker, a game toy.

Duncan thought musical toys should be something that every family should
be able to afford. Up to that time, music in toys was confined to Swiss
music boxes that were handmade and expensive. His solution was to design
a musical device that could be cheaply mass-produced to high quality
standards and was small enough to fit into a child's toy. This resulted
in a hand-cranked rubber belt that plucked a music comb to produce its
sound. He patented this device in 1947.

With his new invention in hand he approached a small Los Angeles company
which had developed a toy piano that had been a sensation at the New
York Toy Fair. The owners of the company, Ruth and Elliot Handler,
licensed the Duncan patent and so began what would become the world's
largest toy company: Mattel Incorporated.

He worked with the Handlers and their staff to design and develop the
machinery and materials to mass-produce the Mattel Music Box. Duncan
arranged music so that it could be transferred to the rubber belt
device. Duncan and his wife, Golda, wrote supplemental words for the
traditional Nursery Rhymes which were a part of the successful Mattel
Musical Books.

Subsequent to his collaboration with Mattel, Duncan was granted patents
for the Duncan Voice Box, a small hand cranked record player for use in
toys and another musical device of which millions were sold by his own
company, Ted Duncan, Inc.

After selling his company, Duncan continued in the research and
development of new and useful devices for children's toys. His last
patent was granted in 1968. His last musical work was a march
commissioned for the University of Southern California Symphonic Band:
They Called It USA! [(C) 3 Feb. 1964 Ted Duncan (Theodore R. Duncan)]

1939 Patent No. 2,169,682 Mechanical Toy;
1948 Patent No. 2,439,799 Salt shaker;
1949 Patent No. 2,439,799 Whistling Toy;
1949 Patent No. 2,485,143 Game Piece;
1950 Patent No. 2,493,119 Musical Instrument;
1950 Patent No. 2,504,666 Melody Comb;
1951 Patent No. 2,562,896 Music Comb;
1953 Patent No. 2,630,655 Musical Toy Vehicle;
1953 Patent No. 2,647,427 Music Box Comb;
1953 Patent No. 2,649,652 Method for Making Melody Combs;
1956 Patent No. 2,759,387 Toy Piano;
1958 Patent No. 2,837,340 Mechanical Sound Recording Device;
1959 Patent No. 2,876,670 Music Comb with Cast Base;
1959 Patent No. 2,886,328 Toy phonograph mechanism;
1959 Patent No. 2,916,959 Music Comb Mounting;
1960 Patent No. 2,942,888 Toy Phonograph;
1960 Patent No. 2,942,889 Phonograph device;
1960 Patent No. 2,961,911 Drive Mechanism for Music Boxes;
1961 Patent No. 2,975,664 Music Comb with cantilever;
1968 Patent No. 3,410,564 Miniature Phonograph.

Thank you,
Candy Hawblitz
Owenton, Kentucky

 [ Many of Duncan's patents and licensees are listed at
 [ https://www.patentguru.com/inventor/duncan-theodore-r 
 [ -- Robbie