Club Clips

When Louis A. Corcoran, of Kent, Mich., started a pressed metal company in the early 1920s to make special “no-neck” sanitary milk cans, little did he know his company would become well known for making metal toys, especially (Dale Robbins, editor). The article, “The Cor-Cor Grahams, Part 1” by Michael Keller, enlightens readers on the rise of the Corcoran ventures in metal fabrication and its shift into producing scooters and tricycles for use by juveniles. Distribution was by the Strobel-Wilken Co. of New York City. It became clear that those items sold much better than milk cans. In 1927, the idea shifted to making large and sturdy pressed-steel toys on a major scale to sustain rough play by children. The products would be known as Cor-Cor, made in Washington, Ind. Perhaps the first encounter of such items by the automotive Graham brothers’ family was a Cor-Cor scooter, which David, son of Robert C. Graham, recalled using in play. In the 1920s, the company made several models of vehicles: a moving van, delivery truck, fire chemical truck, bus and dump truck. Strobel-Wilken continued distribution. Requests were received from four continents. For 1932, the classy Graham Blue Streak Cor-Cor toy car was offered, coinciding with the full-size car’s introduction. Keller, respected for his marvelous books on Graham history, concludes that Graham dealerships were hard pressed in the troubled early years of The Great Depression. Ergo, Cor-Cor offered the Blue Streak in varied colors, which allowed for dealerships to display the range in miniature for potential buyers to see, rather than placing several full-size cars in showrooms. “Three versions were produced, two for the Graham-Paige showrooms and another for toy store outlets,” notes Keller. This was a logical connection since, as he puts it, Mr. Corcoran and Joseph plus Robert Graham conducted business in the same community and were friends. To promote this connection, the cover of the issue shows a significant display of 16 Cor-Cor Grahams in the collection of Ray Heuval. Also in this issue is an article by Keller on phonograph disc recordings issued by Graham-Paige, one being a limited release “special record” by Victor (a copy of which this “Club Clips” columnist proudly plays).