Maine Governor Paul LePage announced Wednesday that production of the toy — always made from real wood — will move almost entirely to Pride Manufacturing, a company that deals with wood products in Burnham, Maine. The company also creates wooden golf accessories and wooden cigar tips.
Previously, Lincoln Logs were manufactured in China, but when production starts to increase in November, about 80 percent of the toy will be made at Pride Manufacturing. The other 20 percent, mostly plastic pieces, will still be made in China, according to Randy Dicker, senior director of manufacturing.
K’Nex currently holds the Lincoln Logs license, The company’s senior vice president said “We couldn’t be happier to bring these jobs back to the United States and specifically to Maine,” according to the Associated Press.
The Press Herald reports that the number of employees in the U.S. wood-working sector has dropped for several years — however, that trend has reversed recently. The number has increased from 332,200 in 2011 (the lowest in 10 years) to 367,400 in June 2014.
Lincoln Logs were invented in 1916 by John Lloyd Wright, son of the renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. From the 1970s through to the 1990s, Lincoln Logs were made entirely from plastic, but are now once again made from wood.
Lincoln Logs were inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame in 1999.
