The company says its Hudson, Ohio plant is the oldest and largest toy manufacturing plant in the US.

In an event scheduled for this Friday, Isaac Larian, chief executive of MGA Entertainment and owner of Little Tikes, will present Little Tikes’ founder, Thomas G. Murdough, Jr., with a plaque to honour Little Tikes’ heritage, the company said.

The business “has brought smiles and happiness to children all over the world,” Isaac said in a statement. “Little Tikes’ ingenuity has created the biggest toy manufacturing facility in the USA and continues to produce toys built to last. In fact, a childhood favourite – the Cozy Coupe – still offers drivers zero gas mileage and ranks as one of America’s best-selling cars of all time.”

Thomas G. Murdough Jr. also founded toy makers Step2 Co. and Simplay3, both based in Streetsboro, Ohio, not far from Hudson-based Little Tikes. All the businesses are in Northeastern Ohio.

The anniversary celebration will also include tours of a company museum. Little Tikes was founded in 1969 in Hudson, where it manufactures moulded plastic toys.