Tricky Dogs Toy

Q: When I was a kid in the early ’50s, my cousin gave me a pair of plastic magnetic dogs. I remember playing with them on the coffee table in my living room. The magnets on the bottom of each dog attracted them together. The dogs were Scotties?one black and one white. Do you have any information on this toy?such as who made it?

A: We can’t be sure who made your dog magnets, but we can tell you that the toy was introduced as ‘Tricky Dogs’ by H. Fishlove & Co. in 1949. It was wildly popular and led the company to make other magnet pairs, including Ma and Pa (battling spouses) and Battling Pals (a donkey and elephant). Other makers copied the original dogs, however, and your pair may have been a copy. These toys have not yet been discovered by collectors. A pair of Fishlove Tricky Dogs in the original box sells for just a few dollars.