From the 1870's until World War II, cast iron was popular in toy making. Many early cast-iron toys were decorated by dipping the pieces in a basic paint color and then hand painting the details. The vast majority of cast-iron toys were made in the United States. Many late 19th century toys were patterned after vehicles no longer in use. After 1900 there were accurate examples of popular vechicles of the day. Hubley, Arcade and Dent were well-known producers of the day.