Oct. 30--If you want a toy manufactured in the United States, there's a good chance it will have ties to Northeast Ohio.

Local entrepreneur Thomas Murdough is responsible for two of the biggest names in children's toys -- Little Tikes and Step2 -- being in Akron's backyard.

Murdough established Little Tikes Co. in Hudson in 1970. Less than a decade later, it had made its mark with an American cultural icon, the Cozy Coupe ride-in car.

By 1983, sales rose to $42.9 million, attracting the attention of Rubbermaid Inc., which acquired the company.

Murdough continued to work for Rubbermaid, but disagreements over marketing led to his resignation in 1989.

In 1991, Murdough launched the symbolically named Step2 and started making home and garden products in Streetsboro. Popular items included mailboxes and rolling seats for gardeners.

When a non-compete agreement with Little Tikes ended in the mid-1990s, Murdough was free to make toys again.

In the years since, Step2 has become the largest U.S. toy manufacturer, with all of its products made at its Streetsboro headquarters and factory, an Ashland County plant and a third facility in Georgia.

Murdough retired three years ago, and Step2 was acquired by a New York financial group called Liberty Partners.

In this Beacon Journal Business feature about locally made or locally owned consumer brands, here's this week's shopping list:

Truck caps and covers

-- A.R.E. employs 550 at its Massillon plant and headquarters, where it makes fiberglass truck caps and covers, as well as aluminum commercial work truck caps for anyone who owns a pickup truck. Local retailers that sell A.R.E. truck caps and covers are R&S Truck Caps of Akron Inc. (2598 S. Main St., Coventry Township) and A Better Truck Cap & Hitch in Medina (1543 Medina Road).

Eye wear

-- AlphaMicron motorcycle helmet visors and ski goggles, designed and made in Kent, use liquid crystal display technology to allow users to change tints with the tap of a button. The headgear is available through the company (http://www.alphamicron.com) as well as some specialty retailers.

The company, which employs 40, also makes auto-dimming rearview mirrors for cars and is close to introducing high-end sunglasses and a paintball mask with similar features.

Headphones

-- Audio-Technica noise-canceling headphones have beaten Bose products in some recent national reviews. The U.S. headquarters for the Japanese-owned company is in Stow, where about 100, including engineers and sales staff, are employed.