MOLDVILLE is not affiliated with Mold-A-Rama, Inc. of Brookfield IL
1950s photos of J.H. MILLER Mfg. Co.
J.H. "Tike" Miller, inventor of the Mold-A-Rama of L.A. machine in 1957 (See 'The Patent' under 'The Machine' drop down on the left side of this website.) This photo, and the photos below, were all taken during the 'chalkware' era of J.H. MILLER Mfg. Co.
Ruth Dudley (left), C. "Major" Majerus (right) & Frank Dutt (below) were the artists behind much of what JH Miller made. They designed many of the chalkware figures, as well as the plastic dinosaur, jungle animals, and nativity figures that were sold by J.H. Miller from late 1955 through 1959. Ruth Dudley and Major Majerus appear to be inspecting nativity figures in what seems to be an artist studio. (Note various nativity products on the shelf along with an unknown bust left corner of shelf.)
Here's a closer view of the left corner of the shelf in the artist studio showing the unknown bust figures.
Here sculptor Frank Dutt appears to be reviewing the J.H. Miller company catalog.
Some fantastic images of the factory floor. All images are courtesy JH Miller's nephew Kip Miller.
The chalkware products were made from plaster poured into rubber molds.
The chalkware statues were each individually hand painted, as would be the blow-molded plastic figures to follow in the late 1950s (made from the manufacturing version of Mold-A-Rama, Inc' of L.A. machines.)
FRAGILE HANDLE WITH CARE!
This box looks like it is being taped shut, ready for delivery to a happy customer!
This must be the worker who adds the little rifles to the Korean War soldiers (note the pile of rifles on the table in front of her.) Note also the nativity stable on top of the shelves.
This image, from 1958, shows Tike Miller's older brother Max E. Miller (sitting) with his son Kip holding a J.H. Miller TRICERATOPS (hot off the molding machines no doubt.) Max ran J.H. Miller's factory in Puerto Rico, and is credited as the designer of the figure molded by the one (and only one) moldset design known to have survived from the J.H. Miller Mfg. Co. (See bottom of page below for more information about that original J.H. Miller moldset.)
Outside the factory. I love the vintage cars!
One - and only one - moldset design is known to have survived from the J.H. Miller Mfg. Co. era (for wax plastic OR chalkware). Long ago (in 1959) the JH Miller company declared bankruptcy, and thereafter Tike Miller assisted Mold-A-Rama, Inc. of L.A. in adapting his patented invention for coin operated use, which began in 1962.
Removing any doubt that Miller's Earth Invaders (aka 'Miller Aliens') were made on the early manufacturing version of Mold-A-Rama' of L.A. machines - the J.H. Miller moldset for one Miller Alien (PURPLE PEOPLE EATER) is EXACTLY the same width and height as the 'standard' sized commercial moldset used by Mold-A-Rama of L.A. throughout the 1960s.