Sun Rubber founded on April 4, 1923 first manufactured toy hot water bottles. Sun soon moved into the production of rubber dolls and squeak toys. By 1950 Sun Rubber, through multiple expansions of the plant, had become the largest producer of rubber dolls in the world.

Through licensing agreements with companies like Gerber and Disney, Sun Rubber produced a line of Gerber doll babies and Disney crib and wheeled toys featuring the popular Disney characters. Floating Disney soap dishes for the bathtub and a full line of basketballs and footballs were also produced.

When World War II began, the rubber imported by Sun for its toys, was diverted into wartime production of gas masks and rubber protective clothing. Sun Rubber dove into war time production and even produced a Mickey Mouse gas mask for children who were caught up in the war. Staffing at the Sun Rubber Plant expanded from 500 to 1200 over three shifts during World War II. Many women worked in the plant during and after the war.

In 1949 Sun Rubber was one of the first companies to produce a black baby doll, which was based on the radio show Amos and Andy. The Amosandra doll was produced within a week of the on “air birth” from the radio show. The Amosandra doll was produced by noted doll artist, Ruth E. Newton. The doll came with accessories such as a baby bottle and a gold embossed birth certificate, predating the idea of the Cabbage Patch Dolls marketed with a birth certificate by 35+ years.

In 1956, after 33 years in business, Sun Rubber still employed over 700 workers and was one of Barberton’s largest employers. Many people from Barberton had one or more family workers working at Sun Rubber and their children all tell stories about how the workers were allowed to bring home toys that were “seconds” from the factory.