Matchbox Toys

Matchbox toys, matchbox toy cars and matchbox toy airplanes and more!

Although the Matchbox name was to become an iconic brand in its own right, it was just that – a brand name. It was instigated and sustained by the parent company Lesney Products, who were a quintessential post-war British start up, complete with an obligatory portmanteau name. Founded by Leslie and Rodney Smith, a pair of former Royal Navy men (who were not related), the original intention was not to move in to toy production, but having been commissioned to produce parts for a toy gun it soon became apparent that there was a growing market to be exploited.

It was the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 that provided the real financial impetus behind subsequent growth, as enormous sales of a Lesney model of the coronation coach proved very lucrative indeed. Rodney Smith, with a distinct lack of foresight, had left the company by this time, and a former tenant of the original business premises, Jack Odell, had become a partner in his stead. In this same year, Odell first posited the use of the name Matchbox for a new range of scaled-down models and production started almost immediately.

The model range mirrored that of the existing competitors – service vehicles, commercial trucks, agricultural and construction models and cars, both racing vehicles and domestic models. It was the small size which set the Matchbox toys apart, though, and the commensurately lesser price meant that they were ideally placed to acquire a disproportionately large share of the pocket-money market.

By the end of the first decade of trading under the new name, Matchbox was the world leader, outstripping Corgi and Dinky and enjoying an almost total monopoly of the small-scale end of the market. There were ongoing changes to the range of models in production – slightly larger versions, featuring more detail and innovated design features, and then bigger still which were intended to go head to head with those produced by other retailers

This competitive approach, however, worked both ways, and Matchbox found their market share diminishing – especially in the United States – when ‘home-grown’ alternatives such as Mattel’s Hot Wheels range and Topper Corps’ Johnny Lightning models were to become dominant.

Further innovation from Matchbox during the 1970’s restored their pre-eminence, and the company flourished until the same downturn which affected the entire sector proved terminal, and Lesney were bankrupted in 1982. Overseas investment – and relocation to the far east – kept the Matchbox name alive to the point that it was acquired by one-time rivals Mattel. The company sought the same solutions as their competitors – producing special ‘collectors edition’ models in limited numbers – although more recent developments have been considerably more worthy with the creation of ‘environmentally friendly’ models, and ranges of electric vehicles.