Lesney Products facts for kids
Former "Lesney Matchbox Toys" factory pictured in 2009
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| Industry | Toy |
|---|---|
| Fate | Company defunct, Matchbox brand remained after being acquired by Universal Toys |
| Founded | 1947 |
| Founder | Leslie Smith Rodney Smith |
| Defunct | 1982 |
| Headquarters |
United Kingdom
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|
Area served
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Worldwide |
| Products | Die-cast cars, commercial vehicles |
| Brands | Matchbox |
Lesney Products & Co. Ltd. was a British company that made popular toy cars and trucks. They were famous for creating the "Matchbox" brand. The company operated from 1947 until 1982. Lesney made toys using a process called die-casting. This is where melted metal is poured into molds to create detailed shapes.
Contents
The Story of Lesney Products
How Lesney Started
Lesney was founded on January 19, 1947. It was started by two friends, Leslie Smith and Rodney Smith. They were not related. They had been school friends and served in the Royal Navy during World War II. The name "Lesney" came from combining parts of their names.
Soon after starting, Rodney Smith introduced his partner to John "Jack" Odell. Jack was an engineer. He joined the company as a partner in the same year.
From Pub to Factory
Lesney first started in an old pub in north London. As the company grew, they moved several times. They finally settled in a factory in Hackney. This place became well-known for making Lesney toys.
In late 1947, Lesney received an order for parts for a toy gun. This showed them that making toys could be a good idea. They started making die-cast model toys the next year. Rodney Smith left the company in 1951.
Early Toy Successes
The first toy Lesney made in 1948 was a road roller. It was a small model based on a larger toy from another company called Dinky Toy. This toy showed that vehicles were a popular theme. Other vehicle models followed, like a covered wagon and a soap-box racer.
A big success for Lesney was making a model of the Royal State Coach in 1953. This was the year Queen Elizabeth II became queen. They made two sizes. The smaller model sold over a million units! The money from these sales helped Lesney grow even more.
The Birth of Matchbox Toys
The most important step for Lesney was the creation of the Matchbox toy line. Jack Odell designed a tiny version of the Lesney green and red road roller for his daughter, Annie. The story goes that Annie's school only allowed toys that could fit inside a matchbox. So, Odell made her a toy that fit perfectly.
This idea led to selling the small models in replica matchboxes. This is how the famous "Matchbox" name was born! The road roller became the first toy in the Matchbox 1-75 miniature range. Other early models included a dump truck, a cement mixer, and a Massey Harris Tractor.
Growth and Challenges
In the beginning, Lesney worked with a company called "Moko" to sell their toys. You could see "A Moko Lesney product" written on the boxes. Later, Lesney bought Moko. From then on, they sold products under their own name.
The company grew a lot and made huge profits. In 1966, Lesney received the Queen's Award for Industry. By the mid-1960s, Matchbox was the biggest brand of die-cast model vehicles in the world. They also made many different toy series.
However, Lesney faced tough times due to economic problems in Britain. On July 11, 1982, Lesney went bankrupt. Other toy companies like Mettoy (who made Corgi) and Meccano (who made Dinky) also faced similar problems.
The Matchbox brand and Lesney's tools were bought by Universal Holdings/Universal Toys. The company was renamed "Matchbox International Ltd." Production moved to Macau. Jack Odell started a new company called Lledo. He made models similar to the early Matchbox Models of Yesteryear. Since 1996, the Matchbox brand has been owned by Mattel, the company that makes Hot Wheels. Some of the original tools from the Lesney era were still used to make Matchbox toys as late as 2007.
Other Lesney Toys
Even though Lesney is known for Matchbox, they made other toys before and during the Matchbox era. These toys were not sold under the Matchbox name. Today, many of these items are highly collectible. They include:
- Road Roller (1947): This toy was later made smaller to become Matchbox no. 1.
- Cement Mixer (1948): Later scaled down to become Matchbox no. 3.
- Caterpillar Crawler (1948): Later scaled down to become Matchbox no. 8.
- Caterpillar Bulldozer (1948): Later scaled down to become Matchbox no. 18.
- Milk Float (1949): This was the first toy made in Lesney's second factory. It was later scaled down to become Matchbox no. 7.
- Soap-Box Racer (1949)
- Rag & Bone Cart (1949)
- Prime Mover & Trailer (1950): Used in different sizes later for Matchbox models.
- Jumbo the Elephant (1950): A toy that moved with clockwork.
- Muffin the Mule (1951): A puppet animal based on a TV show.
- Large Royal State Coach (1951 & 1952): The first version had figures of a king and queen.
- Small Royal State Coach [Coronation Coach] (1953): This was the first big seller for Lesney.
- Massey-Harris Tractor (1954): This was a very well-made Lesney toy. It was later scaled down to become Matchbox no. 4.
- Conestoga Covered Wagon (1954)
