Matchbox

The Matchbox name started in 1953 as a brand name of the now-defunct British Lesney toy company, founded 1n 1947. later that year they received a request for parts to a toy gun, which proved to be a viable alternative in the low periods of industrial business, and they began making die-cast models. The great shift was a toy that Odell designed for his daughter: her school only allowed children to bring toys that could fit inside a matchbox, so he crafted a scaled down version of a Lesney green and red road roller, thus becoming the first of the 1:75 miniature range.

Lesney Toys went bankrupt on June 11, 1982, went into receivership, and the Matchbox brand name was sold to Universal Toys. Although no longer British-owned, matchboxes still felt British, with limited production in England continuing until the mid-'80s. In May 1992, Universal sold the brand to Tyco Toys, whose toy division in turn was bought out by Mattel in 1996, uniting Matchbox with its long-time rival Hot Wheels. The smaller versions are approximately 1:64 scale and are the form most often seen in toy stores. However, Matchbox has also manufactured cars in 1:43 scale, called 'Major' or 'Super Kings', which are still made, but are primarily marketed as collectibles rather than toys.