While as grown-ups we see cars largely as machines that help our lives run smoothly, for many of us, they were once simply fun – if they came with the word ‘Matchbox’ stamped on the base. Those little cars never ran out of petrol, and didn’t require you to hunt around for such things as low cost insurance or breakdown cover for Europe.
The Matchbox brand is still going strong, and this year is marking its 60th anniversary.
The idea for Matchbox toys came from a certain Jack Odel, whose daughter’s school forbid toys to be brought in that were larger than a matchbox. In response, he started developing toys that could fit inside such a space.
The company launched in 1953 with just 3 models, which compared to today’s counterparts were simplistically detailed. But additional features soon arrived in the form of wing mirrors and plastic windscreens.
In the sixties, the firm was producing 250,000 toys a week in its 14 London factories, making it the fourth largest toymaker in Europe.
Today, total production has exceeded one billion – and despite competition from digital toys such as games consoles, the brand remains extremely popular.
Like most British car companies, Matchbox was sold to a foreign firm in the form of Universal Toys (USA) in 1982. It is now owned by Mattel.
Matchbox toys are perhaps a reminder of what driving used to be about – fun. We might be well-advised to capture a little of that childhood magic in our real-life driving, without crashing into the skirting board, of course.
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