MATCHBOX
SMALL CARS TO HUGE SUCCESS
Matchbox was introduced in 1953 by Lesney Products, an English die-cast company founded by Leslie Smith, Rodney Smith, and engineer Jack Odell. Matchbox got its unique name from a school project created by Odell for his daughter: a miniature version of an Aveling-Barford road roller that had to be small enough to fit inside a matchbox due to the school’s regulations. This sparked ideas and made its way into the Matchbox line, producing perfectly scaled vehicles that can fit into a matchbox. Some of the early-era packaging even featured a real striker for matches, emphasizing the matchbox concept. Selling at not just toy stores, but in tobacconists, newsagents, and sweet shops because of the affordability and convenient retail displays, the matchbox theme was a massive success.
EVOLVING WITH THE TIMES
In the late 1960’s is when Matchbox started to face more competition from companies such as Dinky, Johnny Lightning, and predominantly, Mattel’s Hot Wheels, which debuted in 1968. Matchbox responded to the new flashy muscle cars with their Superfast line in 1969, featuring faster axles, low-friction wheels, and racing-inspired paint jobs. Ironically enough, both Matchbox and Hot Wheels ended up working under the same corporate umbrella together when Tyco Toys acquired Matchbox in 1992 and Mattel purchased Tyco in 1997. Matchbox still remains a staple in the toy industry today, expanding into different realms such as planes and military vehicles while still focusing on the realism of licensed real-world cars and utility vehicles.
