What Is a Matchbox Car?
Matchbox cars are a brand of miniature diecast cars and trucks owned by Mattel Inc. The miniature cars were once packaged in small cardboard boxes, resembling a box of wooden matches, and were named after this likeness.
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History
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The Matchbox car series was started in 1953 by British toy company Lesney Products. Lesney Products started out as an industrial diecasting company in 1947 and soon began exclusively producing toys. The first Matchbox car produced was a model of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation coach. The big breakthrough came when Jack Odell, a co-owner of the company and the primary model maker, produced a miniature diecast car for his daughter to bring to a school that only allowed toys that fit inside a box of matches. This miniature model was a hit with the schoolchildren. Lesney decided to create more miniature models.
1-75 Series
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Matchbox started to create a uniformity across its miniature diecast car models by 1968. The cars were roughly 3 inches long, with plastic interiors and windows, a diecast body with opening doors and a hood. These early cars, modeled after British automobiles, are referred to as the 1-75 Series.
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Expansion
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As Matchbox became the dominant player in miniature diecast models, it began to expand and introduce lines. The Models of Yesteryear offered miniature replicas of classic cars and the earliest motor vehicles. Major Packs and the King Size series offered larger-sized models of construction and passenger vehicles. Accessories introduced garages and gasoline fuel stations to use in play with the models.
Mattel
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Matchbox had a stronghold on the British market, but soon faced great competition throughout the 1970s. The Hot Wheels company, owned by Mattel Inc., emerged in the American marketplace with miniature diecast models of American cars, dominating the U.S. market where Matchbox sales could not compete. By 1982, Matchbox went bankrupt. It was bought by another toy company, Universal International Group, rebranded as Matchbox International Limited and went public. In 1992, Universal International Group sold the brand to Tyco Toys. In 1997, Tyco's toy division became part of Mattel and the Matchbox brand aligned with Hot Wheels.
Comeback
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After reorganizing with Hot Wheels, Matchbox re-emerged with classic collectibles, repackaging special edition versions of its earliest models. Moving forward, Matchbox continues to sell special-edition collectible sets and plans to reintroduce the original matchbook box packaging.
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