Little Miss Matchbox

Little Miss Matchbox Blonde Doll available @ Time’s Tin Cup !

Matchbox is a popular toy brand which was introduced by Lesney Products in 1953, partners were: Leslie Smith, Rodney Smith, and John “Jack” Odell. Matchbox is now owned by Mattel, Inc.

The brand was given its name because the original die-cast “Matchbox” toys were sold in boxes similar to those in which matches were sold.

Box of a Model by Lesney – HatTip Luekk

There are two great stories on the origins of why these toys were sold, scaled down to fit in a matchbox. Both stories originate with Jack Odell’s daughter, Annie.

First story is Jack Odell’s daughter, Annie kept bringing home spiders and creepy-crawlies inside a matchbox. He was determined to create toys to fit inside the matchbox to stop her from bringing the creepy-crawlies home.

The second story is Jack Odell’s daughter, Annie was only allowed to bring toys into school that were small enough to fit inside a matchbox for play time.

Either way, it was Annie’s influence that brings us to these much beloved scaled down toys!