Company Profile: Matchbox
Matchbox is a die cast cars and airplanes brand owned by Mattel, Inc. that started in 1952 by Leslie Smith (March 6, 1918-May 26, 2005) and Rodney Smith as the now-defunct British Lesney Toys company. (The two men were not related; they had been school friends and served together in the Royal Navy during World War II.) The Matchbox name was once widely used by the public as a generic name for all die cast toy cars measuring approximately 2.5 inches (6.5 cm) in length, regardless of brand.
Matchbox is so named because of the small boxes in which the products were packed, like those for matches. In the 1970s, Matchbox switched to the more conventional, plastic and cardboard wrapping style ("blister packs") used for other die cast cars.
The Matchbox/Lesney factory was a major employer around Rochford, Essex, although in 1990 the company relocated to Rugby in the West Midlands.
Matchbox cars are made in two sizes. The smaller versions are approximately 1:64 scale and measure about 2.5 inches, or 6.5 centimeters, in length, and are the form most often seen in toy stores. However, Matchbox has also manufactured cars in 1:43 scale, which measure about 3.5 inches, or 9 centimeters, in length. Matchbox's designers favored this larger size because it permitted more detail. The 1:43 cars are still made, but are primarily marketed as collectibles, rather than as toys.
 Lesney Toys went bankrupt on June 11, 1982, and went into receivership. The Matchbox brand name was then sold to Universal Toys, although some of the Matchbox tooling became property of Lesney co-founder Jack Odell, who continued to market Matchbox-like products under the Lledo brand name. Allthough no longer British-owned, matchboxes still felt British, with limited production in England continuing until the mid-1980's, and the re-using of many old Lesney castings. Matchbox expanded beyond die cast cars into other markets, with mixed success, and by 1992, Universal was also seeking a buyer. 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 longtime rival Hot Wheels under the same corporate banner.
 Today, Matchbox is one of the only producers of new Jeep® brand toy diecast vehicles. They have produced everything from the CJ-2A to the Jeep® Rescue and Hurricane concept vehicles of today. Many collectors seek to fill their collections with Matchbox Jeep® vehicles due to their incredible detail and schematics. More recently, several collectors have been customizing and outfitting their Matchbox Jeeps to match that of their own. It is becoming a very popular thing to do with since the world of 4x4's is ever-growing.
For more resources about Matchbox vehicles please check out some of the sources below.
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