The Matchbox Car Story

Matchbox is a popular British toy brand which was introduced by Lesney Products in 1953, and 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. The brand grew to encompass a broad range of toys, including larger scale die-cast models, plastic model kits, and action figures.
During the 1980s, Matchbox began to switch to the more conventional plastic and cardboard "blister packs" that were used by other die-cast toy brands such as Hot Wheels. The box style packaging was re-introduced for the collectors' market in recent years, particularly with the release of the "35th Anniversary of Superfast" series in 2004.
The script for this video comes from Wikipedia:
en.wikipedia.o...
If you find issues with the content, I encourage you to update the Wikipedia article, so everyone can benefit from your knowledge.
If you like these video and want to support me from just $1 or 80p a month at / bigcar
More information about Matchbox models: www.hobbydb.co...
#matchboxcars

[@mrc7966]

When I was a kid in the late 80s/90s I had hundreds of matchbox cars. None of them were kept packaged, all of them were played with until the paint had worn off, they'd get repainted and passed down to my brothers, then onto cousins and then cousins kids. They're all still around somewhere in the family being played with. The idea of "driving your collectible cars" has stuck with me into my adulthood. I've owned over 30 cars, mostly collectible stuff. None of them were garage queens. Yesterday I drove a 1 of 500 car through a rainy Peak District, I once drove an E-Type Jag' to the supermarket in the snow. All are looked after meticulously but played with until the paint comes off, at which point they get repainted and eventually passed down for somebody else to enjoy after I'm too old to play with them. For me matchbox is where a love of cars began, the toys, the bills, and the love just kept getting bigger as I did!

[@althejazzman]

I'm absolutely with you there. I have a few classic cars, one of which only 60 are left on the road. It doesn't look tidy but runs very well.

[@raymondmartucci2049]

I played with them too. If I knew how some are valued I wouldn't have kept them in good shape.

[@jparky1972]

@@althejazzman If you got the information about your car being only 1 of 60 left from that website. Don't take it as gospel. I've got a "SuperRare" mk2 1.1 Fiesta Festival that I KNOW and have SEEN more of than are registered on that site.

[@althejazzman]

@@jparky1972 It's accurate for what's road legal surely? I realise there could be twice as many sitting in garages and barns. Mine was one of those 3 years ago.

[@stephenwright8824]

Likewise, but in the Seventies and the Eighties.

[@troygillis3499]

My mum worked for lesney in the 70’s she brought me home a new toy everyday! No joke.

[@raymondmartucci2049]

That had to be exciting having your mom to bring home a new car.

[@billmarsh1971]

Maybe your mum and my grandmother worked together. I'd get a new car or three every time I went to visit. Is your mum still alive? If she is could you ask her if she knew of Phyllis Wotton? It would be amazing if she did.

[@troygillis3499]

paul chambers Yea she’s still alive my mum worked in the packaging department in the rexdale Ontario Canada office I remember walking in the front reception and there was a huge round table with all there products displayed, funny how I remembered it so well.

[@billmarsh1971]

@@troygillis3499 ahh, a big organisation and it seems they were an ocean apart. My dear old nan worked at the Abbey Wood site in South East London. Be well, Troy. m.facebook.com/AbbeyWoodHistory/photos/a.239477732734705/2068149279867532/?type=3

[@troygillis3499]

paul chambers thanks Paul

[@MADMAX839]

Perhaps my most treasured of childhood toys.

[@rogerw3818]

When I was a youngster, my Grandmother asked what she should get me for Christmas. She was puzzled when my Mother told her to get me Matchboxs. Imagine my surprise when I opened the wrapping to see actual matches. She must have thought I was a pyromaniac. It was always a wonderful family story.

[@PhilAVega]

Very cool 😎 I'm smiling rt now. Thanks for sharing your memories.

[@mr99boxer30]

Every little kid worth his salt would know what a Matchbox was. And take them out on the playground to show off a new model.

[@elizabethalexandra5270]

That is hilarious, matchbox = pyromaniac. 🏎🔥. Well this actually does happen in Formula One racing. Even before all the safety. Lol. Little did your grandma know. Probably why there aren’t anymore blue tip stick matches being sold. We used to play with them. I have all brothers and loved all of these cars and tracks. I wasn’t around to see the matchboxes they came in but I still love them to this day. Great funny story. 👍🏼💥

[@harrybriscoe7948]

Around 1968 My brother went to the store and asked me if I wanted some thing. I asked him to get me a pack or 2 of cards . He came home with playing cards mot baseball cards

[@ramblingrob4693]

Thats Brilliant. Love it

[@stephenwarhurst6615]

I remember back in the 1970's being a kid walking into the toy shop with pocket money and the Matchbox cars where stack in rows on a shelf behind the counter and the Toy shop owner would take the cars out of the boxes and let me test drive them on the counter top till I made my mind up and he would say after sale see you next week.

[@TheHorsebox2]

You've just described the memories of a million childhoods. Spot on.

[@JJMCB26]

Stephen Warhurst Best comment on here, sounds a lot like my '90s childhood. When me and my family go out on a weekly shop to the local supermarket, my dad gives me a pound and I spend it on a Matchbox car. Ah, fond memories :)

[@prp3231]

Your lucky, my old man wouldn't give me any pocket money so I had to browse and dream like a one cat peeping thru seafood store.

[@obelic71]

yes 2 racks in those shops Matchbox and Majorette. how often i couldn't decide as a kid wich car when i could choose only 1 car!

[@mro-aviation]

@@JJMCB26 a pound of what?

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

I grew up in the 80's and I loved Matchbox cars. Hot Wheels were okay, but I liked the realistic cars from Matchbox. I remember begging my mom for a new car every time we went shopping. Much simpler times

[@christopherpappas7474]

I loved my Matchbox cars:) As a child my mum would take me to J.L. Hudson's in Detroit and if I was 'good' she would let me pick one from the display in the toy department. I wish I had them still but hope that some collector has my loved Matchbox toys in their collection and they are continued to bring joy :)

[@raymondhambleton9452]

A great history video. I used to be one of the tool room draughtsmen for Lesney. Back in 1979 we were doing cost saving economy version of the diecast cars. By 1980 some of the Lesney plants were shutting down. I used to work at the Chingford Hall lane factory. One of our draughtsmen came back from a holiday in Hong Kong and came in the drawing office with a briefcase full of brand new Matchbox cars, we were shocked to find they were made in Macau. We had no idea Jack Odell and Les Smith has opened a factory out there. Within a week, the whole company knew about this new Macau factory. Two weeks later we were being offered redundancies. They kept some of the staff and the factories stayed working for another year, but in the end they all closed. Entire families worked for Lesney, so entire families were jobless overnight, it was a horrible time athe factories.

[@LittleCar]

Thanks for sharing and making the story so much more personal.

[@sleipnir694]

I used to work at the Rochford factory, friends thst i worked with, had moved from Nth London to Essex , due to the factory move. Had some good times , and very cheap models from the shop 😊

[@jamesfrench7299]

I remember seeing made in Macau on the base and being disappointed as a child.

[@DrLoverLover]

Capitalism is working great, isnt it?

[@markweston3242]

I worked at Rochford from 1978 until jan 2 1988, it was the best company anyone could have worked for until management from Lee Con Road started being transferred to Rochford , they thought the were gods but only came to Rochford to stay on a year longer.

[@TheHelado36]

As a kid I remember hating those fantasy cars, that is why I ended always choosing Matchbox !

[@Brookhavenpolicedept]

i hate hot wheels

[@Brookhavenpolicedept]

for some reason

[@iNIMATEstudio]

​@@Brookhavenpolicedept i love hotwheels premium but yeah the regular suck

[@Dsdcain]

All I can say about this is when I was a kid in the seventies I always like Matchbox over Hot Wheels for the accurate details on the Matchbox cars. I really did appreciate the details even back then. Man after seeing some of the stuff about Matchbox collectors I wish I had held onto all the toy cars I had.

[@guangzhouguide]

I made at least 30+ Matchbox's PK series plastic models, includes planes, tanks and vehicles. She is not only a toy brand to me but also my childhood memories. Thank you Matchbox!

[@kenlim13]

I had collected about 100 matchbox cars in the 70's but gave all away. Now, I am regretted to give them away. It could be priceless now.

[@8176morgan]

I loved their motorcyles with side cars that they had in the mid 1960's. There were three in total and I still remember them well. #4 was the blue Triumph. #36 was the light green Lambretta scooter. And then the best of them all was #66 a bronze Harely-Davidson. All three worth a lot more than 49¢ each nowadays! 🙂

[@mattashman4040]

My father in law was head tool designer for matchbox thru the 70’s working with Jack Odell. He celebrated his 40 th birthday whist at the company, he was presented with a special edition Rolls Royce silver shadow matchbox car. However with a number plate reading GNF 40T - standing for his initials Gerald Norman Fanthorpe, 40 for 40th birthday and the letter T for the year of registration (in the United Kingdom the last letter denoted the year of manufacture of a real car). As a postscript every Rolls Royce Silver shadow has that registration plate to this day. Unique.

[@LittleCar]

Awesome story! Thanks.

[@debeerpaul]

I lost my bag of 60 cars in the garden during heavy rains over 30 years ago. I bought a metal detector the other day and Im hoping to find my long lost treasure.

[@bugler75]

Good luck! It would be great if you found them. Check out Marty’s Matchbox Makeovers on KZbin if you need help in restoring them 😊

[@johannahjohari2915]

Did you finds the cars ?

[@rods6405]

I found mine under the kitchen sink in my mums house

[@FamiliarGecko]

Don't leave us hanging! Did you find your cars?

[@nameruse1817]

Did you find them?

[@larryaldrich4351]

I had a great Matchbox collection in the '60s. Years after I moved out my mother let my nephew play with them and the little monster lost and broke every one of them.

[@prp3231]

I remember how vibrant the colours were on these cars and vehicles back in the early 70s. Metallic burgundy was my favourite, Jensen Interceptor, Aston Martins, Mustangs, Mercury, London buses... great memories.

[@Bigreid92]

I still kept all of mine. I have some Matchbox, Hot Wheels, Dinky and Corgi’s. 70’s and 80’s was a great time to be a kid. It was cheap and hours of fun.

[@johnharris7751]

Through out the years I've managed to replace most of what I had in the 60 s and 70 s I'm embarrassed to tell that I've paid as much as $40.00 for models I paid $.59 for when I was a kid.

[@alecboyyes]

Regretfully, my mates and I used to smash ours with bricks to see who could create the coolest wrecks. Nowadays you'd just load up GTA and create virtual smashups.

[@martycrush6412]

alecboyyes me too, then we would use mums hairspray and a lighter to finish them off. Wish I’d kept mine as all the ones I had left were customised in my own style. Would love to see my imagination from 35 years ago.

[@alecboyyes]

@@martycrush6412 Haha, so true!

[@bilbobaggins4710]

Hahahaha same ....I was fascinated by salvage yards so I made a miniature one

[@southpineshooligan]

@Tyler Bossard it does, until it doesnt lmao

[@PhilAVega]

Very cool😎 We also smashed a few. Thanks for sharing your memories.

[@petersmith6423]

Is no one going to mention the stunner working the line in the first scene? OMG!

[@MasterHavik]

Too busy being nostalgic...but yah...wow!

[@navelriver]

0:11 😊

[@modelcars9493]

Meine Kindheit seit den Ende der 60ziger Jahren❤️❤️❤️🤗

[@deskgamesix]

Hot Wheels were okay but Matchbox stole my little heart. I still have my favorite cars after 50 years.

[@BrianSmith-vl7xu]

I used to love Matchbox toys when I was a kid in the 70's

[@Krrrimmi]

The cheapest toys my mom ever bought to me back in d '80s. & I still have my MATCHBOX toys until now. Indeed. My whole '80s childhood revolves in MATCHBOX. :))

[@-abacchus]

Wow. This video brought back so many memories. Plenty of the cars shown used to be bashed about by a younger me... Happy times :)

[@57Jimmy]

- ̗̀A Bacchus ̖́- Ahem... a MUCH younger ‘me’? Lol! Me too!👴🏻

[@mwroysan]

I had Matchbox cars from the 1960s. This made me love my 3 favourites...E-type Jag, the Mini, and the Ford Mustang 💘 😻 💜

[@mwroysan]

I remember when the Superfast range was introduced. I got so excited 🇿🇦

[@justinobrien9164]

I remember going into the newspaper shop on ridge hill estate in stalybridge I was 8 and buying a matchbox car twice a week they were displayed in a glass cabinet with the car on top of its box and cost 39p in 1980 I have still got a few left still boxed to this day, happy days.

[@1olddirtroad]

I have Matchbox trucks and cars from 1960s and 70s that i played with, my kids played with, and my grandkids play with now. So many good memories !

[@timberwolfpowler8747]

When I was a kid in the 60's I dedicated 50% of my allowance to these. Now I have a hairy horde of Match Box and Hot Wheels.

[@mattfarahsmillionmilelexus]

Matchbox (which I could afford) and Corgi (which I had to look forward to as gifts) were my favorite cars growing up in the '70s. I still have a collection of those vintage cars to this day.

[@mxrclxst]

Finally! Some love for Matchbox. This is what I grew up with. Hotwheels is cool too, but... Matchbox for the win.

[@kennymcgowan2880]

Being a fan of both Matchbox and Hotwheels my collection has grown quite a bit but match box cars was my first purchase and still them to this very day and very proud of it....

[@bentullett6068]

My brother collects the Matchbox, Corgi and any other diecast car that was made in Britain. Although I recently noticed that they are starting to bring back features such as opening doors on the newer matchbox cars and the detail is so much better than some of the hot wheels cars.

[@Truckerboy1234]

Yeah. They really do have some decent details on some of them, but its mostly the same built quality as hot wheels nowadays with only decals on the side and whatnot. I know Greenlight is good if you want the extra detail and decent scale.

[@bentullett6068]

@@Truckerboy1234 in the UK Greenlight aren't readily available, but we do have Corgi and another company called Oxford diecast who produce cars, trucks, tractors, construction machinery and military vehicles in 1:43 scale and 1:76 scale. The 1:76 scale vehicles are very useful if you have a UK 1:76 scale 00 gauge model railway. They have recently done a 1:87 scale range of cars from the USA as well. We can also get the diecast cars from European manufacturer Siku and they are pretty decent diecast cars and vehicles.

[@Truckerboy1234]

@@bentullett6068 Ah, apologies. I'm down here in Canada. I can confirm Siku is sold here, I have a little collection of those cars myself and I really enjoy them. I'm not sure if we have Oxford around here, and I do have a few Corgis from the 70's or 60's. Thanks for the info buddy! 😊

[@paxhumana2015]

@@bentullett6068 , does Oxford Diecast sell internationally as well?

[@bentullett6068]

@@paxhumana2015 I think they do as they have done special edition replicas of the open top London routemaster buses used in certain cities in the world including New York and Sydney. Best enquire on their website to see if they can ship overseas.

[@ENDTIMEsVideoLibrary]

Played with my friend's ginormous Matchbox collection a couple times and I was SOLD!! It was the 70s and I loved the realistic models as compared with Hot Wheels.

[@brianarbenz7206]

Matchbox cars brought me so much pleasure during my childhood. They were so realistic and detailed. I'm in the U.S. and during the pre-internet days, I learned much about Britain from Matchbox, like the Royal Mail trucks, and ice cream trucks.

[@mercoid]

So much joy. That’s absolutely right!

[@scotiajinker8392]

Like others have said my pocket money went on matchbox cars. I was born in 64 , a lot of these cars you showed brought back memories, the wee trailer with the motorcycle, the green estate car & the daf car transporter where all in my collection.

[@jeffreyrainey1015]

I still collect diecast cars as an adult. To hell with the boxes.

[@Truckerboy1234]

As a middle schooler can confirm ALWAYS take them out of the package, even as a collector. TO HELL WITH THE PACKAGE!

[@joelaugustestudios]

Jeffrey Rainey same. I mostly buy my diecast models now on eBay than in stores. I do diecast reviews on my channel as well.

[@GrilloTheFlightless]

If you want an heirloom that might be worth some money later on, keep the package. If you want to actually enjoy them, which is what they were made for, rip the box open, take the toy out and chuck the package away.

[@scottouellette9411]

Jeff I think the artwork of the boxes are more fluid than the actual toy.

[@EjOnBloxYT]

But Mattel who own hot wheels own it its quite not original

[@josephdeffendoll3056]

Thank you Matchbox, Hot wheels, for my memories. And my childhood fun. From 1967 to the present year of 2020 and I am still collecting and enjoying my cars trucks etc... I have 3,000 or more. Each one a different memory or time in my life. Thank you

[@Michaelbos]

I wish I saved all my cars from the 60’s and 70’s. The price for perfect condition is amazing.

[@michael_mouse]

... when I was about six (1960) my Dad brought home a Dinky/Matchbox car for me every week without fail. One week he brought home a white ambulance which was as usual well received. Not long after that, he brought home the exact same white ambulance model and boy was I disappointed... sadly, I told him so... at six you dont think too much about other people's feelings... Thanks for all your love Dad x

[@Brera011]

I also grew up with these cars. They were afordable for a kid with a little pocketmoney. Hope there will be a new little car episode soon, let's say about Bburago. Keep up the good work!

[@TheBlueCorolla]

As a kid I mostly had Matchbox cars, but I got cars I liked regardless of brand, I had a collection of over 300 cars ranging from Matchbox, corgi, hot wheels and Majorette and a few non branded cars too, some were passed to me from my dad and older brothers. The cars now lay in a couple of boxes waiting for my kids to start playing with them

[@Марк.Фетнов]

Saw a few in there that I owned as a kid in the 70s / 80s. Thanks for the trip down memory lane, and all your other interesting videos.

[@justinmccowan2543]

Would be cool if Matchbox started a separate product line where they returned to their early manufacturing, and rereleased the car models from the 50's and 60's, only as new stock. Build new cars just like they did with the separate tires, and bring back that green station wagon with the steering!

[@nunofernandes4501]

Oh man, my childhood! I still have my favourite, the De Tomaso Pantera from the 70's.

[@LittleCar]

I wish I had mine...

[@simonheap4294]

@@LittleCar still got mine, white with orange bits IIRC, need to check what's in the big box of cars...

[@JJMCB26]

Nuno Fernandes I like how the car shares it's name with my favourite '90s metal band (RIP Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul).

[@nunofernandes4501]

@@JJMCB26 Pantera was awesome!

[@NavarroOne]

Nuno Fernandes loves that one too as well as the Ferrari Dino

[@Gasinduced]

My friend and I used bring a Matchbox car each to the bus stop and let them roll down a footpath racing to see which would go the furthest while waiting for the school bus. By the end of the school term there were 8 of us which was chaos to the grown ups walking to the train station at the end of this path. We'd do it at school too and there must have been 10-15 of us all vying for the distance record. Hot Wheels had funny tension loading with barely any up and down travel on the axles which would send them flying left or right over the bumps, Majorette's had amazing travel but the cars themselves were too light so they would bounce around like they were on a trampoline ultimately flipping over. Matchbox cars were nice and heavy with the right amount of up and down travel allowing them get over the bumps the other makes could not. My Ford RS200 was my legend car which won many a morning and lunchtime battle. Thanks for the memories Matchbox :)

[@davidparry1982]

I loved my matchbox cars as a kid in the 70’s and 80’s and still have many of them in my matchbox carry case 👍😍 Just this week my 4 yr old daughter has discovered the joys of racing toy cars so we’ve had our own 80’s Superfast vs brand new Hot Wheels face off. Needless to say my No.1 racer Porsche 911 circa 1983 still has what it takes 😂

[@Truckerboy1234]

lol I have a couple of old matchbox 48 car carry cases, but they've turned into mostly modern cars. Still have a full case of classics laying around in all those bins full of cars somewhere.

[@ecko_lmtd]

I remember when i was 10, my first truck convoy transporter is matchbox. Its international or something i forgot but its all metal. And all the convoy parts is movable. Amazing toys.

[@christopping5876]

Excellent! Takes me back to my childhood in the early 70's. Thank you.

[@thomassnapp1341]

My Mom and I would go to the drugstore when I was about 8 years old in 1969 (in the USA). They had a display of Matchbox cars on a rotating stand. Mom said I could have just one. I would turn that stand over and over, trying to find the one special car that I could get. Every time we went to the drugstore, she would tell me the same thing. So, after several months, I had a pretty good collection of Matchbox cars. They were inexpensive and Mom had no problem with buying one for me. After that, it had to be Hot Wheels. The paint on Hot Wheels was awesome. Just like the muscle cars of the 70's. But they were a bit more expensive than Matchbox. I sure wish I still had all of those cars.

[@crazybrit-nasafan]

Well worth watching. I still have some of my old Matchbox toys in the loft. (I'm 54 yrs old now) including that DAF car transporter and a few Capris amongst others. How about an episode about Matchbox model kits? I have quite a few of those unbuilt up in the loft too.

[@tavarix5893]

I had an Crown Victoria Highway Patrol car, it was my favorite car from Matchbox. I used to have a box filled with little cars from diferent brands, but I used to store the Crown Victoria separeted from the rest kinda in a display on the shaft. Unfortunatelly it vanished and I still mad about it almost 10 years after. _Deep Fried Grrrrr_

[@claudiobizama5603]

The older I get, the more I'm getting really into Matchbox over HotWheels. I love the regular cars they have. I will be waiting for a Majorette vid

[@jammygamer8961]

The old hotwheels are cool but very expensive compared to matchbox

[@Truckerboy1234]

I genuinely agree, I would rather have a matchbox over a hot wheels 99% of the time, the vehicles are mostly officially branded but most of the more fantasy cars still feel like something you would really see out on the road.

[@paxhumana2015]

I like them both equally and I also find it sad that Tonka/Maisto cars get no love.

[@Truckerboy1234]

@@paxhumana2015 Oh, I love both of those brands as well. I prefer Maistos licensed cars, but some of their "Fantasy" cars are good too.

[@fredyanzil7224]

Nice memories from childhood in the 70s! I´ve still had almost a hundred very well preserved, which I paid with my salaries for menial works at home... Then I was wondered why carmakers didn't use the technology of the newer Superfast inline production for real ones.

[@snich63]

Ooh, I had that one! And that one! And that one! etc Half my childhood flashed before my eyes in this video.

[@muskokamike127]

yeah, the ford gt, the honda motorcycle on the trailer (in good condition with a box I bet that's worth a fortune) and many others. Even had the original steam roller in green.

[@davidkrueger3584]

Me too.

[@AndyMangele]

Welcome to the club!

[@trueknowledgeispower]

...lol

[@mckav2358]

Great story on the history of Matchbox. I had many of the models during the 60's. I wish id kept them

[@mannbrand]

The quality of Matchbox was unsurpassed, even today I continue to collect and recover models that I lost as a child. Hot Wheels was for the poor!

[@livingweapon]

I had tons of matchbox cars as a kid love em

[@mitchellmals]

Brought back some great memories there, my mum used to work in acounts at Lesleys, so lots of freebies for us.. 👍

[@Blog4Justice]

Lucky bugger!

[@S-Ltd1000]

An old friend of mines parents worked there and did the same.

[@johnrettig1880]

I've been waiting ever since I was a kid for one or the other to come out with a small scale " Bat Mobile " and " Black Beauty " from the "Green Hornet " TV shows back in the 60's . Over the years I've come across a wide range and variety of other cars and trucks . Now a days I'm trying to go with the HO scale for certain reasons. But 3 years ago I got lucky Hot Wheels came out with an HO scale " Bat Mobile " . But as I was going through my collection of both Match Box and Hot Wheels I discovered that one of my specials was missing . It was the Aston Martin from 007 that had the pop up bullet proof plate and matching machine guns in the front . I'm upset would be a great understatement . That car and several of my late Wife's collection are also missing too . I guess that where ever our whom ever has them are enjoying them .

[@josephdeffendoll3056]

It's hard when someone that doesn't understand steals our memories. I went through a rough divorce after 20 years. And I am a collector of 1/64 die-cast. And my ex had taken several from my collection. And it hurt but one day I was going over some oldies and found her Dukes of hazard cars and other old Nascar cars. So I figure karma stepped in for me lol. I have 3,000 different 1/64 models and probably more but each one represents a person or a certain time of my life.Each one has a story that people don't understand.

[@johnrettig1880]

@@josephdeffendoll3056 Yea you've got that right Steals or also in my case throughs out part of my earlier collection Thanks Mom .

[@raleighburner1589]

Corgi was my favourite brand I still have two fire engines from the 70s to this day

[@GeorgesMiniatureCars]

I was born when Corgi started in 1956. I started collecting toy cars in '88 and was always happy to find a play worn, but in decent condition car. I don't buy on line, cost too much. So finding a Corgi toy that someone once had and played with makes me proud to be the new owner. I have a nice collection that one day hopefully someone else will enjoy. 😊

[@bobmmann3917]

Thanks for the wonderful trip down memory lane. I loved my matchbox cars. Had many of these shown here back in the day.

[@louisvidalinc2678]

Even as a Hot Wheels fan, I loved this video! Any possibility of seeing a video on Majorette?

[@LittleCar]

Maybe. I wasn't aware of Majorette before now.

[@louisvidalinc2678]

@@LittleCar I guess it's (or was) more of a continental Europe brand. But is was huge back in the day and many French and German kids grew up with them !

[@nunofernandes4501]

When I was a kid I was always disappointed when someone offered me a Majorette. Matchbox were the golden standard.

[@louisvidalinc2678]

@@nunofernandes4501 when did you grow up? In the 90s majorettes were fantastic. They had suspension and pretty good models. They went severely downhill in the mid-late 2000s.

[@nunofernandes4501]

@@louisvidalinc2678 I was born in '73 and the Majorettes had bad suspension and poor casting compared to Matchbox. Never knew they got better in the 90's but by then I was in the university and playing with other things rather than miniature cars ;)

[@kalkhalinzhui1753]

I was a Hot Wheels kid in the 2000's. One day, I went into a toy store with my mom and I saw some Matchbox cars. I was intrigued since I saw Matchbox commercials on TV beforehand and wanted to try them. Sadly, mom thought that there was no point owning them since to her, they were all the same and I already had lots of small cars from Hot Wheels so she refused to buy them despite my protests. Shame, I could have experienced what it was like on the other side.

[@Torentino_Ian_no_channel_2006]

I guess you can own them now. 🥲

[@kalkhalinzhui1753]

@@Torentino_Ian_no_channel_2006 I can, but from what I've heard from an uncle, Matchbox quality has gone down. Better to stick with Johnny Lightning, he said to me.

[@av8tor261]

Well Done. Canada loves Matchbox.

[@tonyppe]

Wow I didn't realise how many of these cars I had. I had the Baird's custard, the red London bus, tons of cars and a red and white plane. I was born in 85. I think I had these cars when I was around 3 years old and up. I used to like making pretend stock car racing so they were pretty banged up 🙈 I may still have a red Porsche 928 in the loft though

[@JJMCB26]

Tony P No way! I used to have the Bird's Custard Ford van too, I remember buying it in shop as a kid back in the early '90s :)

[@tonyppe]

@@JJMCB26 I just remembered I had a Golden Wonder branded Ford Granada (I think it was a granada) :) Good times :)

[@IamRobotMonkey]

I'm a little too young to remember the hay day (being born a year before their bankruptcy) but I certainly remember getting a few of these as a kid. Dad certainly had a load as a lad too, being born in the mid fifties. I also collected a load of Walkers Crisps et al vintage vans back when that was a craze (guessing late 80s early 90s). Many thanks for another excellent video.

[@paxhumana2015]

Walker's is like Lay's over in the USA, right?

[@IamRobotMonkey]

@@paxhumana2015 Yes indeed. Owned by PepsiCo. They of Doritos (and a billion or so other brands) fame.

[@ohcrikey9560]

I was a kid during the heyday of matchbox. The lesney superfast era from 1969 to 1982. So many iconic models like the gruesome twosome and the blue shark. The tyre fryer and the draguar. Memories!

[@enriquelopez9124]

I remember back in the day, having a huge collection of matchbox cars , instead of buying candy, I would add to the c0llection, they would also have catalogs.

[@aharonbabel4328]

Thanks for your Matchbox story. As a kid in early 70-s my first model was Matchbox Superfast Nr. 20A Lamborghini Marzal. First Love and the starting point for future collection. And it all happened in Soviet Union where those items were very difficult to get at any cost ...

[@paulmezhir8354]

Wow! So much great information! Matchbox models were my greatest collecting passion in the 1970s, along with plastic scale model kits and Lego kits. I accumulated over 400 Matchbox models. I had all the catalogs, several petrol station building kits, and a very big "Build-A-Road" roadway kit. I collected every line except Battle Kings, with the Models of Yesteryear and it's multiple variations being my favorites. I still have most of them, hidden away somewhere in storage....most of them still possess their packaging, being in mint condition. This video might prompt me to find them. Thanks for the inspiration!

[@S-Ltd1000]

Still have a load of models of yesteryear somewhere. Often used to pass by the factory on hackney marshes which is now long gone. A friend's parents used to work there in its heyday.

[@Truckerboy1234]

Must have been nice, eh?

[@paxhumana2015]

Did you ever get any of the cars from your parents, out of curiosity?

[@TheKielbasaKid]

Had a lot of Matchboxes and Hot Wheels back in the day. Happy to say, none of them are in collectable condition. What a great childhood!!

[@robsterbob580]

Fantastic stuff! Love the old ad for the Matchbox Powertrack Race and Chase set thay I once had as a kid. All the factory footage was great too! Lots of those toys I had too. Used to sometimes swap them with my mates in the school playground at break time!

[@MiKeMiDNiTe-77]

Who didn't grow up with Matchbox cars in the 70s and 80s...legendary and iconic toys

[@kellyashfordtrains2642]

I was more into Micro Machine toy cars, when I was younger. Of the Matchbox range, I recovered something dating from 1978. Not cars, not trucks or even a bus. No, what I now have in my possession from Matchbox is the hard-to-find toy tank engines with a carriage each. I'm a steam engine fanatic and that's why I found them (on a few separate occasions) in a charity shop in Llangollen. OK, I don't play with them much, but I'm too attached to them to give them away. This leads me to a certain song. Now that you can do it, let's make a chain now; Chugga-chugga-motion like railway train now. Do it nice and easy now, don't lose control, A little bit of rhythm and a lot of soul. So come on, do the locomotion with me.

[@clinthowe7629]

As an American I actually preferred the more realistic and down to earth models made by matchbox, having a father who owned dump trucks, bulldozers, tractors etc. yet in my ignorance I just thought they were all hot wheels.

[@LucasOliveira-tt2ll]

Matchbox history is quite similar to the british automotive history, had it's heyday until crisis struck in late 70's early 90's and then went bankrupt and the most successful brand went to a bigger company while production was outsorced in China. Sad but true

[@kelvinpeterson6169]

Globalization

[@kelvinpeterson6169]

@Vez Akino The rich benefit and the poor get shafted and sold cheaper goods that aren't up to standard

[@jimtaylor294]

Ironically not "globalization", so much as overarching economic woes, misguided mergers, import and export costs to the wider world as a result of being in the EEC, and the industrial disease of militant strikitus. A combination of those four killed the UK mainstream car industry, and almost killed Italy's too. Lesney-Matchbox only fell foul of the first of those issues. China was a main beneficary of both in the end though, coincidentally.

[@edwardblake3277]

Hiya I worked in the matchbox factory ,making the cars ,every Xmas we could buy a box filled with great cars ,in the 1980s they were very popular

[@dragonsbreath1984]

I still have a near mint condition no. 31 Lincoln Continental in turquoise. I have no idea what it's worth but I plan to hand it down to my son. The reason it's mint is that back when I was a toddler I dropped it into a hole in our home's wall. There it stayed for decades until we were remodeling and out it came along with several other Matchboxes and Hotwheels. Since then I've kept it in a keepsake box.

[@acm_1985]

06:52 I just remembered to have owned such an Hover-Raider! This is long time ago… but I always loved to play with Matchbox Cars. Most of them got lost in the sand sadly ;)

[@michaelburgess9671]

Loved this... we had a Matchbox Motorway in the early 70s moving springs in the track would make a racer out of any matchbox car you attached a special peg to the underside of. Probably one of my favourite toys ever.

[@simonrussell4986]

I've just realised I've still got the Liptons Tea van in the next room. It didn't get played with much because, well, it's no Starsky and Hutch.

[@domherbin8562]

The Matchbox 70's models delighted my childhood 😎

[@martinevans7090]

9:32 - WOW!! Race & Chase! I had one of those when I was a nipper! (Probably still in my loft, lol!)

[@Bucketroo]

I grew up in France in the '70s and I had so many Matchboxes! The Super-Fasts, the Sky Busters, the Speed Kings, the Battle Kings, the Super Kings, and even the 2000 Adventure or whatever. I had no idea the 2000 vehicles were based on the Judge Dredd comics in 2000 AD. Hot Wheels were not sold in France back then. I was in Italy in '78 and saw some Hot Wheels for sale. I bought a Ford Torino Stocker, and the wheels fell off after 3 days. I was not impressed. When we moved to the US in the early '80s, I couldn't bring all my toys with me, so I chose my LEGO stuff. I wished I could have grabbed a few Matchboxes.

[@bodieofci5418]

Can we have one on airfix :) The matchbox Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am was my favourite. I found it in the Co-op department store toy section. I had to help my mum around the house for a week to earn it. Happy memories.

[@LittleCar]

Great idea - thanks!

[@burntorangeak]

Kids these days would choke not only themselves, But also their little friends with all the small pieces. How did we ever survive?

[@NGKGMR]

I still play with toy cars. I always did and im 13. A kid in my school was playing with hot wheels (at his home) and when people learn that he was playing with toy cars, he got bullied real bad. I'm playing, customizing and collecting toy cars and its my biggest secret

[@Cacowninja]

@@NGKGMR Did you tell the teacher that he was getting bullied?

[@NGKGMR]

@@Cacowninja yes, and he said that if we dont like a person, then dont be friends with him.(im not joking)

[@paxhumana2015]

@@NGKGMR , the kid should have kicked the bullies in the nuts and said, "I collect these cars because I like them. I also plan on going to a junkyard to buy an old muscle car, restore it to showroom condition, and to keep repeating the process, as well as make a shit ton of fucking money, in the damn process. What do you plan on doing, flipping burgers at McDonald's for the rest of your life? Yeah, you keep being bitter, fake, and jealous that your life sucks because you know damn well that you do not have a plan for your future, whereas I am going to make a fucking mint. These cars, they are the ones that I will be working on, as well as restoring, and every time that you try to attack me, I am going to post the video on World Star Hip Hop Fight Comp fight videos until you get the damn point that starting shit with me is a bad idea in your life. Now either help me to succeed, or get the fuck out of my way, you damn dimwitted trolling, and bullying, tyrant!". Let the bully recover from that conversation!

[@paxhumana2015]

@@NGKGMR , where do you live?

[@stevedolesch9241]

It might be funny, but at 64, I'm glad to see this video. My favourite matchbox car is the James Bond one, the original. I was 11 or 12 at the time. Take care.

[@oddsandwindsocks5905]

My dad worked there in the early 70s

[@adrianbernardo202]

I love Matchbox!! In fact I have 3 of them, all Super Kings series: a Peterbilt Truck with trailer, a futuristic car Trailer, & Simon Snorker.

[@Robert-nz2qw]

2:33 I have that one! Mine’s quite a lot more... well used, but I’ve had is since I was 3

[@elbecko7969]

The Matchbox models I had were absolutely solid, really well made and realistic. They even had the make, model and year stamped on the underside. However, Woolworths used to sell a big tea tray sized box of really cheap flimsy dayglo model cars the same size as Matchbox models. There must've been about 40 to a box. The car bodies were made of a really cheap metal that you could bend with your fingers and the underside was plastic held together with a clip and a rivet. The glass was always one piece and tinted. The whole box was incredibly cheap which made the models ideal for setting on fire using turps

[@gusneaker]

Thank you for this interesting documentary! BTW: I just love listening to your British accent!!

[@LittleCar]

Thank you!

[@mr99boxer30]

@@LittleCar Yes, we like your British accent and excellent history on Matchbox.

[@t1mpetti]

I was born in the eighties and had the most intense toy car part of my life happening in the late 80's to early 90's. At the time we lived in a small town in the countryside and it was about 10 miles to the nearest proper store. I did a lot of work for a little boy I was and never really got any money from my chores. But when I got some, you may know where I spent them. Yep, the toy department of that said store. I remember vividly when they had gotten a hold of a selection of Matchbox cars and me, at the time a 6-7 year old boy, with the 2 markka coin burning in my pocket saw the cars. I was amazed, just stood there and gazed in wide wonder all the PROPER toy cars. Took one and immediately knew it was "the good stuff", as it was heavier than the chinese cheap cars I had seen thus far. There were a lot of good choices available, but once I saw it, it was clear I had to have it: a maroon Saab 9000 turbo. It was just amazing for a little kid to see a car from a small manufacturer as a toy car. I still have it. It holds many good memories from my childhood.

[@johnbrentford5513]

Johnny Lightning came out in 1969? I never heard of Johnny Lightning until the mid 90s. I was a kid in the 70s and 80s Hot wheels was the most popular but Matchbox was always on the shelf next to them.

[@fatbuddy719]

They tried to compete with Hotwheels and quickly went bankrupt, then the name was revived by Playing Mantis in 1994.

[@johnbrentford5513]

@@fatbuddy719 I was a grow ass man by 1994. All my Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars I played with they got worn out.

[@glennhecker4422]

Absolutely. I had some as a small child in the late 1960's.

[@cbrboy76]

Growing up in the early 80's my dad would always get me a new matchbox on payday. Every friday i could'nt wait to get home to see what he had got me. Still got them all 4 huge boxes of them & the catalogues. He used to enjoy getting me the big trucks, scammels, kenworths, ford transconti's etc, think they were for the big kid inside him.

[@napoleonlempereur3021]

Matchbox war in meiner Kindheit in den 1970gern das absolut beste Spielzeug für einen Jungen👍👍👍

[@Zocky73166]

I 've grow up in 70s and 80s with these small Matchbox cars also Corgi Juniors, Burago, Norev, Majorette and Hot Wheels

[@user-dk9jq6cj7q]

nah man hotwheels were the bomb. I remember getting matchbox cars as gifts when i was like 4-5 and hating them lmao.

[@paxhumana2015]

I could care less what I got...Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Tonka/Maisto, Corgi, Dinky, Ertl, Sika, Yatming, Tomika, Majorette, Greenlight, Johnny Lightning...I like them all.