John William Odell, OBE (19 March 1920 – 7 July 2007) was the English inventor of Matchbox toys and the engineer responsible for their unique design. [1] He joined with partners Leslie Smith and Rodney Smith to form Lesney Products. [2]
The company initially made small products for cars such as dashboards and doorhandles. Odell designed a small steamroller in 1952 for his daughter to take to school. It proved to be a big hit for her and her friends. The company started manufacturing small toys to meet the demand with a million copies of a small coach sold during the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. [3] The first 3 vehicles were a road roller, Muir Hill dumper and a cement mixer. All were introduced in 1953. [1]
By 1966, more than 100 million Matchbox toys were sold each year. Odell retired in 1973 but returned in 1981 when Lesney ran into financial problems. [2] The company was declared insolvent in 1982 and sold to Universal Toys. [1]
He founded Lledo, a small vehicle model manufacturing company, and was active in that business until 1999 when he retired. [2] Odell had Parkinson's disease when he died in July 2007. [1]
- ^ a b c d Jack Odell, 87, Designer of Matchbox Cars, Is Dead, New York Times, July 17 2007
- ^ a b c Times Online "Jack Odell" obituary
- ^ Miller, Stephen (14 July 2007). "Matchbox Founder, With an Eye For Detail, Popularized Miniature Toys". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
 | This article about a British businessperson born in the 1920s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
John William Odell, OBE (19 March 1920 – 7 July 2007) was the English inventor of Matchbox toys and the engineer responsible for their unique design. [1] He joined with partners Leslie Smith and Rodney Smith to form Lesney Products. [2]
The company initially made small products for cars such as dashboards and doorhandles. Odell designed a small steamroller in 1952 for his daughter to take to school. It proved to be a big hit for her and her friends. The company started manufacturing small toys to meet the demand with a million copies of a small coach sold during the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. [3] The first 3 vehicles were a road roller, Muir Hill dumper and a cement mixer. All were introduced in 1953. [1]
By 1966, more than 100 million Matchbox toys were sold each year. Odell retired in 1973 but returned in 1981 when Lesney ran into financial problems. [2] The company was declared insolvent in 1982 and sold to Universal Toys. [1]
He founded Lledo, a small vehicle model manufacturing company, and was active in that business until 1999 when he retired. [2] Odell had Parkinson's disease when he died in July 2007. [1]
- ^ a b c d Jack Odell, 87, Designer of Matchbox Cars, Is Dead, New York Times, July 17 2007
- ^ a b c Times Online "Jack Odell" obituary
- ^ Miller, Stephen (14 July 2007). "Matchbox Founder, With an Eye For Detail, Popularized Miniature Toys". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
|
| This article about a British businessperson born in the 1920s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |