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]
References
edit- ^ 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.
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