Matchbox is a die-cast toy brand created by Lesney Products in 1953 and now owned by Mattel in the USA. Its name comes from the matchbox-like shape and style of the first models' packaging. The range became so popular that buyers called all 6.5 cm die-cast cars ‘matchboxes’, regardless of brand. In the 1970s Matchbox switched to conventional plastic-and-card blister packs, also used by makers such as Hot Wheels. Matchbox-style packaging was later revived: the successful 2004 collectors' series ‘35th Anniversary of Superfast’ used it to mark 35 years of the fast-wheeling models.
The Matchbox/Lesney factory was once the main manufacturer and employer in Homerton, east London. In 1990 the company moved to the small market town of Rugby, Warwickshire.
Matchbox cars mainly come in two sizes.
Small ‘standard-size’ models, such as the ‘1–75’ series, are usually described as 1:64. Actual scales range from 1:100 to 1:64, with lengths of 6.5–7.5 cm. These are the models most commonly found in toy shops.
Matchbox also produced larger, ‘non-standard’ cars at approximately 1:43 under Speed Kings and Super Kings, plus the collectible vintage-car Models of Yesteryear and miniature Dinky ranges. Corgi and Dinky used the same scale. These models are 9–10 cm long, a size chosen to allow more detail. The 1:43 models are still made, mainly as collectibles rather than toys. However, trucks, construction and farm machinery, ships, tanks and other vehicles in these ranges differ greatly in scale. The same applies to the standard-size series.