Lesney

Lesney Products & Co. Ltd. was a British manufacturing company best known as the original creator of Matchbox die-cast vehicles. Founded in 1947 by Les Smith and Rodney Smith (the name Lesney is a blend of "Les" and "Rodney"), the company became a pioneer in small-scale die-cast toy production, bringing affordable and realistic miniature vehicles to children around the world. In 1953, Lesney introduced the first Matchbox car, a small model of a road roller that fit inside a matchbox-sized package. The line quickly exploded in popularity, leading to the development of the iconic 1-75 series, which became a global toy phenomenon.