Jack Odell
John William "Jack" 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 for his daughter 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[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Jack Odell, 87, Designer of Matchbox Cars, Is Dead, New York Times, July 17 2007
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Times Online "Jack Odell" obituary
- ^ Miller, Stephen (2007-07-14). "Matchbox Founder, With an Eye For Detail, Popularized Miniature Toys". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
- 1920 births
- 2007 deaths
- 20th-century English businesspeople
- Toy inventors
- Officers of the Order of the British Empire
- 20th-century British inventors
- British business biography, 20th-century birth stubs