Britain was far from wealthy at the start of the 1950s and materials were still in short supply. There were restrictions on imports, and rationing continued to be a problem for all industry. There were bright spots in the gloom for British toy making however, as an article by Roger Coleman in the Council of Industrial Designs magazine Design, published in December 1957, describes: Although a number of the larger toy manufacturers now operating enjoyed a healthy existence before the war it was not until comparatively recently that the industry on its present scale became so firmly established. It has an annual turnover of somewhere between £34-35 million, compared with a pre-war figure of approximately £3 million; and the export trade now accounts for some £7 million, about 21 per cent of total production. No doubt that the German toy industry - by popular tradition the most ingenious and creative - was out of action during, and immediately after the war, created a stimulus to British manufacturers to expand at home. At home the demand for toys increased rapidly, probably fuelled by the shortages that families had suffered for so long. Children still played with the toys that their parents had played with; chunky realistic toys like teddy bears, guns, building kits, scooters, dolls, dolls houses and tea sets. Model vehicles were the top sellers and the production of die-cast toys was huge business on an international scale. Products such as Lesneys Matchbox series (1954) and Mettoys Corgi cars (1956) were leading the world. Although retailers had been sceptical at first, the public appreciated the quality and detail that had gone into the manufacture of these small toys. They were also portable, relatively inexpensive, and collectable.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 20:02:37 +0000
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