Jack Odell
Jack Odell , MBE (born March 19, 1920 in London - † July 8, 2007 in Barnet , Hertfordshire ) was a British engineer and co-inventor of the Matchbox toy cars.
Odell's daughter brought him in 1952 to the Matchbox toy car to invent because it just something to school was allowed to take what in a matchbox (Engl. Matchbox ) fit. Up until then, his daughter Anne had always taken spiders to class, which not all classmates liked. Just a year later, Odell and his partner Leslie Smith realized that they could turn the small toy cars into a business and started with a number of other models.
A Matchbox model of the coronation carriage to the throne of Elizabeth II. Sold more than one million copies.
In 1960 Matchbox went public and in 1968 Odell and his partner Leslie Smith, who also died in 2005 at the age of 87, were awarded membership in the Order of the British Empire . While Smith took over the business of the company, Odell continued to be responsible for models and product development. In 1969 there were more than a dozen factories in London with more than 6,000 employees.
In 1973 Odell retired. The company then ran into financial difficulties and Odell came back to the company in 1980, but had to file for bankruptcy in 1982 and was renamed Matchbox Toys Ltd and sold to Universal Toys in Hong Kong . Production was immediately outsourced to Macau .
In 1983 Odell bought back some of its old factories and started a new company called Lledo . This again produced Matchbox toy cars, called Days Gone . With the old models, these toy cars were primarily aimed at collectors. After initial economic difficulties, he succeeded here too. However, he also sold this company in 1996.
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Odell, Jack |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British engineer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 19, 1920 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | London |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 8, 2007 |
| Place of death | Barnet |