Matador (toy)
| MATADOR Spielwaren Gesellschaft mbH | |
|---|---|
| legal form | Company with limited liability |
| founding | 1901/1997 |
| Seat |
St. Poelten , Austria
|
| management | Michael Tobias |
| Branch | Manufacture of and trade in toys |
| Website | www.matador.at |
Matador is a wooden construction kit that was invented by Johann Korbuly in 1901 .
The beginnings
Korbuly came up with the idea for the wooden construction kit because the traditional wooden building blocks that his children used to play did not allow stable constructions. So he drilled them and used rods as connecting elements. He later standardized the entire system so that the individual parts can be combined with one another in any form. Korbuly received a patent in 1901 for the wooden construction kit that was created in this way, and two years later he began production and sales himself, as nobody else was interested. Due to its great success, the first factory in Vienna soon became too small, and in 1915 Korbuly moved to Pfaffstätten near Traiskirchen .
In 1919 Johann Korbuly junior (born in 1892) took over the company, initially together with his younger brother Rudolf sr. (1894–1979), then alone from 1931. During the Second World War , the production of the construction kit was stopped and detonator boxes were made for the Wehrmacht . At the end of the war, the company burned down completely as a result of the fighting.
The construction kits between 1905 and 1928
In 1905 the following kits were produced:
- No. 0 (advertisement number)
- No. 1f (normal number)
- No. 1fw (double number)
- No. 2g (big number)
- No. 2f (fine number)
- No. P (boarding house number)
No. W, the No. 1f to 1fw, and chopsticks were available as spare parts or additions. Later the number Sp (sports number) appeared, which contained the same components as the normal number (although the components were about eight times as large) and the supplementary number E was available with which the construction kit No. 1fw could be expanded to No. 2g. The sequence 1f contained the following components: 1 block of 5, 1 block of 4, 1 block of 3, 2 blocks of 1, 1 block of 5, 2 blocks of 10, 2 wheels of 3 (with only 2 holes), 1 socket (not like today's sleeves), 2 rolls, 1 hammer and various softwood sticks (approx. up to 10 cm in length). It is also noticeable that the components were numbered.
In 1908, the new Matador kit, kit No. M00 (Liliput number), was introduced. The new components were 4-part plates, 2-part boards and 2-part wheels (with only one hole). The construction kit designations also changed: No. 1f became No. M1, No. 1fw became No. M2, No. 2g became No. M3, No. 2f became No. M4, No. P became M5 No. W became M1 / 2 and No. G became No. M2 / 3. The number M5 now had the name Splendid number instead of the boarding school number.
From 1911, the 3-wheeled wheels were produced with 4 holes.
In 1914 the content of construction sets No. 0, 1, 2 was expanded and the additional construction sets No. 0/1, 1/2, 3/4 and 4/5 were newly produced. Construction kit No. 0/1, for example, expanded construction kit No. 0 to No. 1, etc.
Gun barrels, assembly tubes and hubs were brought out for the first time in 1915. Nos. 3/0, 2/0, 2 / 0B, 1B, 2B and No. 6 were produced as new basic kits. Blocks of 20 were already included with this kit.
No. 3/0 and 2 / 0B were not available again in 1919. Instead, the kit No. 00B was now available. In the same year, new components were available for purchase of 3-wheel wheels with 7 holes, 12-wheel hubs and rollers with 40 × 40 and 60 × 20 mm.
At the beginning of 1920 the construction kit No. 00B was omitted and No. 2B was replaced by No. 2Z. The construction sets No. 5/6, 2 / 2Z and 2Z / 3 were available as new supplementary construction sets. At the end of 1920 the construction sets No. 2/0 and 1 / B were also taken out of the range.
In 1922 the electric matador was released. No. 165 (electrical extension), 173 (Matador no. 1 with electrical extension) and no. 174 (Matador no. 2 with electrical extension) were produced as electrical kits. Sheets, wires, iron cores, springs, etc. were enclosed with these kits. In the same year the physics number was published, which contained an electrical supplement, a test kit for static electricity, a construction kit No. 2 and a few other parts. From now on at the latest, two-wheelers with three holes were also available.
In 1924 the radio supplements No. 151–155 appeared, with which one could really build functioning radios. Radio hubs with 13 or 15 holes and 35 or 55 mm diameter were also available. From this year on, Matador also sold flange wheels for the construction of railways, initially in sizes 2, 3 and 5.
In 1925, railroad tracks and sleepers with a gauge of 60 mm and the electrostatic construction kit, which was already included in the physics number, were brought out.
In 1926 the new special parts came out with lamp blocks, the Matador game board with 126 holes, and steel axles with brass sockets, wooden sockets and plug-in balls. The steel axles were first produced in lengths of 50 and 80 mm, later also in lengths of 150 and 195 mm. Another radio receiver and rail crossings were also offered for sale. The construction kit no. 5Z, an intermediate number between no. 5 and 6, appeared as a further basic kit. The kits no. 5 / 5Z and no. 5Z / 6 appeared as new supplementary kits.
The kits between 1928 and 1940
In 1928, as part of a product reform, the content of the construction kits was increased. 3, 6, 11 and 19 struts were introduced as new components. The names and packaging also changed. In addition, the construction kit No. 00Z was introduced, an intermediate number between 00 and 0.
Basic sets:
| Old number | 00 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2Z | 3 | 4th | 5 | 5Z | 6th |
| New number | 00 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4th | 5 | 6th | 7th | 8th |
Supplementary sets:
| Old number | 0/1 | 1/2 | 2 / 2Z | 2Z / 3 | 3/4 | 4/5 | 5 / 5Z | 5Z / 6 |
| New number | 0A | 1A | 2A | 3A | 4A | 5A | 6A | 7A |
Gears were introduced in early 1930 . These were produced in the same sizes as today, but they were 10 mm thick. For the kits no. 0 to no. 4, a separate gear extension was available for each kit. There were also new quad bikes. In the same year, the matador components began to be painted in color. Wheels, hubs, sleeves, and rollers were painted red, blocks, boards, struts and claws green and gears yellow. However, all matador components and basic construction kits were still available unpainted. This year, the kits no. 20-26, which contained painted parts and, in addition to the normal components, gears were also newly introduced.
In 1932, new special railway parts were introduced: 2 struts, 4 struts, 8 struts with special holes, 10 struts, 14 struts, 4 blocks with special holes, buffers and roof boards. Another novelty was flanged wheels with metal rims, through which electricity could be drawn directly from the rails, and sleepers with 0 gauge (35 mm). In addition, a new electric motor appeared, and from this year clamping sleeves and hardwood axles were available. Previously, you had to make the axles yourself from the softwood rods.
At the end of 1933, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Matador, construction sets No. 31–35 appeared. These construction sets contained red painted wheels, blue cogwheels and new components with 15 mm plates, half coils, 13 mm and 6 mm struts. However, these had a thickness of 6.6 mm. In addition, the cannon kit No. 32K, which was accompanied by a gray-painted gun barrel, and the rack as a new component were also available. From 1934 the spring motor no. F was sold and in addition to the kits 31-35 there were the kits 36, 37 (kit no. 37 was probably only available in Germany) and the kit no. 33F, a kit no. 33 with a spring motor , to. The new special parts were worms, locomotive hubs with 8, 10 and 12 peripheral holes, cross-head joints, cylinder blocks, chimneys, connecting rods (initially only with 4-9 holes), 7-, 8-, 9-, 11-inch struts with a thickness of 6.6 mm , as well as shafts for the production of looms.
| number | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 |
| Color box | 20th | 21st | 22nd | 23 | 24 | 25th | 26th |
| Natural box | 00 | 00Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
At the end of 1935 / beginning of 1936 the following special parts were published:
In 1937 the aircraft supplement, No. Flug1, the clock supplement and the solenoid supplement, which replaced the electrical supplement no. 165, appeared as further construction sets.
In 1938 the tank extension no. TE and the cannon extension no. KE appeared, as well as the no. 1FZ, a construction kit no.1 with aircraft extension, no.34K, a construction kit no.34 with cannon extension, no.2T, a construction kit no. 2 with tank extension. In 1938 the construction kit No. 1T, a construction kit No. 1 with a tank extension, was also introduced for a short time. The kits no. 31–34 replace the kits no. 00 and 00Z. The kits no. 35–37 were no longer produced. The colored building sets were no longer manufactured from around 1936. The packaging also changed. Some construction kits were now offered for sale in a red box (similar to the one in the 1950s).
In 1939, the last innovation before the Second World War was added to normal basic construction kits, gears.
The kits between 1946 and 1947
Up to 1947, some of the same kits were sold as before the Second World War.
In 1948 only construction sets No. 00 to 4 were produced. The gears in the basic construction kits have now been left out. The packaging has only been changed slightly. The special kits have all been left out. However, the components of the larger kits could still be bought.
After the Second World War
In 1950 a second series was developed with large-format stones and simpler connecting elements aimed at younger children ("Matador-Ki"). Rudolf Korbuly junior, the son of Rudolf senior, joined the company in 1951 and was operations manager until 1978.
In 1965 it was successfully launched in the USA . However, in the 1970s, production ran into problems due to the great competition from metal (e.g. Märklin ) and, above all, plastic construction kits (e.g. Lego ).
In 1978 the Korbuly sons sold the company to the newspaper publisher Kurt Falk . He tried to keep up with the competition with brightly painted wood and plastic parts, but had to throw in the towel in 1987. Rudolf Korbuly Jr. died on May 23, 2008 after a long and serious illness at the age of 87 and was buried in the cemetery in Oberwaltersdorf .
The new beginning
1997 Michael and Claudia Tobias acquired the trademark rights for the toy. By reducing it to the original elements (simple, colorless wooden blocks and wheels), it was able to successfully return to the market. The Matador Toys Ges.mbH in St. Poelten annually produces about 60,000 Matador sets.
Nevertheless, old "original construction kits" are sold at toy flea markets at good prices.
Arson attack in 2009
On May 18, 2009, the only production facility, a joinery in Waidhofen an der Thaya , had to stop the delivery of goods and production due to damage caused by arson . Among other things, the wood store was destroyed in the fire, and the warehouse was also affected, with the damage amounting to around 350,000 euros. A 25-year-old man who confessed to the crime was arrested as the perpetrator. Production was resumed in September 2009.
particularities
Today there are different historical product lines with three different hole diameters and matching rods. These products cannot be freely combined with one another.
The building blocks of the Matador are made of beech wood , which must be stored for two to three years before processing. The connecting rods were initially made from spruce wood , which was pulled from a log by a wooden wire puller . From 1935 on, the bars were also milled from beech wood. Today there are also rods made of plastic.
The name Matador goes back to the old saying he is a matador in his field and is intended to express the superiority of Korbuly's construction.
A permanent exhibition in the Traiskirchen City Museum has been dedicated to the matador boxes since 2005 .
Web links
- Website of the Matador company
- old building templates
- detailed description of the company's history (private fansite by Thomas Öllinger)
- Matador blog with information on the history of Matador
- Eva Offenthaler: A matador of the toy industry: the inventor Johann Korbuly - biography of the month on the homepage of the Austrian Biographical Lexicon (November 2016) .
- Annual selection of the Matador newspaper on ANNO - AustriaN Newspapers Online
Individual evidence
- ↑ Baptismal register Vienna – St. Othmar among the white tanners, vol. 9, p. 244
- ↑ Thomas Öllinger
- ↑ Death report Rudolf Korbuly , in: oevsv.at , accessed on January 3, 2020.
- ↑ a b Arson attack plunges Matador into crisis on noe.orf.at (May 27, 2009)
- ^ Oesterreich.orf.at: Alleged arsonist confessed , from May 18, 2009; Retrieved October 25, 2013
- ↑ noe.orf.at: Matador is producing building blocks again , from September 6, 2009; accessed on August 14, 2020