Jack Odell

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John William "Jack" Odell, OBE (March 19, 1920 – July 7, 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. The first car, an MG TD roadster, came out in 1954. [1]

By 1966, more than 100 million Matchbox toys were sold each year. Odell retired in 1973 but returned in 1981 when Lesney had run into financial problems.[2] The company was declared insolvent in 1982 and sold to Universal Toys. [1]

He founded Lledo, a small vehicle 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]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Jack Odell, 87, Designer of Matchbox Cars, Is Dead, New York Times, July 17 2007
  2. ^ a b c Times Online "Jack Odell" obituary


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