12 Facts About Dinky Toys

Dinky Toys was the brand name for a range of die-cast zamak zinc alloy scale model vehicles produced by British toy company Meccano Ltd.

Dinky Toys were among the most popular diecast vehicles ever made –pre-dating other popular diecast marques, including Corgi, Matchbox and Mattel's Hot Wheels.

Dinky Toys later moved into model railways, with its O gauge clockwork trains appearing in 1920.

One story about the origin of the "Dinky Toys" name is that it derived from a nickname that a friend gave to Frank Hornby's daughter.

Since Dinky Toys were more popular, Spot-On Models were phased out in 1967, although a few cars originally designed for Spot-On were made in Hong Kong and marketed as Dinky Toys.

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Dinky Toys continued to make innovative models, with all four doors opening, retractable radio aerials, new metallic paints, and jeweled headlights.

Into the 1970s, many British made Dinky Toys vehicles lost the precision quality of detailing and proportions seen during the two previous decades.

The vast majority of the French Dinky Toys range was only available in the home market, Belgium, Switzerland, USA and other non-British Commonwealth countries although a few models did make it across the English Channel both before and after the war.

Pilen models, most of which were Dinky Toys dies, were very popular and numerous in Spain and commonly sold in El Corte Ingles and Galerias Preciados department stores.

Original British-made Dinky Toys had been available in select cities in India from pre-war days until about 1955, when import curbs on toys came into effect.

Old stocks of original Dinky toys continued to be available for a few years in Calcutta and other metro areas until supplies were exhausted.

Dinky Toys trade-name changed hands many times before ending up as part of Matchbox International Ltd in the late 1980s.