Odell, Jack

▪ 2008

John William Odell 

      British toy designer and manufacturer

born March 19, 1920, London, Eng.

died July 7, 2007, Barnet, Hertfordshire, Eng.

pioneered Matchbox toys—scale-model die-cast metal replicas small enough to fit inside a British cardboard matchbox. The phenomenally popular miniatures, which featured realistic detail and movable parts, were marketed around the world, with as many as 50 million sold annually by 1962. Odell, a self-taught engineer, was hired in 1947 by a small die-casting company, but soon afterward he joined Lesney Products, founded by Leslie Smith and Rodney Smith (no relation). Odell's earliest replicas included a brass steamroller that his young daughter could take to school in a matchbox and a miniature horse-drawn coach to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II's 1952 coronation. After Rodney Smith quit, Leslie Smith managed the business side of the enterprise, while Odell oversaw the creative design and manufacture of the miniature vehicles. Lesney, which went public in 1964, was bought in 1982 by Universal Toys (later acquired by Mattel, Inc.). Thereafter, Odell took some of Lesney's die casts and formed a new company, Lledo, which made limited-edition promotional items and collectibles. He was appointed OBE in 1968.

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