A Corgi Citroën 2CV, promotional for FINA.

Find best prices and huge selection of cheap kids toys and games online, educational toys, outdoor toys, character toys, electronic toys and much more.

Corgi Classics

Corgi Classics Limited is a diecast model manufacturer which has its origins in the Corgi Toy brand introduced by Mettoy in 1956. more...

Home

Action Figures

Beanies

Construction Toys & Kits

Anson

Benbros

Brumm

Budgie

Burago

Cararama & Hongwell

Charbens

Code 3

Collections/ Bulk Lots

Conrad/ NZG

Corgi

Accessories & Catalogues

Aircraft

Bus & OOC

Cars

Boxed

Unboxed

Collections/ Bulk Lots

Corgi Classics

Emergency Vehicles

Farm Tractors/ Vehicles/...

Husky, Junior & Rockets

Superhaulers/ Modern Trucks

Vintage (Pre-1973)

Crescent

Danbury Mint

Detail

Dinky

Dragon

EFE

Eligor

ERTL

Exoto

Ferrari

Franklin Mint

Gearbox

Guisval

Herpa

HotWheels

IXO

Jada

Jadi

Joal

Johnny Lightning

Kinsmart

Kyosho

Lledo

Maisto

NASCAR

Newray

Norev

ONYX

Other Diecast & Vehicles

Oxford Diecast

Polistil

Revell

Rio

Road Champs

Road Signature

Saico

Schabak

Schuco

Siku

Spark

Tekno

Tomica

Tonka

Tri-ang

Trofeu

Unbranded Vehicles

Universal Hobbies

Vitesse/ Quartzo/ City

Welly

White Metal/ Hand-Made/...

Toys & Games

Wargames & Role-Playing

The Corgi Toys era : 1956 to 1995

Corgi Toys was launched in 1956 as a new range of die cast toy model cars by Mettoy Playcraft LTD, the toy car company founded in 1936. These new toy cars were soon a huge hit because at the time they were the only toy cars on the market that included transparent plastic windows, they soon became known as the ones with the windows!

Although Corgi has had many model car competitors ranging from Dinky Toys to Lledo through out the years, it has fought hard to stay at the top of the market, its name well known to the day. In its first year of trading Corgi sold an amazing 2.75 million cars, making it a clear leader of the British toy car industry. In 1966 Corgi won the Queen’s Award To Industry and the National Association Of Toy Retailers’ Highest Standards Award, two very prestigious awards. In March 1969 a year's supply was destroyed in the Swansea factory by a fire - a major setback cutting profits tremendously. Despite this, Corgi continued to remain among top collectibles for many years.

Sales rocketed in the late 1960s and early 1970s after the James Bond Aston Martin DB5 and the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car was released, but sales were dramatically cut after the 1969 fire. Because of the fire, substantial ground was lost to its main rival Dinky, but by 1971, the Swansea factory was back to full production again after major repairs costing over £1.3 million. The Queen’s silver jubilee model edition released in 1977 was an instant best seller, along with other nostalgia model: Edward VII’s coronation state coach of 1901. After a rapid decline of sales, in 1983 economic analysts said that decline was inevitable; children and adults had moved on to more sophisticated pleasures, others however did not agree; they believed if it had not been for the fire there would have been no problem.

Corgi reformed as Corgi Toys Ltd. in 1984, it turned its attention to regaining the British toy company’s confidence. But 3 years later Corgi turned to the export market for profits, soon distributing in Australia, Europe and the USA. Very soon after this point Corgi started the Collectors Club quickly gaining worldwide membership.

In 1989 the company was taken over by Mattel, worldwide toy manufacturing giant (manufacturer of Barbie Dolls and Hot Wheels cars), production was moved to Leicester, the Mattel headquarters. Corgi then bought out its new range: Corgi Classics, selling nostalgia cars, vans and trucks from the 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s; a huge success aimed at people who had been children at that time giving them the chance to return to their childhood memories, a brilliant innovation that is still running strong today. At around the same period in the US, Corgi released a new range of trucks, fire tenders and buses based on North American prototypes, but was not as successful as hoped.