{"id":158656,"date":"2026-08-06T21:16:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T21:16:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/158656\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T21:16:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T21:16:10","slug":"toymaker-celebrates-70th-anniversary-with-exhibition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/158656\/","title":{"rendered":"Toymaker celebrates 70th anniversary with exhibition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Toy brand Corgi is to celebrate its 70th anniversary with a free exhibition at Coventry Transport Museum on Friday.<\/p>\n

The 70 Years of Making Memories event will showcase iconic Corgi models from across seven decades, including classic die-cast models, collector’s pieces and a first look at new products too.<\/p>\n

Corgi has been producing famous die-cast models since 1956, from James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 to classic British cars and more.<\/p>\n

Guy Stainthorpe, managing director of Corgi, told the BBC: “I think we’ve kept the DNA of what entertains and what people enjoy when they buy die-cast models. They’re miniatures, they’re metal miniatures and they’re perfect.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The toy brand became iconic for their James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 and the Batmobile models [Corgi]<\/p>\n

With the company celebrating it’s 70th anniversary, which models have proved to be the most popular over time?<\/p>\n

“The best selling Corgi toy of all time is not actually the Aston Martin DB5, it’s the Land Rover, and we’ve sold about 10 and a half to 11 million of them.<\/p>\n

“The James Bond car is just below on about 10 or 11 million, and number three is the Batmobile, with about 6.8 million and counting”, Stainthorpe said.<\/p>\n

The brand started in 1933, under the name of Mettoy or the “Metal Toy Company”.<\/p>\n

But in 1956 Mettoy began producing a new range of die-cast cars from a factory in Fforestfach, Swansea, and named them Corgi in honour of the tiny Welsh dogs.<\/p>\n

As well as being the first toy cars to have plastic windows, other features to appear in Corgi cars were fibre-optic style working lights, friction push-along motors, removable wheels, horns, sirens, guns, and even ejector seats.<\/p>\n

Toy expert, Laurence Lambert, says being a collector of Corgi toys is “an emotional rollercoaster”.<\/p>\n

He added: “It’s a connection from me personally, being a kid, looking in a toy shop window when I was about 7 or 8 and pointing out to my Dad, ‘I really want that car!’. I was the Corgi kid.”<\/p>\n

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Toy expert, Laurence Lambert, said being a collector of Corgi toys is “an emotional rollercoaster”. [BBC]<\/p>\n

Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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