Dinky Toys

Dinky Toys are die-cast zamac miniature vehicles which were produced by Meccano Ltd – makers of Hornby Trains, which were named after founder Frank Hornby. Dinky Toys in England were made from 1935 to 1979. The factory was at Binns Road, Liverpool, England. Arguably, Dinky Toys, perhaps along with Solido, were the most notable diecast vehicles ever produced - predating dozens of other diecast marques including Corgi, Matchbox, and even Mattel's Hot Wheels.

Pre-war history

Frank Hornby established Meccano Ltd. in 1901 to make metal erector construction sets (Wainwright 2015). The company soon moved into trains with the first O gauge clockwork train appearing in 1920 (Ellis 2009, p. 15; Wainwright 2013).

In the early 1930s, Meccano had made many types of tin plate and other metal cars, like its Morgan and BSA three-wheelers, mostly in kit form (Interesting 1934, pp. 306–307). In 1933 Meccano Ltd issued a series of railway and trackside accessories to complement their O scale (1/45) Hornby Trains model train sets (Force 1988, p. 6; Ramsay 1933, p. 88). These accessories were first called "Hornby Modelled Miniatures", but in the April 1934 issue of Meccano Magazine they were given the name 'Meccano Dinky Toys' for the first time (Meccano Magazine 1934 p. 332) in August 1935, the name Meccano was dropped and the marque became DINKY TOYS until 1971(Encyclopédie Dinky Toys). By December 1934 the Dinky name was also used for the 'Dinky Builder' sets where colored flat metal pieces could be hinged together to make buildings and vehicles (Esplen 2013).

Podcasts:

PLAYLIST TIME:

Dinki-di Aussie

by: Slim Dusty

I was born in a broken down wagonette,
On a far distant Queensland cattle route,
And my shawl was a dusty old saddle cloth,
I'm a dinki-di Aussie no doubt!
I was raised on the milk of a kangaroo,
And my dummy was a rum bottle cork,
And my diet was damper and bully beef,
I'm a dinki-di Aussie called Stork!
Play now.
[Instrumental]
Oh that’s the sound we all like
Way down here.
Now I went to the class of a two-up school',
Where a cockatoo watched for the law,
And my teacher was a bare knuckle pugilist,
I'm a dinki-di Aussie for sure!
Now I work in the country for many months,
And some people say that I'm queer,
With a fat cheque I head for the nearest town,
And I bust it on horses and beer.
hey!
[Instrumental]
I'm allergic to red tape and relations,
No in-laws can yap down my ear,
Oh, I'm often rough, rowdy and I drink a bit,
I'm the cause of that pub with no beer.
Then finally I go to that other land,
A preacher once told me "It's true",
Oh, he said "The reception would be very warm,
To dinki-di Aussies like you."
‘Cause I was born in a broken down wagonette,
And my dummy was a rum bottle cork,
And my diet was damper and bully beef,
I'm a dinki-di Aussie called Stork!




Latest News for: dinky toys

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The Times/The Sunday Times 16 Mar 2025
So, let’s talk about size ... But you knew this ... Only of late has the story somehow gone into reverse ... Or even 20mm ... And here’s why ... Standing almost two metres tall I can’t claim that a dinky-toy timer looks anything other than laughable on me ... Maybe ... Fashion.
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Singapore's Female Entrepreneurs Find Global Success on Amazon

Vietnam News 07 Mar 2025
Ahead of International Women's Day, read the inspiring stories of Singapore female entrepreneurs and innovators who are making their mark globally on Amazon through products such as dog toys, health foods, baby essentials, and lifestyle homeware.
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Singapore’s Female Entrepreneurs Find Global Success on Amazon

The Arabian Post 07 Mar 2025
Driven by her lifelong love for dogs, Ruth founded Race&Herd in 2020, using her expertise as a certified dog behaviour expert to create science-backed toys for dogs that require high physical and mental stimulation.
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The dark side of World Book Day

The Spectator 05 Mar 2025
What began in 1998 with Tony Blair standing in the Globe Theatre to announce a new celebration of books has morphed into something much bigger ... Parker pens, signed mini-cricket bats, Wisdens, and sixties Dinky toy models and soldiers ... .
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