automobile: Matchbox| Ford Zodiac, No. 53

In 1952, Jack Odell, a partner at Lesney Products, scaled down the company’s road roller model, packaged it in a matchbox, and sent his daughter to school for show-and-tell. The Matchbox car was born. Today Matchbox still rolls as a top seller, now part of the Mattel family of toys. A formula for high quality, impressive detail, and affordable prices set Matchbox apart from their competitors when they debuted and fueled such an enduring success that some people continue to call a miniature car, no matter the maker, a “Matchbox.”