Mettoy Company PLC

1934 - company founded in Northampton by Philipp Ullman and Arthur Katz. 1945 - following WW2, the company manufactured tinplate and plastic moulded toys from a leased factory in Swansea. 1956 - started manufacture of Corgi toys, the first model being the Ford Consul Saloon. 1957 - first Corgi catalogue produced. 1960 - Corgi presented Aston Martin with their first model to include a hinged bonnet and engine. 1961 - the managing director, Arthur Katz, received an OBE for his services to the toy industry. 1965 - awarded the Queen's Award to Industry for outstanding export sales and the National Association of Toy Retailers furnished them with the Highest Standard Award. 1969 - founder and Chairman, Philipp Ullman, retired. 1971 - due to slipping sales, redundancies were made at the Northampton factory. As result, the company reached an agreement o manufacture and distribute Fisher-Price toys for the European market. 1977 - Peter Katz, son of Arthur, became chairman. 1979 - more redundancies ocurred following changes in consumer preference and a harsher economic climate. 1982 - launched the highly acclaimed Dragon Computer. 1983 - the official receiver was called in. 1984 - following a successful management buyout, Corgi Toys Limited was created.