Husky (toy company)

Husky Toys was a British die-cast toy company. They made a line of small die-cast toy cars, similar to Matchbox. The line was later purchased by Mettoy Playcraft Ltd., makers of Corgi Toys, and re-named Corgi Juniors.

The Husky line of toy cars was introduced in 1964, and was designed to compete with Matchbox, which was the market leader in small-scale vehicles at that time. They were inexpensive and were originally sold only at Woolworth's stores. The cars were essentially in the same scale as Matchbox models, but had grey plastic knobby tyres/wheels (when Matchbox had long since switched to black) and "chrome" plastic bases. On the one hand, the bases made the models lighter and less durable than Matchbox cars, but their construction did allow for a simple suspension system to be installed. At its zenith, the Husky line numbered 40 vehicles. The models were generally sold in blister packs. Like Matchbox, they also offered certain accessory items for children, such as carrying/storage cases for the cars, and even collectors catalogues in the late '60s.

Late in the history of the series, the quality of some of the models was improved, with metal bases being added and higher quality two-piece wheel/tyre assemblies installed. The series was re-named Corgi Juniors in 1970. Dies originally created for the Husky series were used later as Corgi Juniors, Corgi Rockets, and even in certain Hot Wheels sets. The Husky model no. 17b Guy Warrior Tanker was perhaps the casting used the longest.

Today, the Corgi brand is owned by Hornby, but many of the Corgi Junior dies were retained by Mattel, which owned and manufactured Corgi Toys from 1989 to 1995.

External links

* [http://homepage.ntlworld.com/d.jones7317/public_html/4index/husky.htm Photos of some Husky models]
* [http://www.home.railscene.com/garyscars/corgi/index.htm Photos of Husky, Corgi Junior, and Corgi Rockets models, as well as Husky catalogs, blister cards, etc.]