Meccano

Meccano, about 1920. Museum no. Misc.504-1986. (click image for larger version)

Meccano is one of the best known British construction toys. It was the invention of Frank Hornby (1863-1936) and has been around for over 100 years. Hornby, who was a shipping clerk with no formal engineering training, wanted his two sons to learn the basics of engineering, so he invented a construction toy which he called 'Mechanics Made Easy'. The toy consisted of metal strips and plates with nuts and bolts to fasten them together. Rods, wheels, pulleys and gears were later added to the sets. The only tools needed were a spanner and a screwdriver. Hornby was very interested in architecture and got the idea for the toy from the contemporary design and construction of bridges.

In 1901 Hornby applied for a patent for Mechanics Made easy and the construction toy was soon in production. The early sets came in tin boxes and the parts were unpainted metal. In 1907 Hornby registered the Meccano trademark and the following year set up Meccano Ltd as a company. Various numbered sets were introduced and by the mid 1930s there were ten full sets available as well as several accessory sets. To mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the company, colour was introduced in 1926 with red and green sets being produced. From 1934, blue and gold sets were also available in Britain.

From the early 1960s the Meccano company was unable to financially operate on its own and various take-overs included those by Tri-ang and Airfix. During this time the colour combinations changed again - first to yellow and black, and then to yellow and blue. Plastic sets for young children were also introduced. In the 1980s Meccano was manufactured by French companies and in 2000 it was taken over by the Japanese firm, Nikko. It continues to be made in France, and also now in China.

The success and popularity of Meccano has been, and continues to be, phenomenal. In order to cater for its huge popularity, Frank Hornby started a Meccano magazine in 1916. It later developed into a general hobby magazine and continued to be published until 1981. In 1919 Hornby  founded the Meccano Guild to bring together the various Meccano clubs that had sprung up all over the world. This tradition is continued today by the International Society of Meccanomen.