Hamden, Connecticut.

The company was founded in 1926 by Paul Bruder and initially made brass reeds for toy trumpets. Paul's son Heinz Bruder joined the company in 1950 and production of small plastic toys began in 1958.[2] Paul Heinz Bruder (son of Heinz Bruder) then joined in 1987, assuming responsibility for product development and production, after which the company underwent a period of extensive expansion.[2] The company exports 70% of its production to over 60 countries, with sales reaching €75 million in 2014 [1] and is one of the few that still manufactures its toys in Germany

Hot Wheels is an American brand of scale model cars invented by Elliot Handler and introduced by his company Mattel on May 18, 1968.[2] It was the primary competitor of Matchbox until Mattel bought Matchbox owner Tyco Toys in 1997.

Many automobile manufacturers have since licensed Hot Wheels to make scale models of their cars, allowing the use of original design blueprints and detailing. Although Hot Wheels were originally intended to be children's toys, they have become popular with adult collectors, for whom limited edition models are now made available.

Matchbox is a toy brand which was introduced by Lesney Products in 1953, and is now owned by Mattel, Inc, which purchased the brand in 1997. The brand was given its name because the original die-cast "Matchbox" toys were sold in boxes similar to those in which matches were sold. The brand grew to encompass a broad range of toys, including larger scale die-cast models, plastic model kits, slot car racing, and action figures.

During the 1980s, Matchbox began to switch to the more conventional plastic and cardboard "blister packs" that were used by other die-cast toy brands such as Hot Wheels. By the 2000s, the box style packaging was re-introduced for the collectors' market, such as the 35th Anniversary of Superfast series in 2004 and the 50th Anniversary of Superfast in 2019.

Products currently marketed under the Matchbox name include scale model plastic and die-cast vehicles, and toy garages.

Tonka is an American brand and former manufacturer of toy trucks.[3] The company is known for making steel toy models of construction type trucks and machinery. Maisto International, which makes die-cast vehicles, acquired the rights to use the Tonka name in a line of 1:64 scale, featuring mostly trucks.