Majorette
Encyclopedia
1:64 scale
1:64 scale is a traditional scale for models and miniatures, in which one unit on the model represents 64 units on the actual object. It is also known as "three-sixteenths scale", since 3/16-inch represents a foot. A man is approximately 1-1/8 inches tall in 1:64 scale...
. Traditionally, Majorette was centered in the area of Lyon.
History
Majorette was founded in 1961 by Emile VéronEmile Véron
Emile Véron is a French entrepreneur that created the model car brand Norev with his two brothers, Joseph and Paul, in 1946. The name of the company is his name spelled backwards. He later created the toy company Majorette in 1961....
- of the family that also created Norev
Norev
Norev is a French manufacturer of diecast metal model cars. It has normally has produced modern and vintage European vehicles, especially French vehicles - though Italian, German, and American vehicles were also produced.-History:...
(Véron spelled backwards). Majorette became the main French manufacturer of Matchbox --sized miniature vehicles (roughly 3 inches long but with varying scale). The company has generally focused on everyday French and European models, and the main toy competition was Matchbox of Hackney, London, but also the German Siku and Japanese Tomica
Tomica
Tomica is the line of die-cast toy vehicles and related products produced by Takara Tomy Co. of Japan . This is not the same as Tomica World, which is a line of motorized trains and vehicles and accessories that Tomy Co. of Japan has produced since the late 1990s...
. Though French cars like Peugeot and Renault were emphasized, other licensed marques covered by Majorette include North American vehicles from General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
, Ford, and Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
and Japanese Nissan and Toyota (Ragan 2000, p. 37).
At the end of 1980, Majorette purchased revered 1:43 scale car and truck producer Solido
Solido
Solido is a french manufacturer of die-cast model cars and trucks based in Oulins, Anet, France, about 40 miles west of Paris. Cars are usually made of the alloy zamac in varying sizes, but mostly 1:43 scale.-History:...
(Militaires Solido website). Besides their important domestic presence, through large commercial channels Majorette relies heavily on sales to foreign markets. In 1982, Majorette USA was established in Miami, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, though Majorette models have not been retailed there since the late 1990s. Majorette was purchased by Smoby in 2003. In 2008, there was talk that Majorette, then called Smoby-Majorette, was to be divorced from Smoby and sold to MI29, a French investment fund which owns Bigben Interactive for €3,900,000. This venture was abandoned in 2009 when Majorette found itself insolvent again, and through a tribunal at the commercial court of Paris, a sale was granted to Simba-Dickie, who bought Smoby. Majorette and Solido today remain a part of the Simba-Dickie group.
Series and Packaging
Over the years, Majorette has adapted to increasing competition, with mixed results. The first series was the 100 series of roughly 3 inch long vehicles (Johnson 1998, 125). Then the 200 series of the same size replace it around 1970 and was very successful as Majorette penetrated many world markets. 100 and 200 series cars and trucks were much like Matchbox, though the focus was on French production cars. Some were cast in a rather bulky and thick style when compared with Matchbox, Siku, or Tomica.The 300 series combinations of cars with trailers and boats as well as semi-articulated trucks dated from the mid-1970s and were also popular (Ragan 2000, p. 37, 81). One clever example was the handsome Volkswagen beetle towing kayaks on a trailer or the Renault Michelin canvas topped tractor trailer in blue and yellow from the 1980s (Ragan 2000, p. 82; Rixon 2005, p. 96). Buses were also produced in the 300 series like the 'Londonlink' buses of the mid-1980s which were promotionals advertising the new service, but though the labeling was true-to-life, the toy Majorettes decorated so bore no resemblance to the real Londonlink buses (Rixon 2005, p. 103).
Packaging for Majorette models has always had a red or orange motif. For example, 1970s 300 series cars and trucks sported a nostalgic looking art-deco-like blister card package with yellow at the bottom which changed to orange, red and then purple. In the center of the package a downward pointing 'arrow' design went from light green at the top to dark green and blue. Package backs featured 15 other illustrations (not photos) of vehicles in the 300 series with their accompanying numbers. Little gold stickers on the plastic blisters labeled the number and type of vehicle (in French).
The standard series of cars was about 1:64 scale, but scale varied, not like other manufacturers, like Tri-ang's Spot On which maintained precise scale across all vehicles. Scale varied whether a Majorette vehicle was a small mini car like the cutely-done Renault Twingo or the Volvo Yoplait truck - all being anchored to the 2.5 to 3 inch size.
During the 1980s, many larger cars, trucks, farm and construction vehicles were introduced in the 4 to 6 inch size. These varied from the Lincoln limousine to farm tractors and trailers and cement mixers. All were packaged in the same eye-catching red packaging. Among these were the 600 series of semi-tractor trucks.
Sonic Flashers
One line of cars was known as the Sonic Flashers. These were standard sized Majorettes that, when pushed down on, produced a sirenSiren
In Greek mythology, the Sirens were three dangerous mermaid like creatures, portrayed as seductresses who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. Roman poets placed them on an island called Sirenum scopuli...
blare with flashing lights. These came in military
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, police
Police car
A police car is a ground vehicle used by police, to assist with their duties in patrolling and responding to incidents. Typical uses of a police car include transportation for officers to reach the scene of an incident quickly, to transport criminal suspects, or to patrol an area, while providing a...
, fire, and ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
versions. These vehicles had durable electronics - with batteries sometimes lasting an entire decade before losing power. Today Majorette "Light and Sound" vehicles fill this gap - though they are larger, with pull-back windup motors.
Road Eaters
Another line based on the 200 series were the Road Eaters. Regular cars were offered with tampo printing of various food companies' products pad printed on them, such as Willy Wonka "Gobstoppers", "Nerds", "Dweebs" and "Runtz" candy, "Swanson Kids Fun Feast" and "Swanson Kids Grilled Cheese Barnie Bear", "Campbell's Dinosaur Vegetable Soup", "Campbell's Teddy Bears", "Cry Baby" candy, "Pepsi" and "Diet Pepsi", "Cheetos Chester", "Peter Pan Creamy", and "Franco American Spaghetti Os" (Johnson 1998, 126-138). Other food products were also advertised and food coupons were offered with the vehicles. These cars were usually offered in two packs. Another popular line were the 'Circus' vehicles and Coca-Cola brand cars.Majo-kit
During the 1980s and 1990s Majorette made play sets called Majo-kit. Majo-kitMajo-kit
Majokit is a toy developed by the Majorette company of France, and is a complete traffic environment designed to give children hours of fascinating pleasure while simulating their imagination and sense of observation....
came with plastic pavement pieces that locked together to form the streets of a town. The pieces came in straight pieces, inner corner pieces, outer corner pieces and straight pieces that could be used as parking spaces. Each piece had at least one hole on it where objects such as traffic sign
Traffic sign
Traffic signs or road signs are signs erected at the side of roads to provide information to road users. With traffic volumes increasing over the last eight decades, many countries have adopted pictorial signs or otherwise simplified and standardized their signs to facilitate international travel...
s, street light
Street light
A street light, lamppost, street lamp, light standard, or lamp standard is a raised source of light on the edge of a road or walkway, which is turned on or lit at a certain time every night. Modern lamps may also have light-sensitive photocells to turn them on at dusk, off at dawn, or activate...
s, parking meter
Parking meter
A parking meter is a device used to collect money in exchange for the right to park a vehicle in a particular place for a limited amount of time. Parking meters can be used by municipalities as a tool for enforcing their integrated on-street parking policy, usually related to their traffic and...
s, rubbish bins, flowers and even buildings could be inserted. Some sets would include one or more Majorette car and other sets included figurines that could be played with in the city. The sizes of the Majo-kit
Majo-kit
Majokit is a toy developed by the Majorette company of France, and is a complete traffic environment designed to give children hours of fascinating pleasure while simulating their imagination and sense of observation....
, Majorette cars and the figurines were not to scale with one another.
Marketing to Confront Matchbox
Though realism and detail were not always as good as Matchbox or Tomica, by the early 1970's Majorette established a reputation of making quality, heavy vehicles, incorporating features like opening doors and hoods, translucent plastic parts, and sprung suspension systems. For example, mid-1970s Majorettes were superior models to French Norev Minijet cars, as demonstrated by the Citroen CX models from both firms - the paint finish on the Majorette is more consistent, and less thickly applied compared to the NorevNorev
Norev is a French manufacturer of diecast metal model cars. It has normally has produced modern and vintage European vehicles, especially French vehicles - though Italian, German, and American vehicles were also produced.-History:...
. Doors on Majorettes are sprung as is the suspension. Number plates and detailed plastic parts set the older Majorettes apart. More plastic parts are now featured on the Norev cars and metal bases are common on their new castings, in contrast to Majorette which has now moved downmarket with plastic bases, and less expensive tampo printing for headlamps instead of clear plastic pieces. Norev wheels are now detailed replicas of the real thing compared to Majorette's generic offerings.
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
strategy emphasize the toy appeal of the cars, including brighter paints, large tampo
Pad printing
Pad printing is a printing process that can transfer a 2-D image onto a 3-D object. This is accomplished using an indirect offset printing process that involves an image being transferred from the cliché via a silicone pad onto a substrate...
s and slightly exaggerated bodies. However, this was well executed, and even if the cars lost some realism, they had a particular, attractive solidness and style not like the competition. And in 1980 they bought Solido
Solido
Solido is a french manufacturer of die-cast model cars and trucks based in Oulins, Anet, France, about 40 miles west of Paris. Cars are usually made of the alloy zamac in varying sizes, but mostly 1:43 scale.-History:...
.
Diecast Outsourcing
The 1990s brought financial troubles and Majorette began to retreat from the U.S. market (Ragan 2000, p. 37). This time period saw a tremendous impact in the quality of the miniatures. After bankruptcy and a takeoverTakeover
In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company by another . In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are listed on a stock exchange, in contrast to the acquisition of a private company.- Friendly takeovers :Before a bidder makes an offer for another...
, most production was relocated to Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. One exception were the Portuguese NOVACAR models acquired by Majorette. These were well-done models with plastic bodies and metal bases - for a time these cars were marketed as a new '100' series, but later regular Majorette models were apparently made in Portugal as blister packages were marked with red "P"s, "F"s, and "T"s for Portugal, France, or Thailand.
At this time, Majorettes began to lose the proud 'Made in France' on their bases and on packaging. Actually, the shiny metal base itself gradually disappeared from new models, replaced by ordinary black plastic, a cost saving solution common in many toy brands. The loss was not only visual or tactile - Majorettes lost their characteristic weight and solidity.
Fortunately, the old Majorette brand survives, though owned by a German entity with products usually made in China. Entering the 21st century, batches of better castings have been introduced, as well as an image face lift that includes a modified logo, and a toning down of the bright aesthetics of the 1980s and 1990s, in touch with the automobile industry's trend of using plainer, metallic paints. Despite some occasional poor paint choices, and an intriguing fixation with the silver grey, the style change has been successful.
Majorette today
Today, as part of the Simba-Dickie Toy Group, its 200 line continues to be made in ThailandThailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and newer models are made in China. The distribution of Majorette via major retailers has been limited mainly to Europe, South America and Asia. Circa 2010, the Majorette lines offered today are standard "Singles" packaged in various ways, "Extractor" series (construction), "S.O.S." (ambulance and police format), "Trailers" - semi trucks and vehicles with trailers (basically the old 300 series), the "Farm" series of CLAAS tractors, "Motorcycles", "Rockerz" 4x4 Monster trucks, "Planes and Helicopters", the "Pinder" Circus series, liveried "Racing" vehicles and racing trucks with trailers.
The "Majo-Teams" offer vehicles of different sizes in different themes, and is reminiscent of offerings during the 1990s. Some of the castings, such as the 1980 Chevrolet 4-door Caprice have been made continuously since the mid-1980s. Lastly, a new line of "Eco Tech" cars features electric, hybrid and other 'green' and environmentally friendly, but cool, vehicles.
Some new models were released later than originally expected, for example, the Nissan Murano
Nissan Murano
The first generation Nissan Murano was powered by a 3.5 litre 245 bhp V6 engine, also used in several other Nissan models like the Altima, Maxima, and Nissan 350Z, but specifically tuned for use in the Murano. Available with standard front-wheel-drive and optional all-wheel-drive , the Nissan...
, Fiat Panda
Fiat Panda
The Fiat Panda is a city car from the Italian automobile manufacturer Fiat. The first Fiat Panda was introduced in 1980, and was produced until 2003 with only a few changes. It is now sometimes referred to as the "old Panda". The second model, launched in 2003, is sometimes referred to "New Panda"...
and Mercedes-Benz SLK were due to be released in 2005, but they did not reach the market until Autumn 2006. Only 3 models due to be released in 2005 actually made it onto the market that year, and were reported by collectors to be 'very hard to find'.
About 2010, similar to Matchbox or Hot Wheels, Majorette was moving into plastic cars and trucks of larger sizes. One example from this new "Kids Mate" series was a Mini Cooper in about 1:20 scale. The car is very detailed and complete with all opening features, but all in plastic in a package with bright (but Majorette-like) red colors. Also in this series is a line of plastic, but appealing, trucks; a trash truck, a logging truck, and a container truck. This line seems a more commercial "toy" ground whereas Solido
Solido
Solido is a french manufacturer of die-cast model cars and trucks based in Oulins, Anet, France, about 40 miles west of Paris. Cars are usually made of the alloy zamac in varying sizes, but mostly 1:43 scale.-History:...
(also a Dickie company) has the 1:43 scale collectibles with Majorette offering the smaller 1:64 line as well.
See also
- MaistoMaistoMaisto International Inc. is a popular toy brand of the May Cheong Group . Maisto manufactures die-cast models of automobiles, aircraft, and motorcycles...
- TomicaTomicaTomica is the line of die-cast toy vehicles and related products produced by Takara Tomy Co. of Japan . This is not the same as Tomica World, which is a line of motorized trains and vehicles and accessories that Tomy Co. of Japan has produced since the late 1990s...
- Hot WheelsHot WheelsHot Wheels is a brand of die cast toy car, introduced by American toymaker Mattel in 1968. It was the primary competitor of Matchbox until 1996, when Mattel acquired rights to the Matchbox brand from Tyco.-Models:...
- SikuSiku (trademark)SIKU is the range of toy vehicles and related products produced by the German company Sieper Lüdenscheid GmbH & Co. KG. There is quite a variety within the range, but the Super Series 1:55 die-cast vehicles is the core product and is the highlight among collectors.-History:The Sieper company was...
- Matchbox
- NorevNorevNorev is a French manufacturer of diecast metal model cars. It has normally has produced modern and vintage European vehicles, especially French vehicles - though Italian, German, and American vehicles were also produced.-History:...
- SolidoSolidoSolido is a french manufacturer of die-cast model cars and trucks based in Oulins, Anet, France, about 40 miles west of Paris. Cars are usually made of the alloy zamac in varying sizes, but mostly 1:43 scale.-History:...
External links
- http://www.majorette.fr
- http://www.majorette.com/index.php?l=en Majorette's website in English
- http://www.majocollector.com/accueil.htm Excellent source for old and new catalog scans, including a 2007 preview
- http://solijouet.free.fr/english/365z.htm
- http://www.diecastlovers.com/thumb.php?page=1&ipp=All&q=majorette&Submit=Search Majorette's images and characteristics