Mebetoys

Meccanica Besana Toys, shortened to Mebetoys, was an Italian toy manufacturer. Founded in 1959 by the Besana brothers, Ugo and Martino, in Novara, Italy, Mebetoys started out making key chains, toy guns and toy irons and ironing boards. Their father, Giovanni, gave the company its name. The company is now most noted for their manufacture of high-quality larger scale vehicles in 1/43, 1/28 and 1/25 scales, with moving parts, detailed wheels and numerous other features, having begun production of vehicles in 1966.
Ugo Besana was in charge of producing the molds for the vehicles, while Martino Besana was in charge of the production line. A third brother, Mario, joined in 1967, becoming involved in the company's financial management. The Besana family sold Mebetoys to Mattel in 1969, essentially making it defunct. The Besana brothers were hired by Mattel and were contracted for two years to aid in the transition, but were dismissed after four months. The brothers would then go on to found Martoys, later known as Bburago.
Under Mattel management, Mebetoys produced the Gran Toros line of toys alongside their standard Mebetoys lineup of European cars, along with numerous other series. The company later produced the Super Hot Wheels line, essentially rereleases of Mebetoys models for the American market. The original Mebetoys factory closed in 1984.
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Mebetoys Ad.jpg|Mebetoys Ad featuring the 1978 Hot Wheels line
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Category:Glossary