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- 1893 - William Britains was established
- 1907 - William Britain died and the company became Britains Ltd
- 1921 - Britains Home Farm was launched
- 1930 - The Britains factory moved from North London factory to Walthamstow
- 1941 - 1946 - the factory was closed and converted for needs of the war
- 1946 - production re-started, it wasn't until 1953 that a reasonable range of products were available.
- 1954 - Britains became major shareholder in Herald (leading manufacturer of plastic toy soldiers)
- 1968 - Britains moved to a larger factory still in Walthamstow
- 1984 - Dobson Park Industries purchased Britains
- 1992 - closure of the Blackhore Lane factory and a move to Nottingham
- 1993 - Britains centenary year - production of various special edition models
- 1997 - ERTL purchased Britains along with the Petite range and became the 'largest farm toy manufacturer in the world'. Britains acquired the John Deere license through ERTL which had previously been unable to obtain
- 1997-8 - all production moved to China and Land Rover gave permission for Britains to develop and release products to coincide with their launch
- 1999 - ERTL was purchased by Racing Champions
- 2004-2005 - An extensive investment programme has seen Britains enter a renaissance of production with an unprecedented number of new additions to the range of exceptional quality.
TOY TIMELINE
Outline of the Britains Farm Toy History
1921 - Britains Home Farm was launched with 30 farm figures and animals and one vehicle, the tumbrel cart. It included trees, shrubs and even an angry gander! This was the largest output of new product designs in Britains History. Each farm figure was available to collect individually, making it Britains first pocket money collectable. Models were produced - as with the military range - in 1/32 scale
1922-1924 - many new lines were added to the range to populate the farm such as animals in active positions and characters both young and old
1924 - Britains produced its first promotional toy - the Nestle World Cow. This was a Black and White cow with its patches forming the map of the world
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1926 - on the Britains stand at the British Industries Fair, Queen Mary commented 'You seem to have everything from village life represented except for the village idiot' - and so the village idiot was produced. Item no 587. Others too made up the village life, including the clergymen and village group
1928 - fox-hunting figures were added
1929 - a flint wall was introduced, with no less than 11 different parts to ensure it could be built just how the child wanted it
1930 - saw the introduction of more animals including a begging dog and a spiteful cat!
1932 - the hunting field expanded
1934 - the first farm lorry was introduced to the range
1935 - a basic cardboard farmhouse scene was available - due to its very nature it didn't last long
1936 - reported in the catalogue was the fact that a large number of adults were playing with the farm - a phenomenon that has not changed over the years
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1948- the first tractor was introduced - the Fordson Major - with a choice of either metal wheels or rubber tyres. This was cast in lead and therefore rather fragile - it couldn't take a lot of field-work! Within 20 years tractors became the chief mainstay of the business
1949 - Trailer with Racks and a tipping body was introduced and has changed little over the years as it is still a popular design today
1955 - with the plastic model expertise of Herald now influencing Britains , 23 plastic farm figures and animals were introduced
1956 - new figures were added including a farmer carrying a shotgun and smoking a pipe - to last until 1986 when he was no longer pc
1956 - unusual developments such as 12 different versions of the rabbit
1959 - all metal farm figures and animals were withdrawn from sale
1959 - Fordson New Major was launched. Britains upgraded this model as Ford updated the tractor to the Fordson Super Major and finally the Fordson New Performance Major in mazac to withstand outdoors play. It was fitted with a lifting rear hitch to reflect a real tractor - this hitch was so successful that manufacturers of 1/32 scale farm machinery adopted it universally
1961 - a basic cardboard make-up farm was introduced, but like the cardboard farmhouse of 1935 it did not last the year
1965 - saw the introduction of the first electric motor powered model - the Lister Multi-level Elevator, with the batteries hidden cleverly in a stack of bales
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1966 - In this year the hunting range was deleted - this range may soon have added value to its collectablility?
1968 - the first non-Ford tractor was introduced, a Massey Ferguson 135
1970 - the JCB Tracked Excavator was introduced and was the most ambitious diecast and plastic toy made to date. A model farmyard and buildings combination was also produced this year and remained the most popular item for many years
1976 - with a policy of only developing models of British equipment, Britains struggled to maintain this in the 70's as machinery manufacturer became global business. This year saw the introduction of the German Unimog Tractor Lorry
1978 - A second German model, the Deutz 110 tractor was released
1978 - is a memorable year in Britains history as it produced its most high profile and requested product ever - the Massey Ferguson 760 Combine. This followed a major investment and became its flagship product for a number of years. It was awarded 'Toy of the Year 1978' by the National Association of Toy Retailers
1979 - after years of machinery development, Britains now returned to animals and accessories and produced new cattle ranges and a construction kit of the Atcost Building Sets
1980 - a Worzel Gummidge set was released including Worzel with a change of heads and his friends Aunt Sally. This would be the only time Britains produced a model for a TV series
1981 - after leaving the range in 1956, the Farm Lorry returned in this year as an Iveco Animal Transporter
1984 - the Massey Ferguson 2680 was released, the first model to feature an engine noise. The Autoways Series was also introduced to be renamed 3 years later as the Road Series
1986 - the farm figures were updated to reflect the trends of the time - the farmer no longer carried his gun or pipe
1987 - the Power Farm Series was introduced. A Ford TW35 tractor with a battery mounted under the bonnet. The special feature was that if the battery was not fitted, it could be pushed along just as any other Britains tractor. Implements and machinery were added to the range, but this only lasted until 1992
1980's - saw the most prolific development in Britains Farm machinery since it was first introduced in 1921. It used guidance from farming consultants and over 120 new models were developed. The product range represented all operations carried out on commercial farms and it was so comprehensive that the name was changed to 'Britains Authentic Farm Models'
1989 - a push-n-go range for younger children was introduced, the Action Drive range. This was not popular and was deleted in 1992. The strength of Britains farm seems to be in the actual play value of moving the figures oneself
1993 - in Britains Centenary Year special a version of the Ford 5610 Tractor was labelled as Britains 100 and finished in silver and gold plated parts. Also a Rosette range of farm animals was introduced including new pigs and sheep with improved painting quality
1993 - the Honda TRX 300 ATV was the first item to be manufactured in China
1996 - Vintage Farm Series was launched, designed for the collector. This series was dropped in 2000. A classic range is expanding within the 2005 catalogue
1997 - 8 - production of the farm except for the animals was transferred to China
1998 - 50 years since the launch of the first tractor, Britains had produced 58 tractors (not including variations) from eight countries and 24 manufacturers. During this time 120 different implements were produced
1999 - ERTL purchase Britains with plans to expand the range further into the millennium
2000-2004 - saw heavy investment into the development and quality of Britains product range
2004 - sees an outstanding year for Britains with over 38 new items launched including for the first time in Britains ' history, the Austrian manufacturer Steyr
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2005 - more exciting new items are added to the range including a Bobcat Skidsteer, the first Bobcat to have been replicated in 1/32 scale
Thank you RC2 for providing this information
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