performers see majorette dancer . majorette logo majorette is a french toy manufacturer which mostly produces small die cast cars particularly in 1 64 scale . this is about the normal 2.5 to 3 inch size and sometimes majorette has been called the matchbox toys of france . traditionally majorette production was centered in the urban area of lyon but models are now made in thailand . contents 1 history 2 series and packaging 2.1 standard vehicles 2.2 sonic flashers 2.3 road eaters 2.4 majo kit 2.5 planes helicopters 2.6 production in brazil 3 marketing to confront matchbox 4 diecast outsourcing 5 majorette today 6 see also 7 references 8 external links history edit the company was founded in 1961 by emile v ron of the family that also created norev v ron spelled backwards richardson 1999 p. 156 . initially model railways and accessories were made and the firm was known as rail route . by 1964 the first cars came to market and in 1967 the name was changed to majorette . majorette became the main french manufacturer of matchbox sized miniature vehicles roughly pegged to 3 inches long so of varying scales . majorette soon became the largest producer of any french model car manufacturer . 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 conceptually the japanese tomica . though french cars like peugeot and renault were emphasized other licensed marques covered by majorette include north american vehicles from general motors ford and chrysler . japanese nissan and toyota are also represented ragan 2000 p. 37 . at the end of 1980 majorette purchased revered diecast scale car and truck producer solido militaires solido website . about this same time the portuguese company novacar was also purchased and majorette production commenced at that factory in portugal . 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 though majorette models have not been retailed in the u.s. 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 edit standard vehicles edit police land rover with radar trailer from the 300 series . over the years majorette has adapted to increasing competition with mixed results . the first line was the 100 series of roughly 3 inch long vehicles johnson 1998 125 . then the 200 series of the same size replaced 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 brand vehicles . some were cast in a rather bulky and thick style when compared with matchbox siku or tomica . the popular 300 series combinations of cars with trailers and boats as well as semi articulated trucks dated from the mid 1970s ragan 2000 p. 37 81 . one clever example was the handsome volkswagen beetle towing kayaks on a trailer the renault michelin canvas topped tractor trailer in blue and yellow from the 1980s or the chevy pickup truck hauling a luxurious yacht ragan 2000 p. 82 ; rixon 2005 p. 96 . buses like the londonlink were also produced in the 300 series in the mid 1980s . these were promotionals advertising the new bus service but though the labeling was true to life the toy majorettes decorated bore little 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 somewhat art deco style blister card package with yellow at the bottom which changed upwards to orange red and then purple . in the center of the package a downward pointing arrow design went rather spectrally from light green at the top to dark green and blue . package backs featured fifteen illustrations not photos of other vehicles in the 300 series with their accompanying numbers . each package was the same for each model with little gold stickers on the plastic blisters labeling the number and type of vehicle in french . model 3045 lincoln limousine . into the eighties 200 series blister packs were a simple even austere red and white with the majorette logo in gold . for a time there were no illustrations . soon illustrations appeared and the cards appeared with either red or blue backgrounds . about the same time especially for the u.s. market vehicles were often placed in clear plastic containers not blister cards colored in gold white and red . into the 1990s vehicles normally appeared in bright red blister cards with more graphics and illustrations with a yellow band around the majorette name . . similar to matchbox budgie or siku the standard series of cars was about 1 64 but the scale was mainly aligned to three inches . other manufacturers like tri ang s spot on maintained precise scale across all vehicles which often was a problem when considering uniform packaging techniques . 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 . renault 4 beach buggy . sonic flashers edit one line of cars was known as the sonic flashers . these were standard sized majorettes that when pushed down on produced a siren blare with flashing lights . these came in military police fire and ambulance 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 edit 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 edit majorette was always oriented to play value with sets tracks and accessories richardson 1999 pp. 156 175 . during the 1980s and 1990s majorette made play sets called majo kits . majo kits came with plastic pavement pieces that locked together to form the streets of a town . pieces were straight inner corner outer corner and others that could be used as parking spaces . each piece had at least one hole on it where objects such as traffic signs street lights parking meters rubbish bins flowers telephone booths and even buildings could be inserted . some sets would include one or more majorette vehicles and others included figurines for added play value . the varied piece sized were not to scale with one another . planes helicopters edit although mainly a die cast car and truck producer majorette has had a plane and helicopter line to compete with matchbox skybusters . the majorette airplane and helicopters line was expanded in 2013 to include such airlines as air mauritius and tuifly along with eleven others and five fictitious ones majorette website 2013 . production in brazil edit in the late 1970s to early 1980s the brazilian toy firms of inbrima and kiko manufactured majorette models under license . by producing locally majorette benefited by avoiding duties on imported french models . brazil had established the free economic zone of manaus in portuguese zona franca de manaus to boost regional development in the state of amazonas . inbrima models had a black label attached to the base identifying the place of manufacture while the majority of models had the later fab zf manaus white plastic tab affixed to the base indicating that the models had been made in that city . around the same period mr. a. kikoler and his toy brand name kiko also reached an agreement with majorette to produce approximately 15 majorette models in brazil at a factory in rio de janeiro again as with inbrima with local color schemes and liveries unique to brazil . kiko models included the datsun 240z the vw t2 citroen dyane and the renault 4 . on the bases kiko majorette was cast over the original majorette name with made in brazil in portuguese . marketing to confront matchbox edit though realism and detail were not always as good as matchbox or tomica by the early 1970s 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 norev . 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 . for comparison norev wheels are now detailed replicas of the real thing compared to majorette s more generic offerings . mini cooper cabrio from about 2005 . into the 1980s a marketing strategy emphasize the toy appeal of the cars including brighter paints large tampos 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 . diecast outsourcing edit 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 was followed in 1992 by a takeover by ideal loisirs most production was relocated to thailand where a factory in the nava nakorn industrial promotion zone in pathum thani province was built comprising 1 000 square meters . as of 2012 the factory had grown to 13 000 square meters . though most majorette models have since been made in thailand one exception was the portuguese novacar series 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 also made in portugal