Meccano, the metal model-making toy invented by Liverpool toymaker Frank Hornby in 1901, has sold more than a billion sets worldwide. Its admirers over its 125-year history include a Nobel Prize winner, a Prime Minister, and numerous inventors.
The toy, which can be used to build everything from cranes to ferris wheels and fighter jets, was devised for Hornby's children at his kitchen table. Its reusable metal parts, fastened with nuts and bolts, revolutionised hands-on, educational play, fostering spatial awareness and combining fun with a practical engineering lesson.
From Kitchen Table to Global Phenomenon
Originally launched as Mechanics Made Easy, the Meccano name, adopted in 1907, is believed to derive from the term "make and know." It was the world's first construction toy, later joined by LEGO, created by Danish carpenter Ole Kirk Kristiansen in 1932.
In 1914, Meccano's Binns Road factory opened in Liverpool, and a vibrant international community was created through the launch of Meccano Magazine in 1916. The Meccano Guild was established in 1919 to connect local enthusiast clubs. In the 1920s, Hornby expanded into model railways, Dinky Toys die-cast miniatures, Kemex chemistry sets, and Elektron electrical kits.
Sharon Brown, Curator of Land Transport, Work and Industry at the Museum of Liverpool, says: "Facing early marketing struggles with Meccano, Hornby got a vital break when Professor Hele-Shaw of Liverpool University certified it as 'based on sound engineering principles.' The endorsement skyrocketed sales, turning Meccano into a popular prototyping tool for inventors and a foundational educational kit that sparked countless technical careers."
Wartime Production and Notable Fans
Before World War Two, mathematicians at Manchester University constructed early analogue computers from Meccano to solve complex equations. When the government banned the manufacture of metal toys in February 1942, Meccano's factory was redirected to wartime manufacturing production, the details of which have never been fully disclosed. The firm also produced a popular die-cast Spitfire, donating the proceeds to the war effort.
Sharon says: "Nobel prize winner Sir Harry Kroto linked his 1996 Chemistry Prize directly to playing with Meccano as a child, calling the loss of its popularity to LEGO a 'disaster of modern life'." Kroto said: "Meccano gave one an idea that there was an engineering explanation that could make the molecule so strong. You imagine building molecules as if they were bits of Meccano."
Trevor Bayliss, inventor of the Freeplay radio in the early 1990s, took inspiration from his childhood Meccano sets. Sharon says: "He designed a wind-up mechanism that would operate the radio for 14-minutes on a single wind without the need for electricity or expensive batteries. The radio relied on a simple mechanism that Bayliss initially developed using Meccano." Roland Moreno also used Meccano to build and test the original card-handling mechanism that helped him secure his patent for the smart card in 1974.
Collectors and a Modern Resurgence
Meccano collector Richard Payn, 62, a retired finance director from Hayes, Middlesex, notes notable fans: "Harold Wilson, the Labour Prime Minister from the 1970s, mentioned he had a Meccano set. Sir Alec Issigonis, who designed the Mini, modeled the front-wheel-drive system and gearbox with Meccano." He adds that British engineer Denys Fisher, who created Spirograph, was inspired by the Meccanograph, first invented around 1916.
Richard got his first set in 1975 and now has 1,000 kilos, or a tonne, of Meccano. He says: "I subscribed to the Meccano Magazine and my first issue was January 1977. Seeing the models that adults were building just blew my mind." He attended his first club meeting in April 1977 and will mark his 50th anniversary of joining the Holy Trinity Meccano Club next April.
Meccano stopped being manufactured in the UK in 1981 and is currently made by a network of production partners in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, under the ownership of the Canadian toy company Spin Master. Rare sets make prized auction lots, with Meccano Outfit No 10 fetching up to £1,500. The Windmill set, from about 1913, is considered the rarest, with only one known example.
Richard says: "LEGO's rise in the 1960s definitely affected Meccano's popularity. But today we are seeing a resurgence thanks to STEM learning. Enter Meccano. Meccano is real-world engineering." He explains that Meccano teaches problem-solving skills that LEGO does not, noting: "I know people who've used bits of Meccano to mend cars."
Relaunch and Future Ambitions
Since 1901, more than 1,500 different iterations of Meccano sets have been produced, and over 2,000 unique part designs. This September, The Entertainer, the UK's exclusive stockist, and its own brand Addo, are having a major relaunch of the brand. With new designs and packaging, Meccano will offer four ranges for different age groups (Makers, Builders, Masters, and Pro).
The Entertainer's CEO, Andrew Murphy OBE, says: "We have a new tie up with Ducati and Aston Martin, with new construction sets like the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ set based on their F1 car." He notes that Meccano Strips have been virtually unchanged in 125 years, with holes set at 1/2" spacing, and that the very first parts would work with today's nuts and bolts.
Michael Brown, number one mechanic in the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team, says: "When I was a kid, I'd spend hours building little cars out of Meccano. Now I'm here in the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team garage, turning real machines into something even more incredible." He credits Meccano with teaching him how structures and mechanisms worked together.
Andrew is already looking ahead to Meccano's next major milestone. He says: "Meccano still sells £5-6million worth of products a year, but we think the potential is 10 times that. Our aim is to have people talking about the brand's 250th anniversary, in 125 years time."
