Web
Page No 2578
4th
May 2019
Mobo Toys
4th Picture. Mobo
Hovercraft
MOBO TOYS' were made by D. SEBEL &
CO., ERITH, KENT, ENGLAND from 1947 to 1972.
David Sebel had
emigrated from Russia in 1912 and set up in partnership as a Wheelwright in
East London in 1921. In 1928 he moved the Company to Lant Street in S.E.1 with
the take-over of a firm, Hazeldine & Norton, Wheelwright's & Motor Body
and Van Builders. Interestingly the house next to the premises had been the
residence of Charles Dickens when his parents were in the Marshalsea Debtor's
Prison.
In the 1930's they
expanded into Architectural metalwork and other engineering projects. Also
producing street cleaning carts, milk churns and fronts for Cinemas. In 1931
Harry Sebel, David's son, joined the firm starting from the bottom up. During
the Second World War the Company turned over to war work and several local
premises were used for their production of aircraft and tank components, bunks
for air raid shelters, bailey bridge components and even a tower for an
experimental radar station.
In the early 1940's
Harry was looking to the future and realised that there would be a need to
expand the company and find work for the existing workforce and those which had
been called up. After much research it was decided to go into metal furniture,
under the Trade name Stak-a-Bye and into the toy business. But what to make
which would be different from anyone else. Harry had the idea of a Rocking
Horse which the rider could propel along themselves. Basic plans were drawn up
and a full-size horse mock-up was made using bicycle gears.
To get an idea of what
the finished product would look like a Taxidermist was approached for a horse
hide, the only thing he had was a Zebra so that was used. The prototype Zebra
was still around at the Erith factory for several years. A Patent was taken out
in 1942 for the basic mechanism. Later Charles Morewood was commissioned to
sculpt the clay body of what became the Mobo Bronco.
The premises were not
going to be big enough for the toy and furniture business so the ex Vickers Gun
Works at 177, West Street, Erith, Kent were purchased in February, 1947. As the
intention was to produce everything in-house from the arrival of the raw
material to the finished product, the full kitting out of the factory with
large presses, dip tanks, spray booths, etc. took a while. Toy production did
not start at Erith until September, 1947. However, some toys had been assembled
in the old premises produced by outside contractor's, to enable a display at
the British Industries Fair in May,1947. The other toys on show were Merry Go
Round, Rocker Swing, Chair Desk and Roll-a-Bye Skates.
The name 'Mobo' came
from a brain-storming session when 'Mobile Toys' had been rejected. The clown
on the decal was due to an interest in the Circus by the David Sebel. The
Circus theme was used in a lot of their Exhibition Stands and advertising. A
tin clown was designed but never went into production.
The most well-known
toy is the BRONCO, the ride-on horse. It works by the rider sitting on the
horse and pushing down on the stirrups, then releasing them and then the horse
moves along. From 1947 to 1950 the Bronco could only be steered in a straight
line, but in February, 1950 Magic Steering was introduced. This enabled the
rider by pushing on either stirrup to move the horse in that direction. The
Broncho was so popular that it stayed in production until 1971.
The body pressings
were also used for a series of other toys SPRING HORSE (PRAIRIE KING), NIGHT
RIDER, PRAIRIE PRANCER, RANGE RIDER two different types produced, ROCKING
HORSE, & BRONCHO MERRY GO ROUND.
The colours came from
'market research' with the local school children yellow and red being the
favourite. These children were also used for photo shoots for advertising and
testing the toys.
In 1949 the 'Walking
SNAIL' was introduced also the 'PONY'. The 'Pony' pressings went on to be used
on several different toys - PONY ROCKER, PIONEER WAGON, PONY EXPRESS, PONY
KART, PONY BUGGY, SURREY TROTTER, TODDLE PONY. 1948 saw the introduction of the
first small remote control walking toy - the TOY-TOISE. This was a great
success not just for children, but also adults, as they were used for Toy-toise
races at many parties.
The American Market
was an amazing success for the MOBO Company. In 1948 they exported to the USA
half of the total toy exports of ALL British Toy Companies. At this time
Britain was recovering from the Second World War and steel was rationed
according to the amount of goods exported. Mobo never had any trouble obtaining
supplies because of their excellent export record. Other major markets were
Australia and South Africa.
Other toys produced
included Prams, Bicycles, Desks, Wheelbarrows, Rockers, Swings, Scooters and
from 1956 Pedal Cars.
In 1951 Harry &
David emigrated to Australia and set up a factory at Bankstown, Sydney. Here
they produced both Toys and Furniture. The components were shipped from Erith and
assembled and painted at Bankstown. The Australian company decided in 1957 to
concentrate on the furniture business and so toy production was stopped. The
furniture business still goes on today.
In 1955 the Toy Boat
business of Harold Flory Ltd., of Bromley was taken over. They produced the
SNIPE, SWIFT, ST. CHRISTOPHER Motor Boats, the SPRITE YACHT, and the SNORT
SUBMARINE, also Toy Cars. The boats were continued in production by Mobo's. Jetex,
the Model Aircraft Engine business was purchased in 1956. Besides a range of
Jet propelled engines they also produced model kits for aircraft and a plastic
boats and cars for the Jetex engine.
By
the late 1960's the British toy industry was having a difficult time due to
cheap imports from the Far East. When John Bentley of Barclay Securities made
an offer to purchase the Company in 1970 it was taken up. The Barclay Toy Group
was formed to which Chad Valley, Charles Methuen and Tri-ang were added in
1971. Unfortunately, the overheads of the Group meant that losses were still
being made and a major reorganisation took place in 1972 with the Erith Works
being closed and all production of all Mobo Toys ceasing. The site is now a
large housing estate.
Peter
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News and Views:
On this day 4th
May 1960-1965
On 04/05/1960 the number one single was Do you Mind - Anthony
Newley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show
was Wagon Train (ITV) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and
Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big
news story of the day was Soviet Union shoots down American U2 spy plane flown
by pilot CG Powers
On 04/05/1961 the number one single was Wooden Heart - Elvis
Presley and the number one album was GI Blues - Elvis Presley. The top
rated TV show was No Hiding Place (AR) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's
money was worth £13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the
Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was Castro makes
Cuba Socialist.
On 04/05/1962 the number one single was Wonderful Land - The
Shadows and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. The top
rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office
smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's
money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the
Season's Division 1 champions.
On 0405/1963 the number one single was How Do
You Do It? - Gerry & the Pacemakers and the number one album was Summer
Holiday - Cliff Richard & the Shadows. The top rated TV show was
Conservative Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash
was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton
were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news
story of the week was Churchill retired.
On 04/05/1964 the number one single was A World
Without Love - Peter & Gordon and the number one album was With the Beatles
- The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office
smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money
was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's
Division 1 champions.
On 04/05/1965 the number one single was Ticket to Ride - The
Beatles and the number one album was Beatles For Sale - The Beatles. The
top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office
smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and
Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1
champions.
