Britains

Britains was one of the first toy manufacturers to produce hollow cast figures. The hollowcast figures ceased production in 1966 having been replaced with plastic figures. Dennis Britain, the last of the family to run the business retired in 1984 and the company was sold to The Dobson Park Group who changed the company name to Britain Petite Ltd.. They were originally based in the UK until the late 1990's. Refer to history for full details.

Addresses

• 20 E. Water Street, Chillicothe, Ohio 45601 (current)
• Britains Limited, Blackhorse Lane, Walthamstow, London E17 5QD, England, U.K. (before 1997)

Web Presence

• wbritain.com
• Facebook

Associated Companies & Names

• Britains
• Britains Ltd.
• W. Britain
• W. Britain's Collectors Club
• The Dobson Park Group
• Ertl
• Racing Champions
• First Gear

History

• 1893 First hollowcast figures produced.
• 1959 Britains buys Herald and starts producing plastic figures.
• 1966 Hollowcast figures cease production.
• 1983 Britains launched first all metal figures for 20 years.
• 1984 Britains is sold to The Dobson Park Group.
• 1986 Name changed to Britain Petite Ltd.
• 1993 W. Britain Collectors Club set up (centenary).
• 1997 Ertl acquire Britain Petite Ltd.
• 1999 Ertl is bought out by Racing Champions
• 2005 In September First Gear acquired the W. Britain toy soldiers and W. Britain name.

References

• [1], W. Britain, "Company History"
• [2], Brighton Toy Museum, "Britains Ltd"
• [3] Stunties, "W. Britain Collectors Club"
• [4], YT:British Pathé, "Toy Soldiers (1965)" (1965)
• [5], YT:Analog Toys, "The History of W. Britains Toy Soldiers" (2018)