Britains Swoppet 15th Century Knights
Model Soldier Set
Late 1950s-Early 1960s (manufactured)
Late 1950s-Early 1960s (manufactured)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Britains Swoppets 15th Century Knights were first produced in the late 1950s. Britains had made a name manufacturing die cast toy soldiers and civilian figures, and were the leading brand of its type. Herald were company new to the toy soldiers scene, taking advantage of advances in plastics manufacturing to produce safer, more unbreakable toy figures. They sold successful lines of Cowboy and Indian styles, and Robin Hood figures. Britains, realising that the days of lead toys were numbered, bought Herald and began to produce these plastic 15th Century Knights based on moulds they had acquired from a previous sale.
Britains introduced Swoppets in 1958 with the 15th Century Soldiers series following a year later. These were figures that can be swivelled and swapped around with ball joints on their head and neck.
Britains introduced Swoppets in 1958 with the 15th Century Soldiers series following a year later. These were figures that can be swivelled and swapped around with ball joints on their head and neck.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 23 parts.
|
| Title | Britains Swoppet 15th Century Knights (manufacturer's title) |
| Brief description | Collection of Britains Swoppet 15th Century Knights |
| Production type | Mass produced |
| Credit line | Given by Raymond Harris |
| Object history | The owner of these toys made his own scenery out of a chocolate box. He says that "I was very much into knights as a child. The were quite expensive and I think I got them all as gifts, though I may have bought some individually at the toy shop that used to be at the top of Peters Hill, Wimbourne Road, Bournemouth, which was on my route to school." |
| Summary | Britains Swoppets 15th Century Knights were first produced in the late 1950s. Britains had made a name manufacturing die cast toy soldiers and civilian figures, and were the leading brand of its type. Herald were company new to the toy soldiers scene, taking advantage of advances in plastics manufacturing to produce safer, more unbreakable toy figures. They sold successful lines of Cowboy and Indian styles, and Robin Hood figures. Britains, realising that the days of lead toys were numbered, bought Herald and began to produce these plastic 15th Century Knights based on moulds they had acquired from a previous sale. Britains introduced Swoppets in 1958 with the 15th Century Soldiers series following a year later. These were figures that can be swivelled and swapped around with ball joints on their head and neck. |
| Bibliographic reference | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | B.157:1 to 23-2011 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | February 29, 2012 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
