Corgi’s story begins in 1932, when toy manufacturer Philip Ullmann emigrated from Germany to the United Kingdom. Ullmann already had 21 years of experience in the toy industry, and soon after arriving in the UK he founded the Mettoy Company of Northampton, who began producing a range of tinplate metal wind-up toys.

Alongside Ullmann’s beginnings in the UK toy industry, rival tinplate toys manufacturer Meccano Ltd – owned by Frank Hornby, a name you might recognise – began releasing smaller die-cast metal car models under the name Dinky Toys. The smaller scale toys proved extremely popular, and following a pause in toy production for both companies during the Second World War, the market began to increase dramatically with Matchbox Toys arriving in 1953. The team at Mettoy realised that to capture a good share of this ever-growing market it would have to create a new line of toys with a more unique and snappier brand name. In 1955, from a list of seventy different names, the iconic 'Corgi' was chosen.

Named after the Welsh dog, the Corgi name was chosen for three reasons: first, because it was short and catchy; second because the models were to be produced in Swansea and third because of its strong association with the Royal Family.