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more, although the models were allowed to be different. This marketing tool was used by local companies to promote products targeting children and adolescents and other companies related to auto care and auto parts. International
Matchbox and other diecast model clubs also got some limited edition models for their members during special events. The quality of the models has slowly degraded. This, the uniform production list for more than 15 years, and the higher prices and other issues are all factors for lower production numbers nowadays. From time to time, shortages of certain parts cause new wheel variations to appear - sometimes even non-Matchbox models receive Matchbox wheels and vice versa.
364:, promotional models and construction and other vehicles. The models were made and boxed in cheap boxes, exported to Germany where they were then transferred into their original Schuco boxes. Unlike the Matchbox models, neither the Gama nor the Schuco models has a sign on the base plate reading "Made in Bulgaria." In fact, some of them even have the "Made in Germany" or "Made in W. Germany" insignia. Perhaps one of the reasons for this is that the country of manufacture could affect sales because some collectors consider the German or Chinese editions to have better quality.
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these
Bulgarian models were sold abroad and some were very popular. The Matchbox company eventually broke the contract with Mikro, but they were unable get back the dies for some models. The results of this split are that the nowadays Mattel does not recognize Bulgarian models as authentic Matchbox and that there are thousands of new variations by color, stamps, and wheels.
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The adoption of new series of Tonka (USA) toys has begun. The production list grew up to 40 different toys. The unification of parts and products started. For the first time, the company expanded out of
Bulgaria and began exporting products to Czechoslovakia, Poland, Cuba, Albania, and Jordan. Almost
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In 1952 in one of the workshops of TPK (producers' co-operative society) Metalik differentiated team of workers for toys manufacturing. With a great effort and ambition the first toy was handmade - a wind-up chain tractor. The production list was growing - trucks, dumpers, diggers, a cannon, a car, a
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models. In the beginning there were again limited variations, but some of the early editions have the decals and the colors of the original models. After a few years, business relations soured between the
Matchbox company and their Bulgarian partner. It seemed that after opening the borders, many of
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On
January 1, 1967, it was established and independent producers' co-operative society for toys manufacturing with chairman Petar Petrov. A question then arose - how was the new manufacturer to be named? With a number of opinions and suggestions, the most adequate of them was "Peace", because peace
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The Mikro'67 website is fairly updated and doesn't target the diecast models. Product/model catalogs never have been issued to customers or collectors, and there are only two known editions of brochures (of A4 size): one from the 1980s and one from 1991 intended for merchants or given to potential
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At the end of the 1990s Mukro'67 began offering advertising graphics for their models. Customers who wanted to personalize cars with a name, brand, or a graphic could get a manufacturing deal for customized
Bulgarian Matchbox models. There was a condition - the customer had to order 100 pieces or
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In 1990 there were 96 toy manufacturers in
Bulgaria producers' co-operative societies and factories. Thirteen of them formed the State Economic Group "ДСО МЛАДОСТ" / "DSO Mladost"). Nowadays there is only one toy manufacturer left - "МИР"/"MIR" (from the communist era) to "МИКРО" / "MIKRO" a.k.a.
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On August 1, 1980 the name was changed from "Mir factory" to "Mir Youth factory." In 1983, topyl printing, assembling the toy boxes with PVX glue, moulding, and plastic parts metalling. A the
English company Matchbox's technology for the production of toys using the moulding method was licensed
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In 1985, parallel with the
Matchbox models, production began on the Gama models. For the first 1–2 years, they were all kit models for user-assembly and available in only one color—pearl grass green. Later, they started making factory-assembled models. Some Gama models are still in production.
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In 1984 the toys from the MUKPO series were awarded with a gold medal at the
International Fair in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The toys from the HOBBY series were evaluated with the highest rank for "K" quality. In November 1986 a workers team for the manufacture of ski automates licensed from the West
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In 1994, Mikro started making Gama/Schuco models for the German market. In the first few years of production, they were unavailable on the Bulgarian market, but a limited number of models that didn't meet the German criteria for quality slipped from the factory and got into the hands of local
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models were introduced. Although all of the models had minor variations, they were essentially alike. Importantly, there was one primary condition for leasing the dies to the Bulgarian manufacturer - all the models produced were intended to be sold only to the Bulgarian market—with no exports
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models. The pearl-colored paint on the models was not very durable, although this problem later improved. The wheels sets were imported. Today it is very hard to find mint condition models from that time—even in Bulgaria. Up until 1989, seventeen
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In 1971, the workers moved into a new building. Introduction of new technologies had then begun. Typical for that time were battery-operated toys - machine guns, telephones, SAU tanks and more. The range of toys produced widened.
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On July 1, 1971, the name was changed from "TPK Mir" to "Mir factory" and became a part of DSO Mladost, a part of Committee for Youth and Sport and later a part from the Ministry of Light industry.
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rocket and more. The volume of production and the number of the workers were growing; these were factors for the creation of a new independent factory.
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permitted. Around 100,000-150,000 pieces of each casting were made. Additionally, after using the new dies, the factory was expected to return them.
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After making a deal with the Matchbox company in 1983 the factory initiated the production of the first five Matchbox
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Only one diecast model was actually 100% designed and made in Bulgaria. A few models were based on Yaxon, Kidco, and
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264:"МИКРО'67" / "MIKRO'67" (post-communist era). Nowadays both the Mikro and Mikro'67 names are used interchangeably.
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395:(Left): Kidco Burnin' wheels made in Bulgaria; (right): Tonka Coca-Cola Bulgarian truck and trailer
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In 1991, after the Cold War had ended, production began on the "second wave" of
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during this time. FIve different casts were made and eight more in 1984.
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means joy and carefree childhood for children all over the world.
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401:Mikro'67 made and still makes some pressed steel
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457:A reference site for Bulgarian diecast models
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50:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
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149:The Mikro'67 factory photographed in 2009
114:Learn how and when to remove this message
1430:Bulgarian companies established in 1967
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352:collectors. Mikro was making mainly
288:80% of the production was exported.
48:adding citations to reliable sources
296:Germany company Marker was formed.
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308:models and the first few
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496:manufacturers and brands
242:basketball backboards
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629:Herpa
589:Dinky
428:Media
411:Tonka
232:is a
95:JSTOR
81:books
1295:SOTA
1285:NECA
1265:Jada
1255:Hawk
1227:Siku
1222:Ertl
1194:Pyro
1174:Hawk
1169:Frog
1131:Lima
1121:Kato
1048:Siku
1033:Pyro
998:Hawk
993:Frog
988:ESCI
953:List
912:Pyro
887:ESCI
859:Ziss
809:Siku
779:RAMI
774:Pyro
739:Muky
649:Jada
609:Frog
604:ESCI
599:Ertl
594:Efsi
564:Buby
522:List
513:Cars
409:and
354:Opel
338:Gama
258:cars
250:toys
209:cars
165:1967
158:1967
67:news
35:any
33:cite
1028:MPC
744:NZG
724:MPC
552:AFX
537:AMT
515:and
415:NZG
358:BMW
46:by
1416::
405:,
244:,
197:,
181:,
956:)
950:(
525:)
519:(
485:e
478:t
471:v
167:)
117:)
111:(
106:)
102:(
92:·
85:·
78:·
71:·
54:.
40:.
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