Matchbox Toys

Talk to Dr. Davis, his Dad and/or either of his two brothers and you'll soon realize that they are all car nuts.  Surely there is an automotive chromosome somewhere within the Davis genome.  In his adult years Dr. Davis has become somewhat obsessed with collecting the Matchbox Toys that he and his brothers played with back in the late 1950's and throughout the 1960's.  You'll see some of Dr. Davis' toys when you visit the office.

Matchbox history

In the aftermath of World War II two British childhood friends Leslie Smith and Rodney Smith (they were not related) pooled the stipend money they received as soldiers who had served during the war. They formed a die-casting company and called it 'Lesney Products'. 'Lesney' was a composite blend of their first names, LESlie and rodNEY, and they used the word 'Products' because they had absolutely no idea what kinds of things they might make. In the early days they rented space in a building that had been a local pub called 'The Rifleman'. A third partner, Jack Odell soon joined and ultimately, when Rodney lost interest and moved to Australia to raise sheep, became a full partner. Late one season Leslie and Jack had completed the contracts they had taken in and decided to take a crack at producing some simple toys in advance of the upcoming Christmas season. Most of the early efforts depicted construction equipment; a road roller, bulldozer, cement mixer, etc. There came an eventful time in which Jack Odell's daughter ventured off to school. The story is that children at the school were allowed to bring a toy to school only if it was small enough to fit into a match box. Jack soon grew weary of watching his daughter trot off to school with a dead beetle or furnace cinder in her box. On a slow day at work he designed and created a tiny brass road roller, took it home and sent his daughter off to school the following day with the new toy safely stowed in her match box. As you've now guessed her classmates loved the toy, a seed of success was planted in the minds and dreams of Jack and Leslie and a few short months later the first handful of Matchbox Toys hit the stores in London. This legendary line was born in 1953.

It was June of 1953 when an advertisement appeared in a trade magazine "Games and Toys" announcing the release of four new models. Lesney's Matchbox Toys were born. The first model released was this #1 roadroller model, a replica of the toy Jack Odell had made for his daughter to take to school.

Elliot's Models of Yesteryear

Elliot, one of our patients, enjoys looking at Dr. Davis' Matchbox Toys whenever he visited the office.  Packed away in a closet at home he knew he had a half-dozen pristine Matchbox Models of Yesteryear complete with their original boxes.  The day came when Elliot decided it made more sense to him for his models to be on display in Dr. Davis' office than to be hidden away in a closet where even he couldn't see them.  He knew they would become a prize cornerstone in Dr. Davis' collection and that the models would be displayed where hundreds of people could appreciate them.  Let's be honest, Dr. Davis probably enjoys them more than anyone else but they are indeed on daily display for everyone else to enjoy.  Stop by and take a peek.  On behalf of all of us....Thanks Elliot!

Roy's Hudson:

During his childhood years Dr. Davis lived in a "Hudson"-based household. In the years immediately following his service in World War II Dr. Davis' father, Roy found himself in a dilemma. Roy was working hard at two jobs in Toledo, Ohio while his girlfriend and eventual wife, Margaret had just entered nursing school at the University of Cincinnati. Roy needed a reliable mode of transportation to get him back and forth from Toledo to Cincinnati. He discovered the brand new "step-down" Hudson introduced in 1948. Coming out of the war Hudson caught the automotive world by surprise with a new unibody design in which the passenger compartment was lowered into the frame of the car. Passenger's literally stepped down into the cabin. The lower center of gravity made for improved handling characteristics which led to the NASCAR racing successes of the early 1950's that were dramatized in Disney's "Cars" movie through Paul Newman's lovable "Doc Hudson". Roy bought a brand new 1948 Hudson Super Six and over the course of the next three years put more than 100,000 miles on the car making that Toledo to Cincinnati passage. Over the years Roy and Margaret owned five different Hudsons. Eventually the company failed and Roy was forced to explore other automotive frontiers. Never did the newer cars ever match Roy's fond memories of those Hudson years. His automotive zenith had passed.

In 1997 around the time of Roy's 71st birthday Dr. Davis made plans to travel to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to check out a 1951 Hudson Pacemaker. He loaded up the car and brought it home to Maineville. On August 8th of that year Roy and Margaret spent Roy's birthday (which is also their wedding anniversary) with Dr. Davis and Lynn. When it came time to open presents Roy found a set of keys on a Hudson keyring tucked away in a tiny package. They walked next door to the neighbor's house where Dr. Davis had hidden the Hudson away out of sight until the big moment. Naturally it was a very emotional moment for Roy and Margaret both when they saw that they were given a new shot at returning to the emotions and joys of those Hudson years of their lives. Here is a picture of Dr. Davis and his father with the '51 Hudson Pacemaker.

Paul's clock

In November of 2010 Dr. Davis lost his dear friend Paul.  Paul was more than a patient.   He was truly one of Dr. Davis' best friends.  An honored World War II veteran, Paul had served in the Pacific Theater alongside General MacArthur.  He had celebrated his 90th birthday on September 2nd of 2010.  Appropriately enough his birthday fell on VJ Day!  One of Paul's treasured possessions had been his German Hunter's Lodge cuckoo clock.  Upon his death Dr. Davis was sincerely touched to be gifted by Paul's daughters with their dad's clock.  You can see Paul's clock on display in Dr. Davis' private office.

The Famous Turtle Tub

In addition to Matchbox Toys Dr. Davis' childhood featured aquariums filled with an assortment of aquatic and semi-aquatic species across the years. During the years he was dreaming about starting a dental office he envisioned that aquariums would play a part in the design. Before Dr. Davis moved from Michigan back in 1983 he was determined to find an old claw-foot bathtub to include within the office decor. Today the legendary Turtle Tub is a popular attraction with which kids and adults alike enjoy touching base on visits to and through the office.