C.B. Plimpton, BAYKO's Inventor

Charles Bird Plimpton was born, in 1893, in Peckham, London...

...later (in)famous as the home of Del-Boy!

His father, John Calvin Plimpton, an American citizen, later moved the family to Liverpool, where he established his Import/Export business...

His mother was Caroline Augusta Plimpton, nee Bird - clearly the origin of C.B.'s middle name.

He was educated at Birmingham University, though he only finished 2 years of his 3 year course.

The Pure & Applied Mathematics, Physics, Metallurgy, Engineering & Drawing he studied there doubtless stood C.B. in good stead, both with BAYKO production and earlier during his military service onboard Minesweepers.

C.B. Plimpton married Audrey in 1922.

At some stage, C.B. went into his father's business, and even, in 1922, successfully submitted a patent application for "Improvements in Clocks and Clock Movements"...

At least during the years between the two patent applications mentioned below, C.B. and Audrey lived at : -

39, Hamilton Road,

Wallasey,

Cheshire.

For the uninitiated, this is on the Wirral peninsular, just across the Mersey from Liverpool.

C.B. was well over 6 feet tall, his height further exaggerated by his "painfully thin" build.

A serious case of T.B. led to a long stay in a sanatorium and may also have gone a long way to explaining his build.

Whilst in the sanatorium, to help fill the long, empty days, he began to work on his designs for a new construction toy.

There had been an earlier card/wood version, MOBACO, from Mobal in Holland - popular in the 1920's & 30's, it too survived into the 1960s.

C.B.'s genius was to use the [then] latest technology - BAKELITE - the world's first commercial plastic.

On November 20th, 1933 he applied for a patent for BAYKO, which was granted in January, 1935.

A limited scale production, packed in the kitchen at home, was prepared for Christmas 1933.

Despite early teething problems with the full scale production, Plimpton Engineering successfully launched BAYKO Light Constructional sets in time for Christmas 1934.

C.B. drove the company's innovation, keeping them abreast of developments in plastic technology until his death on December 29th, 1948, following the re-emergence of his TB.

C.B. was actually granted a second patent for BAYKO less than 4 weeks before his untimely death.

By this time C.B. was well respected in the Toy Trade and his work was recognised in the February issue of the trade magazine, 'Games and Toys'...

...click here for the obituary.

BAYKO's innovation stream now dried, only 3 new parts being produced during the 1950s.

C.B. and Audrey had 2 daughters - Anne and Jean [right].

Although both were directors of Plimpton Engineering, they never took active roles in the business...

...though they do remember hand packing BAYKO sets in the family kitchen, in time for Christmas 1933!

In recent years they have been gracious enough to take an interest in the continuing enthusiasm for their father's invention.

Return to the Top

BACK to Previous Page

Return to the BAYKO Company Headlines Navigation Page

Return to the Main Navigation Page

Add me to your favourites