BAYKO - The Battle of BRITAINS

Firstly, I suppose I should apologise for the corny suspect [though not misspelled] title, but, you must be getting to know me by now, and realise that I just couldn't resist it. Any way, I hope you find the pain worthwhile!

In a conversation with Anne and Jean, the two daughters of BAYKO's inventor, C.B. Plimpton, they proffered a surprising, and, as far as I am aware, otherwise unknown piece of information. [They did give me permission to publish this previously confidential information.]

At the same time as their mother, Audrey Plimpton, who had taken over control of the business following the death of C.B., was negotiating with MECCANO, who were ultimately successful in buying The Plimpton Engineering Company, BAYKO's manufacturer, she was also dealing with a second commercial suitor who were equally keen to buy!

That company, as you've probably already guessed from my corny headline, was none other than BRITAINS. They are still trading successfully today, as the renowned manufacturer of agriculturally themed toys and toy [model?] soldiers. The company is currently owned by First Gear, an American manufacture of diecast collectibles.

Other than to proffer the possible explanation that Plimpton's three decades of plastic manufacture might well have been attractive to a fellow toy manufacturer at the time, I can offer no further information, but you can't help but wonder, what if…‽

Perhaps more than just a little surprising is the fact that the BAYKO component of the logo [above, right] is actually the lettering from the standard MECCANO era BAYKO logo, unchanged apart from the removal of a serif from the top, left of the 'A' to match its BRITAINS counterpart.