Private company

Mebetoys

Logo: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

Italian scale model manufacturer

Meccanica Besana Toys (mostly known for its acronym and tradename Mebetoys), was an Italian toy manufacturer that produced die-cast scale model cars during the 1960s and 1970s. The company was purchased by Mattel in 1969, which continued commercialising Mebetoy as one of its brands. Mebetoy's main competition in Italy was the earlier trailblazer Mercury, Polistil and the rarer Ediltoys.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1959Founded1
  • Founded inMilan1
Mebetoys car 04
Photo: Fulvio Guella, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons5

Meccanica Besana Toys (mostly known for its acronym and tradename Mebetoys), was an Italian toy manufacturer that produced die-cast scale model cars during the 1960s and 1970s.2

The story

Mebetoys was started by Ugo and Martino Besana in 1959 in Oleggio Castello, Italy. Their brother Mario Besana joined the company in 1967, one year after the company started. A diecast car line was started that same year, rather late compared to the entry of many other companies in the early-to-mid-1950s. In detail and proportion, Mebetoys joined superior model producers of French Solido and fellow Italian Polistil, in many ways these became the triumvirate of diecast models on the European continent, though Danish Tekno and Italian Rio Models also were important. Models were exact to scale with many moving parts, and generally more sophisticated than venerable British producers Corgi and Dinky Toys.

From Wikipedia’s article on Mebetoys, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Products and brands

  • die-cast toy
  • model car

Listed on Wikidata.1

The present list was compiled using Mebetoys catalogues and information from Besana Mebetoys website, The Gran Toros website and the book by Paolo Rampini.

Serie A (Europe)

Note: Gaps in the number sequence are for models that were never issued to our knowledge.

From Wikipedia’s article on Mebetoys, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Timeline

  1. 1959Founded Founded in Milan1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5