BAYKO Adverts in 'Games and Toys'

Throughout the life of BAYKO, 'Games and Toys' was, the key British trade publication, through which the major toy manufactures displayed their wares to U.K. toy retailers.

All the images here - all 199 of them - are courtesy of images supplied by the Newspaper Section of the British Library - and cost a small fortune!

One or two of the images below are slightly skewed, this is because of the quality of the initial image.

I hope you share my view that the evolution of BAYKO's contacts with its retailers is interesting and I hope you enjoy them.

The adverts below are 2 distinct types : -

► Full or half page.

► Small 'classified' size adverts.

The classifieds were a response by Plimpton, and others, to wartime austerity, and I believe that the printing plates were used more than once - good wartime practice.

Click on the thumbnail images [below] for a larger copy of the BAYKO adverts.

The very first advert in 'Games and Toys' [right] appeared in the February, 1935 issue, just in time for the British Industries Fair, the annual showcase for the British toy industry among others.

'Games and Toys' was a regular channel for promoting the British Industries Fair…

This table shows BAYKO's response to wartime austerity.

The objective was to keep the BAYKO name up there in the minds of the toy retailers.

The chosen method was to use 'classified adverts', probably reusing the printer's plates every month.

There also seems to have been a rota by which larger adverts were permitted - e.g. bottom right.

The phrase “Normal supplies after the war” was included in every small ad during the war.

I don't know whether Plimpton didn't take up the offer or perhaps the rota had been withdrawn, there was no large BAYKO advert in 1944…

The phrase “Normal supplies after the war” was dropped in September.
No large adverts in 1945 either.

By the end of 1945, the 2nd World War was over, but those who didn't live through the aftermath may be more than a little surprised to see that the wartime austerity [as represented here by the small 'classified advert' approach] lasted for several more years before the shackles of material shortages, rationing and planning controls were finally removed.

Still no large adverts in 1946.

A relative rarity, even though it was now 2 years after the war in Europe was over - a full page BAYKO advert in the May, 1947 issue, the first for four years.

Still back in austerity mode - no large BAYKO advert.

Particularly interesting is the switch in June, for the 'classified' type advert [above], and May, for the full page style [below], to a more modern styling for the BAYKO logo.

What a contrast with the routine 'classified ad' approach…
…Plimpton now made a full scale assault on the global toy trade as post-war rationing and austerity began to be relaxed.

The May advert is the first published sighting of the Balcony pieces.

Back to austerity mode…

…and again…

…and yet again!

May's was the last 'classified ad' after no less than 12 years…

…including a continuous run throughout the war.

Had Plimpton fallen out with 'Games and Toys' or were they just so self-confident that they felt they didn't need to talk to the trade? Either way, or for whatever other possible reason, there were no BAYKO adverts at all in 1954.

This is the sole advert in 1955 for BAYKO and appears to be motivated by the need to inform the U.K. toy trade of their move to new premises at : -
Tabley Street,
Park Lane,
Liverpool 1

Just 7 adverts in 1958, but, I think you'll agree, they include some interesting new designs…
…though I wonder why girls should get 2 BAYKO sets and boys only 1!!!

Well, I'm afraid these represent BAYKO's last adverts in Games and Toys, though there was the briefest of mention the following year.

There were two articles about BAYKO in Games and Toys during this turbulent [for BAYKO] year. Click on either of the 2 links below to see the references to BAYKO : -

These three pages, with just two mentions of BAYKO between them, are the last entries in 'Games and Toys' which make any reference at all to the world's finest construction toy, which finally [formally] died at the beginning of 1964…
…MECCANO clearly weren't fans of 'Games and Toys'.