Blackpool toy maker Casdon celebrates 75th anniversary with schools give-away

Casdon, based in Cornford Road, was started by Thomas Cassidy in his back garden shed making hand made toys in his spare time.

Thomas, a tool maker by trade, began by making moulds to produce small, decorative items for children in the shape of skating boots in the shed that he built. He then turned his hand to repairing vacuum cleaners to raise money for his start-up business and went self employed on June 8, 1946.

The business is now run by grandsons Phil and Peter Cassidy, sons of former Chairman, Paul Cassidy who died at the beginning of 2020.

It employs 28 in Blackpool and has offices in Hong Kong and distribution partners in the US and Australia.

It is set to celebrate the milestone with a campaign to give toys to underprivileged children all around the UK.

Casdon products range from the Telephone Exchange and the Bobby Charlton Soccer Game to the vintage Casdon Hypertill, which made an appearance on Coronation Street last Christmas, in Tim Metcalfe’s childhood stocking his mother had waited 40 years to give him.

Today’s bestsellers include the officially licensed child-sized Dyson Ball vacuum, the Pick and Mix Sweet Shop, mini-Henry and Hetty vacuum cleaners and the Morphy Richards Kitchen Set.

Managing director Phil Cassidy said: “We are delighted to be celebrating our 75th anniversary. The company’s ethos has always been to produce top quality products at affordable prices.

“Casdon has been renowned for toy innovation during its history and has an unrivalled reputation as a developer of toy replicas, with some of the most prestigious domestic appliance products on the market.

"Both Thomas and Paul Cassidy recognised the need for toys to have a role in children’s learning and development as well as to be fun to play with and today, we are still a family of toymakers who continue to inspire imaginative and creative play for children through every new role-play toy we introduce."

Casdon’s Helping out in the Home Corner initiative will see 100 primary schools get some of Casdon’s best selling toys to enhance role-play areas.

Schools can register interest next week at www.casdontoyshomecorner.co.uk

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