Guide to Boxes of Budgie Diecast Toys
Budgie Boxes & Packs for large-scale and OO/HO models fall into four goups
'A' Series (1959-62), 'B' Series (1962-65), 'C' Series, and large Blister-Packs(1965-66)
There were also a few 'Morestone' transitional boxes with Budgie numbers
'Morestone Series' Budgie Boxes
During the transition to Budgie Toys, two models retained Morestone Series boxes but had the new Budgie Toys numbers printed on the end-flaps. These were No.452 AA Scout Motorcycle Patrol and No.454 RAC Motorcycle Patrol.
A special Morestone Series box was also produced for Budgie Toys No.434 Wells Fargo Stage Coach
No.452 AA Motorcycle Patrol
No.434 Wells Fargo Stage Coach
No.454 RAC Motorcycle Patrol
'A' Series Boxes (1959-62) 'Budgie Toys'
'A' Series were bright yellow end-flap card boxes with black stripe on each side and black end flaps. The black stripe was printed with 'Budgie Toys' in white with a blue budgerigar logo at the right-hand end and 'Regd. Design' in black in small print.
The picture sides had 'Budgie Toys' in red and a coloured drawing of the model with model details alongside in black. Also on the picture faces was the manufacturer's name which varied according to the time the box was made.
End-flaps were black with either 'Budgie Toys' or just 'Budgie' in red with the model name in white.
Early boxes had no number, later numbers appeared in small print on picture faces and finally on end-flaps in various sizes, usually in white but a small run were in red.
A1 Box
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First Budgie issue
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No model numbers on box
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'Budgie Toys' on end-flaps
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Manufacturer : 'Made in England by Morris & Stone (London) Ltd'
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Models : 202, 204, 206, 208, 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 220, 222, 226, 228, 230, 232, 234, 236, 238, 240, 242
A2 Box
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No numbers on end-flaps
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Small numbers on picture faces (usually top right corner)
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'Budgie Toys' on end-flaps
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'Made in England by Morris & Stone (London) Ltd'
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Models : 202, 204, 206, 214, 218, 220, 224, 228, 230, 232, 234, 236, 238, 240, 252, 258
A3 Box
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Small white numbers on end-flaps
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Small numbers on picture faces (usually top right corner)
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'Budgie Toys' on end-flaps
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'Made in England by Morris & Stone (London) Ltd'
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Models : 226, 242, 244, 246
A4 Box
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Medium or large white numbers on end-flaps
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Small numbers on picture faces (usually top right corner)
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'Budgie' on end-flaps
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'Made in England by Morris & Stone (London) Ltd'
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Models : 214, 220, 234, 254, 256
A5/A5a Boxes
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No numbers on end-flaps
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Small numbers on picture faces (usually top right corner)
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'Budgie Toys' on end-flaps
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'Made in England by Budgie Models'
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Models : 228, 238, 244
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A5a box - No numbers : model 216 only
A6 Box
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Medium or large white numbers on end-flaps
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No numbers on picture faces
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'Budgie' on end-flaps
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'Made in England by Budgie Models'
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Models : 216, 256
A7 Box
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Medium or large white numbers on end-flaps
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No numbers on picture faces
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'Budgie' on end-flaps
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'Made in England by a member of the Guiterman Group'
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Models : 222, 230 (some with No. on one side only), 234
A8 Box
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Medium or large white numbers on end-flaps
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Small numbers on picture faces (usually in top right-hand corner)
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'Budgie' on end-flaps
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'Made in England by a Member of the Guiterman Group'
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Models : 202, 206, 214, 220, 226, 230, 232, 236, 246, 254, 258
A9 Box
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Large red numbers on end-flaps
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Small numbers on picture faces within model description
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'Budgie' on end-flaps
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'Made in England by a Member of the Guiterman Group'
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Models 260, 262, 264, 266, 268
A10 Box
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Large white numbers (268 in red) on end-flaps
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Small numbers on picture faces (usually in top right-hand corner)
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'Budgie' on end -flaps
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'Made in England by Budgie Models Ltd. A member of the Guiterman Group of Companies'
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Models : 202, 242, 244, 268
'B' Series Boxes (1962-65) 'Budgie Models'
'B' Series boxes were bright yellow, end-flap card boxes with a black side stripe marked 'Die-cast Models by Budgie' in red, blue and white, and with the Trade Mark budgerigar logo at the right-hand end. 'They speak for themselves' was underneath in small black print.
The picture faces had a coloured illustration of the model, a description of the model and the name of the manufacturer (usually at the bottom), but no number. Some later boxes had an information panel on the reverse.
The end-flaps were black with the number and name in white at the top and 'by Budgie' at the bottom. 'Budgie' was always in red.
B1 Box
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Two Picture faces
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'Made in England by Budgie Models'
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Models : 270, 272, 274, 276, 452, 454, 456/TT, 456/GPO, 456/DR, 456/PP
B2 Box
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One picture face
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Descriptive panel on rear
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'Made in England by Budgie Models'
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Models : 278, 280, 282, 288, 290, 292, 294, 296
B3 Box
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One picture face
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Descriptive panel on rear
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'Made in England by Budgie Models Ltd. A Member of the Guiterman Group of Companies'
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Models : 298, 300, 302, 308
B4 Box
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Two picture faces
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'Made in England by Budgie Models Ltd. A Member of the Guiterman Group of Companies'
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Models : 238, 252, 304. 306, 310, 312, 314, 316, 318, 322, 324, 326, 452, 454
'C' Series Packs (1965-66)
'C' Series Packs were a new departure for Budgie in both style and colour. The familiar yellow boxes were given up and instead an open sided pack enclosed in shrink-wrap was created. The card box was a clever design which slotted together at one end to form a rectangle inside which was the model. The main drawback was that it was a bit flimsy for the heavy diecast models and did not provide good support for them in transit. But they did display the model in full view.
Coloured blue and white, the Budgie name was printed in bright red on the top of the pack and at each end and this time the wording read 'Budgie Diecast Models'. The familiar budgerigar logo remained though redesigned. On the base was stated 'Made in England by the Budgie Division of S.Guiterman & Co.Ltd.'
Each pack carried the name and number of the model on each side and at each end. The base was printed with either a description or an illustration (or in one case both) of the model.
C1 Pack
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Model name, number & details on base of pack
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Shrink-wrapped
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Models (confirmed) : 224, 236, 238, 242, 270, 288, 292, 294, 296, 298, 302, 304, 310, 452
C2 Pack
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Model illustration on base of pack
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Shrink-wrapped
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Models (confirmed) : 202, 220, 222, 226, 230, 232, 234, 254, 276, 282, 300, 302, 306, 308, 312, 314, 316, 318, 322, 324, 326
Large-scale blister-packs 1965-66
Large-scale blister-packs in the new blue and white colours were added to compliment the open-sided 'C' packs and because the models were large, the card and the blister window were substantial in size. It is not known how many models were issued in this packing but from the illustrated list on the reverse it seems likely that at least 20 were planned before Budgie's owners, Guiterman & Co, ceased trading in March 1966.
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Large blue & white card with blister
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Model number & name on front
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Illustrated model range printed on reverse
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Models (confirmed) : 220
Litteltois Boxes
Litteltois was a brand of toys sold by HEMA in Europe, a business based in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The boxes were the end-flap type illustrated with drawings of several models with the name of the model printed in a white panel on one side. Only one Budgie Toy, No. 202 Refrigeration Truck, is known to have been sold by HEMA and was a late variation dating from 1965/66 although the picture on the box shows the early two-tone cab version. Interestingly, among the other illustrations another Budgie model, No.234 Transporter with Crawler Tractor, is included so this may also have been sold by HEMA.
