Oxford (toy company)
 |
 | |
| Industry | toy |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1961 (Dongjin Ind. Corp.) |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Construction set |
| Website | http://oxfordtoy.co.kr/ |
Oxford Co., Ltd. (Korean: 옥스포드) is a South Korean toy company, based in Busan, that makes interlocking brick toys. It was founded in 1961 as Dongjin Ind. Corp, and uses its current name since 1992.
History[edit]
The company was first founded in 1961 as Dongjin Ind. Corp.[1][2]
In 1971, toy sales company Daegoo Lucky toy corp was established.[1]
In 1972, toy sales company Busan Lucky toy corp was established.[1]
In 1984, toy manufacturer PAPA toy Ind. Corp. was established.[1]
In 1992, PAPA was renamed to Oxford co., ltd.[1][2]
In mid-2010s Oxford produces account for about 15% of the Korean brick toys market[3] and has been called "a major player in South Korean toy industry".[2]
Toy blocks[edit]
The company makes blocks in larger sizes for younger children and smaller for older children. The company's blocks are compatible with Lego brand bricks.[2][4]
Oxford manufactures Kre-O bricks on behalf of Hasbro.
Clones[edit]
Oxford sets are commonly copied by Chinese toy companies Sluban and Woma, sometimes with slight changes.
Themes[edit]
Unlike the internationally known Lego sets, Oxford sets contain themes such as military or related to specific (mostly Korean) history.[4] About half of the Oxford sets themes have been described as focusing on "war and danger".[2] The exotic themes of Oxford sets, as well as their relative good price and quality have made it popular in the Lego fandom, and they are sometimes referred to as "Korean Lego".[2]
At least few hundred different sets have been released, most targeted for children aged 5 to 12.[2] The company produces small block sets in several themes including:[2][5]
- generic themes including: military, transport, town, fire, police and spy. Military sets include those of modern equipment used by Korean Army.[6][7]
- Korean history and cultural heritage sets: Ancient Three Kingdoms with focus on the Gwanggaeto the Great era, modern 19th century era as well as sets representing events in modern 20th and 21st century Korean history. Specific sets include events and items such as Korean turtle ship, the Namdaemun historical gate, 19th century assassination of Itō Hirobumi or the Korean DMZ[2][4][8][3]
- licensed themed sets such as: several sets related to Korean films, dramas and TV shows (Joint Security Area, Mr. Sunshine, Infinite Challenge, Kingdom),[2][8] Krispy Kreme,[4] Hello Kitty[4], Disney[citation needed], Robocar Poli[citation needed], Pororo[9]. Doraemon[10] and MapleStory[11].
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e "History". Oxford Company. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Joinau, Benjamin (December 2022). "Boys Will Be Boys - A Critical Semiotic Analysis of the Oxford Block Toys -". 문화콘텐츠연구 (in Korean) (26): 27–69. ISSN 2287-2256.
- ^ a b 조선비즈 (2021-03-22). "레고에 맞서 역사 블록으로 특화… 영화 '명량' 이후 거북선 판매 늘어" [Specializing in historical blocks to compete with Lego... Turtle Ship sales increase after the movie ‘Roaring Currents’]. 조선비즈 (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ a b c d e "Building the history of Korea". Byteside. 2021-03-11. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ "소블록". Oxford Company. Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
- ^ Bizwire, Korea (2022-01-17). "Brick Models of Korean Military Arms to be Released". Be Korea-savvy. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ 강종구 (2013-07-16). "독도 경비함 해경 삼봉호 장난감으로 출시된다" [Dokdo patrol ship Coast Guard Sambongho to be released as a toy]. 연합뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ a b Grzelczyk, Virginie (2022-10-02). "The Politics of Toys: What Potential for Inter-Korean Reconciliation?". Asian Studies Review. 46 (4): 668–684. doi:10.1080/10357823.2021.2016612. ISSN 1035-7823.
- ^ "** Welcome to OXFORD LAND !!! **". www.oxfordtoy.co.kr. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ "** Welcome to OXFORD LAND !!! **". www.oxfordtoy.co.kr. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ "** Welcome to OXFORD LAND !!! **". www.oxfordtoy.co.kr. Retrieved 2024-05-25.