The Mechanical Toy Archive

Luso-Celuloide de Henriques & Irmão, Lda

Trademark: Osul

In the 1950s, one of the brothers left the company to found a new toy-making business, also in Espinho, giving rise to the "Hércules" brand. Around the same time, Luso-Celuloide adopted the name "Osul" ("Luso" spelled backwards) and continued manufacturing plastic toys.

Country
Portugal
Address
Espinho
Active
1931 – 1989
Founder
Brothers Manuel (1886–1954) and Artur Henriques (1892–1965)

Types of toys made

With just eight employees, the factory initially produced celluloid jewelry, combs, buckles and religious articles. To make use of leftover material and fill slower production periods, the brothers began making small plastic toys. By the 1960s, Osul had expanded into die-cast metal manufacturing under the "Metosul" (or "MetOsul") brand, which became internationally recognized for its detailed 1/43 scale die-cast cars.

Toys by Luso-Celuloide de Henriques & Irmão, Lda