I spend an hour or so surfing Ebay for trains. Usually just for fun but also because every day it seems I find something I've never heard of before. Today I came accross a listing for a Kleeware Supermarket. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Kleeware-Supermarket-boxed-Plasticville-Littletown/153145985156?hash=item23a8364884:g:X0UAAOSwbQZbeh0x
I've heard of Littletown before and I knew that the kits were brought into the Plasticville line by Bachmann Brothers. But I always thought that Littletown was originated by Skyline Plastics.
Not so. O and M Kleeman company was an English company making toys since 1938. Here's a short blog about them that shows several kits we came to know and love:
http://www.binnsroad.co.uk/railways/kleeware/index.html
And an "enormous" entry from Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleeware
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
Years ago I came upon a pile of Littletown buildings in an old 5 & 10. I purchased the lot, so I had a nice group of buildings on my layout. The buildings were all small rectangular stores (last few pictures on Binns road site) that came with an assortment of printed paper "windows" to create different businesses. I think I still have some unused window sheets, stored in one of the original boxes. I didn't think mine were made in England, I'd have to check. The Binns road site indicates that the stores only came with one window sheet.There is lots of interesting stuff on that site.
Let's see, Tupperware, Revereware, Munsingwear...
Interesting, I've never heard of Kleeware. It's a wasted day if you don't learn something new!
They also had a "Cornish Cottage" instead of a Cape Cod bungalow.
I found some more info: https://www.plasticvillefornewbies.com/littletown-made-in-england.html
Thank you for the new link.
Fascinating stuff!
I'll tell you, one of the most popular set-ups when the Greenberg show comes to this area is the BIG display the "Plasticville" dealer has.
You can hear it from two rows away. "OH! PLASTICVILLE!"
The sheer nostalgia just sends people into raptures!
I know this is gonna sound goofy but...Plasticville buildings always make me think of ice cream. Particularly vanilla ice cream with rainbow sprinkles.
Makes you think of the "good old days." Yeah, I know there's some sourpusses out there who'll whine and moan about the "GLDs" but c'mon now, it wasn't all bad, far from it.
The sourpusses seem to stay away from this Forum anyway.
Me? I like thick chocolate shakes that'll give you "brain freeze" if you're not careful.
Gotta add the malt! Ya know, these days about all you can find for making one at home is Ovaltine?
I love malt, but if it's not around I can live without. Personally, I'm more concerned with getting the shake up to the "death by chocolate" stage. I'll reinforce the ice cream with shots of Hershey's "Special Dark" syrup.
I love dark chocolate, "Bittersweet like love itself."
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