Meccanica Bessana Toys (mostly known for its acronym and tradename Mebetoys), was an Italian toy manufacturer that produced die-cast scale model cars during the 1960s and 1970s.
The company was purchased by Mattel in 1969, which continued commercialising Mebetoy as one of its brands. Mebetoy's main competition in Italy was the earlier trailblazer Mercury, Polistil and the rarer Ediltoys.
History
Mebetoys was started by Ugo and Martino Besana in 1959 in Oleggio Castello, Italy. Their brother Mario Besana joined the company in 1967, one year after the company started. A diecast car line was started that same year, rather late compared to the entry of many other companies in the early-to-mid-1950s. In detail and proportion, Mebetoys joined superior model producers of French Solido and fellow Italian Polistil, in many ways these became the triumvirate of diecast models on the European continent, though Danish Tekno and Italian Rio Models