Founded in 1961 by Emile Véron, Majorette became the first French manufacturer of miniature cars. Since then, the company has produced a significant number of licensed vehicles, focusing especially in everyday cars, French and European models in particular. Other notable marques to be frequently covered by Majorette include North American vehicles from General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler and the Japanese brands Nissan and Toyota.
By the early 1970's Majorette established a reputation of making detailed, heavy cars of good quality, and incorporating features like opening doors and hoods, translucent plastic parts, and a sprung suspension system. Number plates and detailed plastic parts set the older Majorettes apart.
Towards the 1980s, as a marketing strategy, the design was geared to emphasize the toy appeal of the cars. This included brighter paints, large tampos and slightly exaggerated bodies. However, this was well executed, and even if the cars lost some realism, they gained a particular, attractive styling. In 1980 they bought their competitor Solido, without their military vehicules models division.
The 1990s brought financial troubles, which had a tremendous impact in the quality of the miniatures. After bankruptcy and a takeover, production was relocated to Thailand. But not only did the cars lose the proud 'Made in France' at their base; actually, the shiny metal base itself was missing from new models, replaced by ordinary black plastic, a solution previously deemed proper for lesser brands. The loss was not only visual or tactile: the Majorettes lost their characteristic weight, which gave them consistence and body.