Posted by David Palmeter December 1, 2024

From Masudaya of Japan. Masudaya is Japan’s oldest operating toy company, tracing its history back to 1724. Their MT (T over M) logo (for Masudaya Toy) has been used since the 1920s. In the 1930s it established a Modern Toy laboratory and later added Modern Toy to its logo causing many to think that MT stood for Modern Toys. It is hard to imagine a toy company that has passed its 300th year in business.

Masudaya Toys “Radicon Radio Control” series of toys from the middle 50s included this bus which was said to be the world’s first Japanese-made toy equipped with a remote control function. From eBay company “Yuzuhina Shop” in Japan, I received this: “According to my research…it was the world’s first radio-controlled toy, launched in November 1955.”

The bus is 359 mm (14.125 inches) long and 100.58 mm (3.96inches) wide – approximately 1:24 scale.

Although it still amazes me that RC airplanes exisisted in the 1930s, and no cars are documented  before the 1950s, I am inclined to let this 1955 Masudaya Bus stand as the earliest documented, commercially produced, RC vehicle (for now).