Toy and game legend Sir Torquil Norman, CBE, has passed away aged 91

Toy and game legend Sir Torquil Norman, CBE, has passed away aged 91.

Best known in the industry as the founder of Bluebird Toys, Sir Torquil was the power behind the all-time classics Polly Pocket and The Big Yellow Teapot, as well as the A La Carte Kitchen, Mighty Max and many others.

Describing his career as “slightly checkered”, Sir Torquil was an RAF and Fleet Air Arm pilot before becoming a banker. Later, he began working in the toy and game industry with Ken Berwick at Liverpool’s Berwick’s Toy Company before founding Bluebird Toys in 1980.

Away from the toy industry, Sir Torquil – a long-term resident of Camden, London – bought a derelict arts venue in Chalk Farm for £3 million. He then helped raise a further £27 million to transform the building into a state-of-the-art creative centre, The Roundhouse.

He was a Director of his son Casey’s company Genie Toys and also conceived the flat pack all-terrain vehicle The Ox, which is now deployed in developing countries.

Already made a Commander of the British Empire in 2002, Torquil was knighted in 2007 for ‘services to the arts and disadvantaged young people.’

Speaking in 2014, Sir Torquil revealed his answer to the question “What qualifies you to be a toy inventor?” was a simple one… “An eye for detail… And a mental age of about seven.”

Sir Torquil is survived by Jesse, Casey, Caspar, Lulu and Amy and his partner Iga. His wife Anne died in 2007. Our deepest sympathies to all.

You can read more about Sir Torquil’s extraordinary career here: https://www.mojo-nation.com/bluebird-toys-founder-sir-torquil-norman-cbe-discusses-his-extraordinary-career/

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