Maker record
Gemma
Gemma was an Italian maker of electromechanical toys active after the Second World War. Its range included the Leonardo mechanical construction set, the electrically powered Multimotore set made under French licence, and electric trains in three lengths. Leonardo used punched stainless-steel parts that were sandblasted and passivated, with wheels and gears made of zama. The trains had metal bodies, powered cars, overhead electrical equipment and track with wooden sleepers. Their detailed mechanical construction contributed to high production costs.
- Founded
- 1946
- Countries
- Italy
- Locations
- Monza, Italy
- Founders
- Giovanni Gemma
The story of Gemma
Gemma, expanded as Giocattoli ElettroMeccanici Minuterie Affini, was established in the immediate postwar period in 1946. Its small factory, with about fifteen employees, was located at Via Borgazzi 4 in Monza. The account names engineer Giuseppe Bauchiero and administrator Emanuele Ruini as principal founding partners; engineer Mario Zucconi, formerly of Allocchio Bacchini in Milan, was Gemma’s director. The first Leonardo construction-set catalogue is dated 1946 and does not include railway products.
Gemma made the Leonardo mechanical construction set, the electrically powered Multimotore set under French licence, and electric trains in three lengths. Leonardo came in five assortments, Alpha through Epsilon. Its punched stainless-steel parts were sandblasted and passivated; its wheels and gears were made of zama. The metal trains were sold with track, overhead line equipment and a power supply. Each car was powered by a centrally mounted motor driving the wheels through a transmission shaft and bevel gears. Detailed mechanical components and wooden-sleeper track raised production costs and selling prices. Gemma later added contract assembly while continuing to make toys. A former employee left in 1952 and later heard that the company had closed, but the account does not date the closure.