Rico Trains

Rico was founded by the ex-Paya employees Agapito Verdú, Miguel Pina, Jaime Bostand and Joaquín Doménech in either 1910 or 1915 (sources differ on dates) and started making toys under the name Verdú y Cia (Verdú & Co). In 1919 the doll maker Santiago Molina Rico joined the firm, which was then called Verdú, Rico y Cia. In 1922 Rico took overall control and the firm was then, or somewhat later (1930?) renamed Rico S.A. In the 1930's Rico was a serious competitor of Paya, producing around 500 different toys. In the Sixties and Seventies the firm went into decline and closed its doors in 1984.