Marvling Bros Ltd.

About

How Much Can You Fit in a Matchbox?

Marvling Bros Ltd is a trusted British company that make it easy to send fun and affordable matchbox-sized creative gifts, lighting up the world of your someone special with thoughtfully crafted messages - a present that truly says I'm thinking of you.

Our company was established March 2013 by Emma Dobie and Hayley Madden. The initial idea was to produce the ultimate token present and rid the world of gifts given out of guilt, gifts given out of obligation and, saddest of all, unwanted gifts.

Our mission is to make gifting great again… send a gift that truly says I’m thinking of you’, small enough to pop in your pocket, yet large enough to create a lasting impression.

Marvling Bros Ltd began with a school competition in 2010 called How Much Can You Fit in a Matchbox? While Hayley's son wasn't particularly interested, Hayley was fascinated by the challenge. She filled matchboxes with tiny objects that told a story—a grain of rice and a coriander seed became a takeaway curry, while miniature pictures of the Mona Lisa and Van Gogh's Sunflowers became an art gallery.

The idea didn't win the competition, and most people thought it was completely bonkers. But one person instantly understood the magic: Emma.

Three years later, inspired by those little matchboxes, Emma suggested turning the concept into a business. Together, she and Hayley spent nine months researching, developing products, and teaching themselves how to run an ecommerce company.

When they launched in 2013, they had a beautiful website and more than 6,000 products. In the first week they sold just ten items—half of them to friends and family. Craft fairs and online marketplaces followed, but sales remained slow.

Then, seemingly overnight, everything changed.

In October 2013, orders jumped from one or two a day to more than 500 a day. Matchboxes took over Emma's kitchen, family members were recruited to pack and stamp envelopes, and school-run conversations became impromptu recruitment drives. By the end of November, demand was so high that sales had to be paused entirely while the team caught up.

What started as a tiny idea had become something much bigger.

Today, Marvling Bros has sold over 500,000 matchbox gifts, appeared on national television, won awards, and helped customers celebrate occasions across the world. Yet our mission remains exactly the same: to create thoughtful, affordable gifts that genuinely say, "I'm thinking of you."

Small enough to fit in your pocket, but designed to leave a lasting impression.