Muky

Lore & Background

Muky was created by ESDECO, a company founded by Mr. Escobar and Libio DeConti and his brother in the city of Gualeguay, in Entre Ríos Province. The company's name is an acronym from both families' surnames. Virtually all Muky models were copies of early Mattel Hot Wheels such as the Custom Corvette, the Lola T70, the Custom Eldorado, or the Dodge Deora. Muky was not as popular or as collectible as the country's Buby toys, which made Argentine Torinos, Falcons, and other vehicles more familiar to children there.

In the late 1970s, due to the worsening economic environment in Argentina, the DeConti brothers moved to Brazil and began manufacturing toys there called 'Superveloz'. In 1984 or 1985, a certain Dell Arciprete bought the factory and rights to the Muky brand, changing its name to Induguay S.A. Using most of the same dies, the company again began making toy cars. The Arciprete family ran the factory and a fumigation business at the same time. Later Mukys were numbered from eight to forty, numbers one through six having been lost. Their chassis were cast in plastic, and Mukys were distributed also to Uruguay and Spain.

How Induguay came to possess the Mattel dies is uncertain. One story is that the DeConti brothers stole the dies from Mattel. Two other prevalent theories exist: that the models were carefully copied from blueprints, or that third-party agents, with Mattel's approval, sold some dies to the DeContis. Few of the 37 models originally manufactured by Induguay were ever reissued by Mattel. The Arciprete family has kept the tooling and does not deny that they might again someday make more Mukys.

Reader's Guide

Muky occupies a distinct niche in die-cast collecting as an Argentine brand that closely copied early Mattel Hot Wheels. Its significance lies in its role as a regional manufacturer that filled the local market with affordable toy cars during the 1970s and 1980s, producing up to 60,000 models per month at its peak. The brand's legacy is complicated by its status as a knockoff producer, yet it is remembered as the 'Hot Wheels of Argentina'. The copies often had mismatched bases and boxes, such as a Custom AMX reading 'Chevelle SS', adding a layer of curiosity for collectors. The uncertainty surrounding how the dies were obtained—whether stolen, copied from blueprints, or sold by Mattel agents—adds to the brand's mystique. The later shift to plastic chassis and the expansion of distribution to Uruguay and Spain show the brand's adaptation. The fact that the Arciprete family still holds the tooling and has not ruled out future production keeps Muky a potentially active name in die-cast history, even decades after the factory closed in 1991 due to competition from imports.

Did You Know?

• Muky was created by ESDECO, an acronym from the surnames Escobar and DeConti.
• At its peak, the factory produced 50,000 to 60,000 models per month.
• Later Muky models were numbered from 8 to 40; numbers 1 through 6 were lost.
• The Arciprete family ran the Muky factory and a fumigation business simultaneously.