Brymay's Miss Redhead, once a generous 60, now in a slim 45 matchbox.

The original 1947 Miss Redhead with 60 per box.

1971 design with contemporary hairstyle

The 'futureproof' flooded matchbox
design first appeared in 1975,
still with average contents '50'

It’s been more than 70 years since the alluring Miss Redhead first appeared on boxes of Bryant & May (Brymay) matches.

The striking coiffure - pun intended - of the fetching lass has become part of Australian pop culture, like an Andy Warhol/Marilyn Monroe soup tin or an Arnott’s Iced Vo-Vo biscuit.

By 1980, Miss Redhead was a svelte 47.

While the first boxes of Redheads in 1947 proclaimed ‘Av. contents 60’, many of us will remember the label saying ‘50’. But when did the average contents become 47, and why? That’s an interesting tale.

Sometime in the late '70s, a bored but inquisitive primary school student opened a carton of matches and counted every one. To his surprise, he found the boxes contained an average content of 47, not 50 as advertised. In order to avoid accusations of misleading advertising, Brymay changed the packing to 47 and so they have stayed until recently, when Miss Redhead shed a further two matchsticks.

A cheery and trim Miss Readhead
in her new 45 box.

Some might say 47 was a symbolic number for Miss Redhead, given it's her birth year.

Trivia: Stamp collecting is called ‘Philately’, but did you know that collecting match memorabilia is called ‘Phillumeny’?

More on Match collecting and match history