The Hero Manufacturing Co was founded by Roger Copple in 1980 after graduating from the Product design course at Portsmouth College of Art and Design. Tall on ideas but short on capital, he found a regular supply of hardwood off-cuts from local joineries and with the loan of a lathe set up the new business making his range of skittles. The Design Council was the first to make an order after giving the designs "award status". From then on customers were recommended by word of mouth from gallery to gallery. Roger joined the British Toymakers Guild in 1981 and gained their award for excellence at the first fair he attended. Roger now lives and works in his cottage in Cornwall, designing new products and is ever more involved with one-off and corporate gifts. The recent new work of cars, boats, and busts has seen a departure from the manufacturing process of lathe turned products which was previously the prominent tool.