If you're relatively young, Lego is this elaborate collection of toys that you could make just about anything from. The kits that are available today are just mind boggling. But it wasn't always like that. There was a time when Lego didn't have sets. They were just a bunch of blocks that you put together any way you liked. As a matter of fact, Lego goes a lot farther back than most people realize.
Even though Lego technically came into being in 1916, the first Lego toys were not made until 1932. Their first toys were cars, trucks and piggy banks. They were nothing like what we're used to today. The actual Lego name wasn't official until 1934. It came from a Danish phrase that meant "play well". The founder of Lego, Kirk Christiansen, was known as a very kind hearted man who wanted to make toys that poorer children could afford. This was the main reason that he even went into the business.
The first Lego building brick toys that we're familiar with today weren't made until 1947. One of the first of these toys was a truck that you could put together and then take apart to put back together again. The bricks snapped together. The blocks were made out of cellulose acetate as opposed to the common wooden bricks that most other toys were made from. In 1953 these bricks were given the official name "Lego Bricks".
In the 1950s the bricks were improved upon because the ability of the blocks to lock together was limited. Hollow tubes were added to the underside of the bricks to help them lock together a little better. This also added some much needed support to these bricks. Finally, in 1958, Christiansen died. The company almost died with him. But his partner decided to go on and continue to run the company. Otherwise this may have been the end of Lego.
In the 1960s we were given the first Lego wheels that could be added to the cars and trucks. Before these wheels were created the car and truck tires were blocks, just like the rest of the vehicle. During that time, Lego started to make toys that were targeted to preschoolers. This line went over very well with the kids. Finally in 1963, the blocks were made out of ABS plastic and are still made from this plastic even today. Then in 1964, for the very first time, instruction manuals were provided for their toys.
In 1969 an offshoot of Lego, the Duplo system, can to be. These blocks were much bigger than the Lego blocks, which made them safer for young children, the main reason they were made in the first place. However, even though the Duplo system was made for small kids, the two systems are compatible with each other and can be mixed together.
Over the next 30 plus years, the Lego system became very elaborate. Whole kits depicting various scenes could be bought and put together such as the 1988 model of London, the 1989 Pirate series and more recently, the Knights Kingdom in 2004.
Today, Lego is one of the largest manufacturers of children's toys in the whole world. And just think, it all started from a bunch of plastic blocks.
Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Toys
