LEGO Building Set, 1966

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Artifact Overview

Carpenter-turned-toymaker Ole Kirk Christianson created his first interlocking "Automatic Binding Bricks" in 1949. Highly popular in Europe by the late 1950s, the renamed "Lego" bricks were first introduced in the United States in 1961. Lego comes from the Danish words "leg godt," which mean "play well."

Artifact Details

Artifact

Building blocks

Date Made

1966

Creators

Place of Creation

Creator Notes

Made for LEGO koncernen (LEGO Group) of Denmark; distributed by Samsonite Corporation of Denver, Colorado.

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

2000.87.1

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Plastic
Cardboard

Dimensions

Height: 2.0 in (Packaging)
Width: 8.0 in (Packaging)
Length: 12.0 in (Packaging)

Inscriptions

embossed on toy pieces: LEGO on packaging: AGES -3 TO 8 / LEGO / BUILDING TOY / A QUALITY PRODUCT OF SAMSONITE CORPORATION / LICENSED UNDER ONE OR MORE OF U.S. PATENTS: 3,005,282 3,034,254 / 205 PIECE SET LEGO / BUILDING TOY / AGES - 3 TO 8 / BUILDING POSSIBILITIES GROW AS YOUR LEGO COLLECTION GROWS. / NO. 205 on box bottom: LEGO / BUILDING TOY / NO. 205 / FUN -- CREATIVE -- EDUCATIONAL
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