Hobbies And Interests
1930s-1940s
The LEGO Company was started in Denmark by Ole Kirk Christiansen in 1932. The factory originally started with wooden toys, so early editions of Lego sets never were composed of the famous bricks. They were small toys that included a duck, a truck, and an airplane. The late 1940s saw the rise of the LEGO Company plastic toy franchise, with the first LEGO sets initially known as "Automatic Binding Bricks."
1950s
The LEGO Company released standard bricks underneath the "Automatic Binding Bricks" name until 1953 when the standard LEGO Bricks name replaced the former title. New sets in the 1950s expanded on the simple blocks and encouraged children to get more creative with their sets by featuring doors and windows. Eight LEGO vehicle sets were also developed that included a car, truck, and a fire truck.
1960s
A group within the LEGO Company known as Futura was formed. This group was assigned to create creative sets to expand the LEGO base. This really helped the company take off and become what it's known for today. One of the best sets from the 1960s was the LEGO train set. Once kids built the set, the train would operate around the LEGO track. Other popular sets in the 1960s included the LEGO castle and the LEGO space shuttle.
1970s
The 1970s expanded the LEGO sets even more. A LEGO dollhouse included detailed furniture sets and multiple rooms. LEGO ships made their debut along with LEGO figures in order to interact with all of the toys. The LEGO figures featured movable arms and movable heads and eventually evolved to the point where the heads could be removed and swapped with other LEGOs. LEGO base plates expanded and allowed LEGO sets to have a sturdy base for houses, cities and individual projects.
1980s and Beyond
As technology advanced throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the LEGO sets went along with it. LEGOs featured more interactive parts and more robotics, including an actual working R2D2. LEGO buckets in the 1980s made LEGOs easy to store and sell in stores. The LEGO Duplo series was geared towards younger children and featured larger LEGO blocks that children could not choke on. LEGO sets advanced into the digital age as well, and were developed into multiple video games and LEGO themed sets such as Mindstorms, Technic Cyber Master and Rockraiders.