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A golden anniversary for Lego (50 years old today)
cnet News.com ^ | January 28, 2008 | cnet News

Posted on 01/28/2008 2:28:52 PM PST by Squidpup

On Monday, Lego is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the day it filed its first patent for the iconic plastic brick. Since the beginning, Lego sets have been themed, and the very first theme was space. Not long afterward, Lego added castle and pirate themes. One of the first major elements of the "System of Play" was the Lego Town Plan. To celebrate the 50th anniversary, the company is releasing a new, updated commemorative Town Plan this year. While updated, it includes '50s-era elements like a gas station, car wash, and garage, plus a movie theater and, of course, a town hall.

The original Town Plan box from 1955 featured Lego founder Ole Kirk Christiansen's grandson Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen as a boy. The 2008 Town Plan box once again features him, this time as a grown man.

Over the years, the Lego brick has become one of the most recognized toys in the world, and millions upon millions of people have spent countless hours playing with the bricks and the sets they're part of. But Lego's first supplementary sets came out in 1956, two years prior to the company filing its patent for the now-famous plastic brick. In 1956, the company exported its first products to Germany.

This year, Lego is also celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Minifigure, small figures of people included in many Lego sets today.

Credit: Steve Scott/misbi.com


TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: anniversary; lego; legos; toys
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To: DeLaine

THAT is a good deal. I saw one bulk sale of 70 pounds of Lego (yes, 70 pounds); it was a combination of about several dozen sets.

I like your idea of buying several complete sets and gifting them over a long period of time; that is efficient! How did you keep them hidden until it was time to wrap them?


21 posted on 01/28/2008 4:36:10 PM PST by Army Air Corps (Four fried chickens and a coke)
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To: Army Air Corps

In the garage, and a strict rule: If you see your presents, they go back. Actually, they were old enough that after the first few years they did see them and put dibs on this or that set. :D I had 3 boys to give them to.
What was the shipping on the 70 lbs?

*although I am done buying Legos! Some of these sets were discontinued themes, which made them harder to find.


22 posted on 01/28/2008 5:00:35 PM PST by DeLaine (Who is General Tso and why are we eating his chicken?)
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To: Army Air Corps

One note: We were a military family and the kids were used to seeing things in boxes in the garage, so it didn’t seem strange to them or attract undue attention.


23 posted on 01/28/2008 5:03:28 PM PST by DeLaine (Who is General Tso and why are we eating his chicken?)
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To: DeLaine

I think that the shipping was in the neighbourhood of $50. Some of my colleagues at work were tempted to “chip in” for the auction including the shipping.


24 posted on 01/28/2008 5:04:25 PM PST by Army Air Corps (Four fried chickens and a coke)
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To: DeLaine

It’s good that the “mystery” was preserved for a while. :-)


25 posted on 01/28/2008 5:05:12 PM PST by Army Air Corps (Four fried chickens and a coke)
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To: Squidpup

That Lego Castrovalva is amazing.


26 posted on 01/28/2008 6:28:45 PM PST by Moonmad27
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To: RosieCotton

Duplo are the bigger ones for younger kids.
Mega Bloks is the cheaper one. Ask me, I’ve bought them all. Legos, Mega Bloks, Flexi blocks. Those were the days. :)


27 posted on 01/28/2008 6:38:14 PM PST by DeLaine (Love me when I least deserve it, because that's when I truly need it. sdgr)
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To: DeLaine

Ours were made by Tyco, as I recall, and it seems like they had some sort of other name rather than Mega Bloks, but you could be right! They were mostly compatible, but the bumps were a little shorter, so sometimes they didn’t grip as well. The real ones tended to get used first.

And yeah, now I remember the Duplos! I think we had a set or two of those mixed into the rest...


28 posted on 01/28/2008 6:47:42 PM PST by RosieCotton (A place for everything and everything in its place - 2008 Resolution #1)
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To: Maine Mariner

My 11 year old son went to a Lego Engineering School last year at a local college. They used Lego’s to learn about structures, building, cantilevers etc.

Lego’s are far better than any toy out there, especially for boys (except toy guns). I’m thrilled when I see a hald dozen boys piled around a mountain of Lego’s in the living room.


29 posted on 01/28/2008 7:45:15 PM PST by cyclotic (Support Scouting-Raising boys to be men, and politically incorrect at the same time.)
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To: FredHead47

Have you seen this?


30 posted on 01/28/2008 8:15:44 PM PST by JRios1968 (Don't mess with tigers, for you are crunchy and chewy...)
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To: Squidpup
monty python lego camelot!
31 posted on 01/28/2008 8:20:04 PM PST by JRios1968 (Don't mess with tigers, for you are crunchy and chewy...)
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To: Squidpup
Bah!

FischerTechnik is better.

The basic pieces are much more flexible:

http://home.ifi.uio.no/marekv/FT/Pingpong.wmv

32 posted on 01/29/2008 7:44:49 AM PST by jdege
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To: JRios1968

I missed the anniversary.

I love LEGOs.

Thanks for the ping!


33 posted on 01/29/2008 7:56:55 AM PST by FredHead47
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To: FredHead47

But what did Google do???!!!111one


34 posted on 01/29/2008 8:12:49 AM PST by JRios1968 (Don't mess with tigers, for you are crunchy and chewy...)
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To: JRios1968

They celebrated with donuts and kool-aid.


35 posted on 01/29/2008 8:35:51 AM PST by FredHead47
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