Category:Lego System

Lego is a classic "plastic building blocks" toy that originated from Scandinavia.

In 1932, Ole Kirk Christiansen, a carpenter, set up a business in the village of Billund, Denmark, which manufactured wooden toys. The company took up the name LEGO in 1934, which is taken from the Danish words “Leg godt” meaning “play well”. In 1942, the LEGO factory was destroyed in a fire. However, despite this, the Christiansens quickly resumed production of wooden toys. In 1947 the LEGO company was the first in Denmark to buy a plastic injection-molding machine for making toys, and in 1949, the company produced approximately 200 different plastic and wooden toys. These included Automatic Binding Bricks, on which the LEGO bricks we know today are based.

LEGO was introduced in the United States in 1962, and at the time LEGOs came in loose sets of bricks. However, by 1966, building sets for trucks, planes and ships were being produced, and in 1969, the LEGO Group added the Lego Duplo line of big bricks for the very young, followed by the Lego Technic line of more sophisticated projects for older children in 1977, which included gears and driveshaft pieces. Building on the Technic line, the Lego Mindstorm series of kits were introduced later, containing software and hardware to create small, customizable and programmable robots. LEGO products first arrived in the United States during the Cold War, a period which saw a heightened interest in educational toys. During this period, U.S. leaders encouraged schools to start turning out scientists and mathematicians, who were considered as being of great importance in the arms and space races with the Soviet Union. LEGO promised that its products would "develop the child's critical judgment, manual dexterity, and ability to think for himself."

Lego pieces typically have round raised peglike protrusions in the upper face and a hollow underside, and can be clipped together in stacks, or staggered to make walls and other more complex shapes such as vehicles. In spite of the small changes in shape, colour and design throughout the years, today’s LEGO bricks still fit bricks from 1958. As well as producing custom pieces such as wheels, as roof components, and trees and people, Lego have produced a number of specialised packs with custom parts that allow more specialised types of model, and have produced several "themed" series (Space, Pirates, and so on). They've also produced a number of highly successful ranges designed to tie in with existing franchises, notably their "Star Wars" range.

Lego in the Museum

Lego is not well-represented in the Museum. Although we love Lego,

there have been vast numbers of different Lego sets produced over the years
most of the main Lego pieces are still currently available and don't particularly need curating in museums
there is already an official network of existing theme parks for enthusiasts, totally devoted to Lego (Legoland), and
One of the UK's seven dedicated Lego Stores (complete with large display models) happens to be only about five minutes' walk away from the Museum, by the bottom of Queens Road.

Brighton's Lego shop

To get to the Brighton Lego Store, walk directly away from the front of Brighton Station, down Queens Road, until you get to the Clock Tower. The Churchill Square Shopping Centre will be the large modern complex over to your right. The Lego Store is set into the front of the building.