I hold very dear childhood memories of Legos during my formative years in Germany. This was during the early 70's and where Legos were still in their "prehistoric" stage :) just the basic models of houses and buildings in a miniature village. When we moved to the Philippines and I lost most of my Lego pieces (leaving me only with 10), I sadly thought I wouldn't get hold of Legos anymore as replacement for the Lego pieces I missed. Good thing, they were also being sold during the late 80's at Manila's Gift Gate, yet by then I've outgrown my necessity for them. My love for Lego's were again rekindled when my young boys were preschoolers and I thought of buying them some!
Now for some Lego trivia...
Did you know, since the 1950’s Lego’s have been loved by builders of all ages. The founder, carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen started making wooden toys in 1932. He named his company LEGO by combining the Danish words "Leg Got" meaning "play well." He later realized the word LEGO translates into "I put together" in Latin. The name was kismet, foretelling what would be a runaway success.
The plastic interlocking bricks were first produced in 1949. The pieces, still famous today were sold in loose sets of bricks. The toys were released in the United States in the 1960’s, captivating its young audience. LEGOS let kids unleash their imagination by easily building, taking their creations apart and starting the fun all over again.
LEGO then made a revolutionary addition to their popular kits by adding thewheel. Not only did kids build cities, but now they could construct and play with cars, trucks and later trains. Even preschoolers, more concerned with knocking down than building got into the action with the DUPLO product line- especially designed for smaller hands. From vehicles to cities ships and planes LEGO sets became the standard for creative play.
The Lego Group's motto, det bedste er ikke for godt, which means 'only the best is good enough' still rings true today. The sets are long lasting and durable. Where other toys break or become obsolete, LEGOS are passed down from generation to generation adding more colorful bricks to the collection. It is no wonder LEGOS are still popular Christmas gifts.
The LEGO Group continues to thrill its’ fan base. Thousands of sets have been released since the construction hard hats came on the scene including: pirates, space, Vikings, castle, undersea exploration, pirates, wild west and dinosaurs. Movie tie-ins, such as, LEGO Indiana Jones Adventures and LEGO Star Wars, and LEGO SpongeBob are some of the highest selling kits. Now you can even build and program your own robots with LEGO Mindstorms NXT 2.0!
The spirit of LEGO’s even translates into the digital world. A successful video game series has emerged with a number of addictive titles such as LEGO Indiana Jones, LEGO Star WARS, LEGO Batman, and LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean. The LEGO Digital designer software even lets users construct with LEGO bricks on their computer, publish their designs online, then buy the physical bricks to build your creation online. With the classic bricks, and their ability to stay current LEGOS will continue to be a popular Christmas gift for many years to come.
