How LEGO Rebuilt the Toy Itself
A brick. A system. A revolution in imagination.
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October, 1955
In living rooms across Denmark, children tear open new boxes of toys: the LEGO System in Play. Inside are colorful plastic bricks, a printed playmat of roads, little houses, trees, and cars—all perfectly scaled.
As the kids start building, something new is taking shape. For the first time, every piece connects, no matter when or where it’s made. It’s not just a toy—it’s a system.
That simple idea would turn a small family workshop in a rural Danish town into one of the most successful companies on earth. It would also change the way we play forever.
On HISTORY This Week: the story of how LEGO rose from disaster and reinvention—from wooden ducks to plastic bricks—to rebuild not just a toy, but the very idea of play itself.
🎧 Listen now: How LEGO Rebuilt the Toy Itself on HISTORY This Week (wherever you get your podcasts).