Lego history lesson.

Dayo

Anyone think they know who invented Lego?

roxio

Kiddicraft 

CCC

How do you define Lego?

Redbullgivesuwind

What personally? No, but I hear Jack is a very nice guy. He invented Lego way back in '08

andhe

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=who+invented+legos?#seen

davee123

- The first interlocking toy bricks were probably "Bild-O-Brik" (or possibly something similar that Erector tried to make), but I'm not aware of any people's names associated with them.  These weren't plastic, but rubber bricks.

- Interlocking toy bricks may also have been invented by Arnold Levy or "Mr. Gilbert" for Minibrix, although these are likely inspired by the similar products above.  Again, these are rubber bricks that are thought to possibly have inspired the plastic interlocking bricks.

- The plastic interlocking brick concept was invented by Hilary Fisher Page for the Bri-Plax brand-- later modified to KiddiCraft Self-Locking Bricks, which is what LEGO used to model its first Automatic Binding Bricks.

- I believe the "modern" stud-and-tube design is credited to Godtfred Kirk Christiansen (not his father, Ole-- at least according to patent records)

- Ole Kirk Christiansen invented the name "LEGO", contracted from the Danish "Leg Godt".  At the time, he was also considering the name "Leggio".

davee123

Ah, here we go-- After some digging around, Ernest E Tompkins applied for a patent on rubber building bricks on Feb 16, 1932 in the US, for the "Bild-O-Brik" toys that would later be produced in 1934 (when the patent was approved). The Bild-O-Brik blocks looked like this: That's the oldest similar product that I know of-- I haven't tried looking up the UK patent on Minibrix yet, but the only bits I know have suggested that Minibrix followed Bild-O-Brik.

DaveE