Please use our links: LEGO.com • Amazon
Recent discussions • Categories • Privacy Policy • Brickset.com
Brickset.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, the Amazon.com.ca, Inc. Associates Program and the Amazon EU Associates Programme, which are affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Comments
Would be amusing to put the instructions on pages 8/9 in front of a kid today and see what happened.
The switch to non-slotted bricks happened in 1956, when the regular classic windows/doors were introduced (with studs on top). Then in 1958 another brick change allowed for tubes on the bottom of the bricks.
The Mosaik sets (1300 and 1301) were a short lived unpopular 1955-56 series that were soon discontinued. Notice the HO trains... TLG promoted the use of LEGO with HO scale trains in their idea brochures and catalogs from 1955-57... but this was soon discontinued.
In 1955 LEGO was only sold in 3 countries... Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
Plus these were available in red, white, blue, and dark blue. Some very rare examples are known in yellow (Sweden) and in green (Norway).
Here are some blue and dark blue examples in both sizes...
So in 1956 the red and white modern classic windows/doors were introduced. However the artwork in this 1957 catalog was produced by artists that didn't realize that blue windows were NOT going to be part of this new system of windows, and so we see some blue windows/doors... when actually none of these ever made it into production.
This booklet continues the interesting architecture that was shown in the 1955 Danish book, but HO scale trains are no longer shown in any LEGO brochures or idea books. Also, the cartoon on the last page reads in German... "Mom... when's Dad going to bed?".....
http://brickfetish.com/samsonite/catalog_1957_DE_01/
Then next major ideas book after the 1955 Danish and 1957 German booklets is the first actually numbered idea book... the1960 introduced #238 "Idea Book No.1"... (released in many European languages)... later known in Britain as "Building Ideas Book No.2" and "Building Ideas Book No.3"... both different booklets actually fall under the 238 number.
Below are 4 of the many different covers to the 1960-63 versions of the #238 Idea Book. These are discussed (ad nauseum) in Chapter 43 of my LEGO DVD... "LEGO IDEA BOOKS/BOOKLETS 1950-73".
I watched
and they mentioned the earlier ones weren't that secure, and can fall apart when you tilt them (like when the child built the rocket ship and it fell over).
To answer the question.... from 1949-56 LEGO bricks had slots on the sides (to hold the early windows/doors in place).... and from 1956-58 the slots disappeared, but they were still hollow bottom, until January 1958 when the tube-bottom brick patent was introduced!
Here's an example of the 1949-56 (no LEGO on studs) and 1956-58 earliest bricks, but in a rare trans-clear color. Yes.... the buildings would fall apart easily using these bricks!
1st a 1960-61 "Legoland" UK cartoon (there was no Legoland until 1968!).
2nd a 1963-64 "Wanted Poster"... showing an early LEGO London Bus, and 3 buildings...
3rd a closeup of this "Wanted Poster".... by golly that is an early PALACE THEATRE!! :-)
4th a 1965 era Kellogg's ad for LEGO blueprints for a LEGO robot...
All of these show the name of the company that had the UK (and also Ireland and Australia) LEGO license.... namely Courtauld's Corp. They relinquished it in 1992, whe TLG bought the license back, and LEGO production at the Wrexham Wales Courtauld plant ceased.
Well I gotta see that :D
On a more serious note... Is this the first recorded use of the name Legoland?
Not a single mention of police and fire stations!
The LEGO blueprints were only ever sold by British LEGO Ltd. in Britain, Ireland and Australia.
Here's one of the LEGO blueprints from my LEGO Collectors Guide... (found in the chapter on LEGO Idea Books)... it shows how to build a windmill.
The blue prints were found in mid 1960s British LEGO catalogs....
And they were also available in British Kellogg's cereal ads at the time, this one was for building a spaceman...
From British LEGO retailers the blueprints were 1 Penny each, but with British Kellogg's cereal purchases they were free.
There were 4 available... but all I have is thumbnail images of them...
The 4 blueprints were for building a windmill, a London bus, a spaceman, and a house.
Do you have any better quality images of that Astronaut? I really like the look of him.
Bored_Trooper said: Care to share photos?
Thanks :-)