Category:Lego System by Samsonite

1962: The "core" Lego Samsonite range [image info]

1967: "There's no limit to what you can build with Lego" [image info]

1967: Lego Mechanical Sets [image info]

Lego products were produced and distributed in the USA by Samsonite (the well-known plastic luggage company), from ~1961 to ~1972, under the brandname LEGO System by Samsonite.

End of the deal

The Danish company apparently fell out with Samsonite regarding their marketing of Lego, and effectively "bought back" the contract to market and distribute Lego in the UK themselves. Samsonite, while capable of manufacturing the bricks, apparently didn't have much background knowledge of the toy industry or its sometimes arcane practices and dealership etiquette: they were able to sell Lego through large mail-order catalogue companies (some of which also sold suitcases), but had more trouble dealing with small toyshops.

LEGO CONSTRUCTION SETS – (3 to 15 yrs.)

– Now made in the United States, the Lego Construction Sets have been the rage in Europe for the last 4 years. Heart of the Lego System is the durable plastic "brick" in vivid red and white colours which interlocks easily and firmly with others of its kind; yet a unit made of these basic components can be easily taken apart for reassembly. Extremely versatile sets to encourage building interest; they can make almost any kind of structure – and even animals and people. Each set complete with booklet showing suggested models to be constructed. Advanced sets can build all models of any smaller, more basic sets

— , -, , Schwarz catalogue, , 1962

Range

The US Lego range included Lego Mechanical Sets with gears, and a larger-size building block system for smaller children (pre-Duplo) that looked suspiciously similar to another of Hilary Page's designs for Kiddicraft.

External links

• 1961: Samsonite (brickfetish.com)