Subject:
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2006 - 45 Years Of Lego in the USA
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.general
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Date:
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Mon, 10 Apr 2006 21:52:27 GMT
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OK, it's time for my annual complaining about the first year of Lego in the
USA.....
The first Lego sets were sold in the USA in 1961. Most of the parts were
produced from a Samsonite plant in Stratford Ontario, with specialty parts
coming from Denmark. In 1962 the Stratford Samsonite plant started producing
Lego sets for Canada. Some of the molding equipment moved to a Samsonite plant
in Denver Colorado, and by 1965 a new 50,000 sq. ft. Lego plant was opened in
Loveland Colorado.
So now why does TLG use 1962 for Canadian Lego Anniversary, and 1973 for the USA
Anniversary?
The reason is this.... when Samsonite became the licensee for Lego in USA/Canada
in 1961, the Canadian subsidiary (Samsonite of Canada) followed the licensing
rules that TLG had set up. But the USA subsidiary (known as Shwayder Bros. from
1961-65, and Samsonite USA from 1965 onward) didn't follow the TLG company
line... "Samsonite was selling Lego the same way they were selling Suitcases"
(the words of a 4th generation Shwayder family member... the family that founded
Samsonite). and by 1970 TLG started litigation to revoke the USA Lego license.
This litigation was completed by 1972 when TLG started a new subsidiary in
Connecticut (with KKK coming over to help start the subsidiary) to sell Lego
directly in the USA. Their first Lego sets came out in 1973, and 1973 is the
year that TLG uses for the beginning of USA Lego. The 1998 Silver Anniversary
Bucket bears this out.
So am I being picky in complaining about 1973 as the first USA Lego date? Well
what really irked me was that last year (2005) TLG in the USA accepted an award
from the National Trust For Historic Preservation on the 50th Anniversary of
'THE TOWN PLAN'. Well the Town Plan WAS sold in the USA from 1961-65, so it
seems rather strange, if not hypocritical to accept an award for something that
TLG does not even acknowledge in the USA!
I think that this year Brickfest should celebrate 45 YEARS OF LEGO IN THE USA.
My 2 cents, and no.... not all the Lugnet bigmouths are bound by a
Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).....:-p
Getting off my soap box....
Gary Istok
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: 2006 - 45 Years Of Lego in the USA
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| Oh, and one last item..... Did you ever wonder why in the 1970's the Yellow Castle set was numbered #6075 in the USA, and #375 in Canada, continental Europe, Britain and Australia.... Did you ever wonder why the London Bus was #760 in USA and #384 (...) (18 years ago, 10-Apr-06, to lugnet.general)
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