Believe it or not, LEGO blocks weren't the first toy that consisted of small interlocking plastic building blocks. That was Kiddicraft blocks, patented by British toymaker Hilary Page in 1947. Over in Denmark, toymaker Ole Kirk Christiansen switched from wood to plastic toys and started making similar bricks in 1949. You might think that a legal war would have ensued, but Page died in 1957, reportedly unaware of the Danish toy, and Christiansen died in 1958. However, the most important part of the story is the patent that Christiansen's son Godtfred filed in January of 1958 that made LEGO blocks a better product.
In the video above, Phil Edwards explains the crucial design innovation that made LEGO the better toy. That's the first four minutes. The rest of the video is about the marketing juggernaut that brought LEGO bricks to the world.
You have to wonder if any of the original Kiddicraft blocks are still around, and whether they are valuable. I couldn't find any for sale online, but I did find a 3D printing pattern. -via Digg
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