Who actually invented plastic block toys?
History of plastic interlocking block creation
It might surprise you but LEGO™® was actually not the first company to make the first interlocking building cube. In the 1930's, Hilary (Harry) Fisher Page (born 20 August 1904 – died 24 June 1957), a key figure at Kiddicraft Ltd (in the United Kingdom) introduced the Interlocking Building Cube. It part of a series of practical toys crafted from plastic as wooden toys were unsafe and not hygienic. Initially, a dedicated company was established to manufacture this product, as the exploration of plastic toys was deemed too risky by Page's fellow directors. Lego, which emerged later in the 1950s, operated on a similar principle but featured smaller tubes, enhancing the stability of the structures built.
About Harry
Harry was born in Sanderstead, England, and was the eldest child of Samuel Fisher and Lillian Maude Page. During his childhood, he crafted his own wooden toys and devised games, with encouragement from his father, who was involved in the lumber industry.
How Harry came up with the idea
Following the establishment of Kiddicraft, Page dedicated several years to studying early childhood play. He immersed himself in research by actively engaging with children in different nursery school settings to discern their interests. This extensive research endeavor led to the publication of his book titled "Playtime in the First Five Years" in 1938.
Kiddicraft early days, Bri-Plax & British Toys Ltd
Harry, in collaboration with several partners, ventured into the toy industry in 1932. Together, they established a small toy store named Kiddicraft on Godstone Road in Purley, Surrey. Initially, Harry imported wooden toys from Russia, but later transitioned to introducing his own designs. Feeling dissatisfied with wood as a material for children's toys, Harry became an early proponent of plastics, viewing them as a safer and more hygienic option. In 1936, he commenced the production of Kiddicraft 'Sensible' toys utilizing innovative injection molding technology. By 1937, these toys were marketed under the Bri-Plax brand, leading to the formation of a new entity, British Plastic Toys Ltd. Notably, one of the creations included an Interlocking Building Cube, for which Page secured a British patent in 1940.
The Kiddicraft Self-Locking Building Brick sets debuted in 1947. To promote them, Page and his family constructed large display models for the 1947 Earl's Court Toy Fair. The Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood in London includes these bricks in its list of "must-have toys" from the 1940s.
LEGO™® makes a replica version
Ole Kirk Christiansen and his son Godtfred came across the Kiddicraft brick when they examined a sample, potentially accompanied by drawings, provided by the British supplier of their initial injection molding machine purchase.
Recognizing their potential, Ole replicated the Kiddicraft brick and in 1949 introduced his own version, The Automatic Binding Brick, which evolved into the LEGO™® brick in 1953. LEGO™® acknowledges Kiddicraft as the origin of plastic bricks on their history website and claims that when contacted by LEGO™® in the late 1950s, Kiddicraft raised no objections to the Danish company's production of the bricks. Subsequently, tubular shapes were added beneath most bricks to enhance grip.
British LEGO™® Ltd. was established in late 1959, and the first sets were sold the following year, three years after Page's passing. LEGO™® eventually obtained the residual rights to the Kiddicraft brick designs from Page's descendants in 1981, preempting legal actions it initiated against other plastic building toys produced by Tyco™® and other companies.
Harry passes in 1957 but gets recognised in 2007
Harry died in unfortunate circumstances, concerned about mounting pressures on the business and apprehensive about the potential collapse of his company. He and his business took on too much they couldn't handle. But he was the pioneer of plastic block design and he was recognised as an innovator in child education and toy design in 2007, with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Toy and Hobby Association.
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Further development of the plastic brick
Following World War II, Page conceived and manufactured the Kiddicraft Self-Locking Building Bricks, often hailed as the "original LEGO™®." Kiddicraft introduced a line of building sets that LEGO™® imitated in both style and content. The Self-Binding Bricks devised by Kiddicraft could be stacked and interlocked through studs on their tops. Subsequently, these bricks were enhanced with slits on their sides, enabling the insertion of panel-like doors, windows, or cards. Page secured a patent for the foundational design, a 2 × 4 studded brick, in 1947, followed by patents for the side slits in 1949 and the baseplate in 1952. These designs were showcased in exhibitions at the Brighton Toy and Model Museum.