Frank Lloyd Wright was possibly the greatest architect the world has ever seen. But he did children another great service: he became father to a son named John.
In 1916, John Lloyd Wright, obviously exposed from a young age to the concepts of designing and building structures, invented a construction toy that might inspire other future architects. He called them Lincoln Logs, one of the most instantly recognizable brand names in history.
Legend has it that he noticed the interlocking beams that his father used in designing the basement of the Imperial Hotel in earthquake-prone Tokyo, and a light bulb went off in his head. True or not, we do have John Wright to thank for one of the most timeless toys ever made.
Not only did WE play with them, our parents may have done so too! But since they probably grew up in the Depression era, they likely made do with building toy cabins out of sticks and slabs of wood. But we were fortunate enough to grow up in Boomer times, and we were indulged with the real deal: genuine Lincoln Logs.
The set I had came in a canister just like I have pictured (and you can get a bigger view at http://timewarptoys.com/, who provided my image).
They were simply a perfect design. You could create in a few minutes amazing buildings. Sure, they were always log cabins, but you had tremendous creative room to use your imagination. My G.I.Joe had some bodacious forts, thanks to my creativity and my trusty Lincoln Logs.
The parts were big enough to make them harder to lose, unlike Tinkertoys (which will receive their own article later). The plastic gable ends and chimneys were durable enough to last as long as the wooden logs themselves.
Like everything else, Lincoln Logs have changed with the times. They are still in production, and still very popular. You can go to http://lincolnlogs.knex.com/ and buy a set in a nice wooden case for a hundred bucks just like you used to have in the 50's or 60's.
You can tell yourself you're getting them for your grandkid. I won't tell.
Comments (5)
The sad thing about Lincoln Logs now that K'NEX makes them is that they just recycle the same parts over and over again. If you've bought several sets over the years, you'll see they're the same, just have different names. Like we can't tell the difference!
Posted by Coolmommy2x | March 17, 2007 7:50 PM
Posted on March 17, 2007 19:50
The sad thing about Lincoln Logs now that K'NEX makes them is that they just recycle the same parts over and over again. If you've bought several sets over the years, you'll see they're the same, just have different names. Like we can't tell the difference!
Posted by Coolmommy2x | March 17, 2007 7:52 PM
Posted on March 17, 2007 19:52
My wife just bought a set of Lincoln Logs for our foster son for Christmas. The box included a train and plastic house roofs. The logs were made from plastic. I loved the real wood logs. I guess there are too expensive now.
Posted by John | March 20, 2007 8:24 AM
Posted on March 20, 2007 08:24
This was a real early childhood toy I enjoyed! I had a couple cannisters of logs. I do remember trying to keep them away from the family beagle who loved to chew on the logs! I liked the logs, but have to admit, I liked Tinker Toys better!
Posted by Rivers End | June 6, 2009 6:58 PM
Posted on June 6, 2009 18:58
Hi there!
I stumbled across your site today, trying to find out possibly how old the Lincoln logs that my grandma has at her house. My father remembers growing up with them, as have I and all my cousins. Now one of my cousins has had a child, and we still bring out the logs with to play with.
I think the set that my grandma has might be a bit older than the ones pictured - they are in a tube very similar, but the roofs are made out of wood like the logs, and don't have the little figurines.
I hope that one day when I have children of my own that they too get to enjoy playing with the Lincoln logs.
Posted by lene | September 18, 2009 8:55 AM
Posted on September 18, 2009 08:55