But it wasn’t until the late 1950s that LEGO introduced the interlocking brick system we know and love today. As the 1960s dawned, the little plastic bricks were evolving with additions like wheels and windows, letting kids build cities, spaceships, and just about anything else they could dream up.
In the 1970s and 1980s, LEGO toys took us on thrilling adventures, from castles with brave knights to moon bases with astronauts, while the 1990s expanded the LEGO blocks universe even further with themes like pirates and cowboys.
In this compilation, we’re bringing you on a nostalgic journey through these decades, reminding you of the time in your life when a handful of LEGO bricks and pieces could become anything in your imagination. Venture back with us into a world of colorful bricks and endless possibilities with these vintage LEGO toys from the 1960s through the 1990s.
Vintage LEGO toys from Samsonite (1963)
Make eight separate wheel toys that move with the new Lego system by Samsonite Wheel Toy set. Build one toy that moves. Play with it. Take it apart. Then make another.
Build anything you can Imagine… Then put it on Wheels. Now it can be done With the all-new Lego Wheel set. Build all kinds of roll-toys. Every brick snaps securely together with every other brick…
Each new lego Wheel has a rubber tire and axle that snaps onto the toy you build. All pieces fit easily with other Lego set bricks. Lego Wheels set… A part of the new Lego system by Samsonite.
Super-old LEGO dolls from the 60s
Travel ’round the world with the new Lego Doll Set! Make dolls of all nations… Chinese Dolls… Pirates… Native Dancers… You can do it, just like Johnny & Jane Lego, with the new Lego Doll Set.
Get exact snap-together plastic bricks that build these dolls… Build the dolls you want. Play with them. Then take them apart and build more. The Lego Doll Set fits perfectly with the other Lego System by Samsonite bricks.
Retro LEGO Zoo animals designs — ostrich and deer (1963)
How would you like to have a Lego Zoo all your own? It’s easy… easy as a snap. Just copy the animals. Then when you’re finished you will have a real Lego Zoo with real Lego Birds and Animals.
The birds and animals come from all over the world. And children play with Lego all over the world. So you’re Lego Zoo will be an International Zoo. If you don’t know what “International” means, ask your father or mother. We hope you enjoy your Lego Zoo.
Some people think that deer are the most beautiful animals in the world. What do you think? Maybe you can go to the zoo and see one. If you do go take your Lego model and compare them. You can do that with all the other animals, too.
LEGO blocks for Christmas (1967)
Lego, the toy they won’t be tired of by Dec 26th. Lego isn’t just another empty-minded amusement. It challenges children. To think, to build, to create. They can turn these colorful plastic bricks into almost anything imaginable: skyscrapers, houses, animals.
Simple little things like a flower in a pot. Complicated big things like a truck with moving parts. (Lego even has gear and motor sets.) There’s no end to what they can make. And that’s what keeps them interested in Lego. Long after most Christmas toys are forgotten. And when you want to add to a child’s Lego collection, give an Extra Parts kit.
Vintage American LEGO catalog pages from 1977
Welcome to the world of LEGO!
LEGO universal building sets from 1977
With these sets, a child can create anything he or she can imagine – there are literally millions of possibilities.
The colorful package illustrations show a full range of creative ideas for building. Each set has wheels and tires, doors that open and close, windows with moveable shutters, baseplates, and a wide variety of building bricks in different sizes, shapes, and colors. The larger sets also contain many special pieces – people, roof bricks, clear bricks, trees, and gates.
70s LEGO Model Mini-Figure sets
These sets concentrate upon specific situations and most include unique elements to make them more realistic. All of these sets have LEGO people with heads that turn, arms that move, hats, and hairpieces — plus assorted bricks for making people tall, short, or funny.
Vintage playsets and toys shown include Policemen, Family, Cowboys, Scooter, and Farm Lego sets.
Vintage 70s LEGO Universal Sets with construction vehicles & Mini-Figures
As a child grows, imagination, ideas, and expectations grow, too. Lego meets the growing demands of every boy and girl. These sets have more of everything. More of the pieces children know… more new pieces they haven’t met.
There are airplane props, deep-grooved tires, ladders, antennae, claw shovels, and even true-to-scale Mini-Figures. Each set includes detailed building instructions.
1977 LEGO cars, airplanes, and construction models
Each set contains special pieces for added realism. Many sets include true-to-scale Mini-Figures.
Retro 70s sets include Lego models such as Fork Lift, Tipper Truck, Truck, Spirit of St. Louis, Police Units, Learjet, Fire Truck, Formula 1 Racer, Jeep, Sea Plane, Rescue Set, and the Road Construction set.
SEE MORE: Get a load of these fun vintage Tonka trucks & other old Tonka toys from the 1950s-80s
Classic LEGO building set Enviro-Models (1977)
LEGO Enviro-Models are something special. They’re whole action scenes. Each model is large, consisting of a wide variety of highly detailed bricks and special pieces. Features Windmill, Hospital, and Police Headquarters Lego sets.
LEGO toys: 70s Universal Motor for bonus realism (1977)
The Lego motor is designed to be used in conjunction with other Lego sets to make things move for added realism. Cars and trucks, helicopter props, windmills, and cranes — they all move with the Lego Universal Motor.
But it does something else, too. It makes them different. To become motorized, a car has to be rebuilt, redesigned, proportioned differently, or even enlarged. Exactly how it changes is up to the builder. But a specific challenge is presented that brings a child’s imagination, perception, and intelligence all into play.
1970s Classic LEGO sets: Bricks and pieces (1977)
The most beautiful thing your child can make is make-believe. You know the imagination your child has. It’s endless. Boundless. Beautiful. Lego Brand Building Sets give imagination the tools it needs to build what it sees. No other toy lets a child express his or her creativity in so many ways, so satisfyingly.
With Lego Building Bricks, the child’s the boss. He can build exactly what he wishes. Tear it apart if he wants to. Play games he invents. Lego is a playmate for the mind, a pal for the imagination. Watch your child build. Watch him experiment, problem-solve, and triumph! See his creativity in action. You may see your child as you never have before.
With a LEGO set, there’s never ever “nothin’ to do” (1979)
She has boundless energy and an endless imagination. Now she has a building set that will challenge them both. Her Lego Universal set will build anything she can dream up. There are brightly-colored bricks for building, special pieces, and moveable parts for added fun.
What it is is beautiful. (1979)
Have you ever seen anything like it? Not just what she’s made, but how proud it’s made her. It’s a look you’ll see whenever children build something all by themselves. No matter what they’ve created.
LEGO Homemaker Sets (1979)
New! LEGO sets that love to play house!
Each set builds a different room — and what detail! A blender, canisters, doors, and drawers that open… plus 3 generations of family.
Retro LEGO Expert Builder Series Challenge 8860 auto chassis (1981)
1. Rack and pinion steering.
2. Two-speed transmission.
3. Working crankshaft and pistons.
4. Independent rear suspension.
5. Differential gears.
6. Adjustable reclining seats.
If it’s a challenge you want, it’s a challenge you’ll get with the LEGO Expert Builder Auto Chassis. You build it from the ground up and you build the working parts right in. It has gears, pistons, and universal joints that really move.
Add an Expert Builder Power Pack and it revs to life. Or choose your challenge from nine other Expert Builder sets. From a Mobile Crane to a Motorcycle. From a Harvester to a Helicopter. Each set builds other models, too. There’s even a Spare Parts Set and an Idea Book to let you build bigger and bolder than ever. Take a crack at the LEGO Expert Builder Series. You’ll be proud to say, “I did it myself”.
LEGO toys build anything. especially pride. (1982)
Children can build whatever they imagine with new LEGO Universal Building Sets. The sets for little ones are designed to help build playful imaginations.
The sets for older children have special pieces for imaginative but more realistic buildings. And big children or small, whatever they build with LEGO sets will always make them feel ten feet tall.
MORE FUN: Hey 80s kids! Remember Toys R Us catalogs & picking out the best stuff for your gift list?
LEGO blocks and LEGOland sets available in 1984
Ad showcasing various LEGOland building sets — such as the Mini European medieval LEGO set, Town Shop Services LEGO set, and a Classic Space LEGO set with Mini-Figures.
Duplo and LEGO toy sets (1985)
Un-outgrowable. (The LEGO advantage.) The LEGO System starts here, with the big blocks of a DUPLO Pre-School set. And it grows as your child grows.
Because blocks from DUPLO and LEGO sets work together. And we make more sets with more special pieces than anyone. It’s the toy kids add to rather than outgrow. That’s the LEGO advantage.
Classic LEGO Brick Vac toy (1991)
Introducing the neatest way to have fun. The LEGO Brick Vac. It’s new! The kid-powered sweeper that makes bricks disappear.
The new Brick Vac comes filled with 131 LEGO pieces for lots of fun. And when the building’s Brick Vac rolls into action. Its paddle wheel motion scoops up brick after brick and stores them away. After a hard day at play, there’s no better way to give kids a little pick-me-up.
90s LEGO Basic cases and Brick vac toy set (1991)
LEGO Basic stow-away cases make it easy. Buckets and Tote Packs provide the perfect hide-away for Lego bricks. Lego-To-Go cases let your little ones carry the fun right along with them.
And the Brick Vac, the newest of LEGO stow-aways, actually sweeps up bricks and stores them away. What a neat way to have fun!
M:Tron Space Voyager LEGO toy (1991)
Old LEGO catalog featuring Town Classics (1995)
Set your creativity free! 1990s LEGO toys catalog (1995)
Showcasing LEGO products like LEGO car wheels, roof bricks, base plates, the LEGO Brick Separator, and more!
90s Magic Flash, Sea Jet, and Mach II Red Bird Rig LEGO models (1995)
Magic Flash: This model team threesome is packed with power! The van features amazingly realistic details — like bumpers, horn, dual exhaust pipes and more. No detail is too small–these are even windscreen wipers in front! You control the steering by turning the spare tire on top. The trailer hooks up to the van for transporting the sleek speedboat, complete with wind spoiler, tilted propeller and two engine hatches. The action doesn’t stop there — follow the instructions to build the alternative model, a high-speed dragster!
Sea Jet: Two totally awesome models in one. Includes all the pieces you need to build a realistic speedboat with driving seats, rudders, functional propellers, instrument panels, and open/close hatch on front deck. Now test your skill at building a Hovercraft. Sure to give you many, many hours of challenging fun. 400 pieces.
Mach II Red Bird Rig: Speed through the highways and skyways with the Mach II Red Bird. This awesome Tractor Trailer and Jet Plane contain working parts like doors/hatches that open and close, pivoting wheels, spoilers which tip to the side and a removable loading ramp. Tremendous detail, realism and 1,166 pieces of building fun!
Vintage Train LEGO system sets (1995)
LEGO floating Police Patrol and Cabin Crusher boat sets (1995)
LEGO giant model vehicle sets at Toys R Us (1997)
NOW SEE THIS: Toys R Us in the 1990s was a power player! Revel in the nostalgia
