Samsonite was an American manufacturer of LEGO sets in North America (US and Canada) that for many years starting in the early 1960s had exclusive distribution rights. A licensing dispute ended the arrangement in the United States in 1972, but Samsonite remained the distributor of LEGO in Canada until 1988.
1961 LEGO Sets
1961 marked a significant year for the LEGO Group. International sales, production and distribution were greatly expanded. North America was an important market but its sheer size and distance from Denmark required a sales and distribution network that was too large for LEGO to manage at the time. LEGO reached an agreement to allow Samsonite to begin producing and selling LEGO products in North America. The result was a license for exclusive North American distribution rights and LEGO began marketing sets under the name ‘LEGO by Samsonite’ in the US in 1961. In the same year, LEGO Italy was established.