LEGO Mursten, produced between 1949 and 1953, were the first plastic building blocks by the LEGO Group. These early sets, known as LEGO Basic Sets, included simple, hollow rectangular bricks without the modern stud-and-tube locking mechanism. Sold primarily in Denmark and a few European countries, these sets laid the groundwork for the modern LEGO system. In 1953, the Mursten evolved into "Automatic Binding Bricks," featuring an improved design that eventually led to the patented stud-and-tube system in 1958, which greatly enhanced the stability and versatility of LEGO constructions.
1956 LEGO Sets
1956 was another important milestone year for the LEGO Group. In this year LEGO began its expansion into various neighboring European markets including Germany and LEGO opened its first foreign sales company in Hohenwestedt, Germany. As LEGO began to expand sales they also simplified the Mursten theme. Since 1954 LEGO had sold both the old panel-like windows and doors and the new window system that relied on the studs for attachment. In 1956 the old windows were dropped. The slotted bricks were now obsolete and were replaced with a new solid wall design, the first change to the brick since 1949. This new, simplified system would be the only toy offered in new foreign markets.