Samsonite was an American manufacturer of LEGO sets which introduced the very first USA LEGO catalog for Christmas of 1961. LEGO and Samsonite created a partnership to produce and sell LEGO in the US. The result was a 9-year license for exclusive North American distribution rights. Samsonite began marketing sets under the name LEGO by Samsonite in the US in 1961 and Canada in 1962.
1963 LEGO Sets
In 1963 LEGO finally discontinued use of the original Cellulose acetate plastics in the production of LEGO bricks, in favor of the more stable acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic. Also, in a continued international push, LEGO Austria was established.