What's in a Name, Lego

Danish carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen, the founder of Lego, asked his staff to come up with a name for his growing toy company. The two names that ended up being finalists were 'Legio' and 'Lego'. The first was a reference to a legion as in a Legion of toys. The second was made from a contraction of 'leg godt', which is a Danish phrase meaning 'play well'. Lego is also a Latin word meaning 'to gather or collect'.

Top Ten Toys of All Time

There is minimal agreement on the top toys of all time among many adults. Some are obviously biased, such as the first poll which includes Star Wars Figures. They have not been in existence long enough to even be considered by others.

Poll 1	Poll 2	Poll 3
1. Hula Hoop	1. Bike	1. G.I. Joe
2. Barbie	2. LEGO	2. Transformers
3. LEGO	3. Teddy Bear	3. LEGO
4. G.I. Joe	4. Crayons	4. Barbie
5. Mr. Potato Head	5. Slinky	5. View-Master
6. Monopoly	6. Ball	6. Bike
7. Star Wars figures	7. Etch A Sketch	7. Cabbage Patch Kids
8. Yo-Yo	8. Yo-Yo	8. Crayons
9. Slinky	9. Barbie	9. Play-doh
10. Wiffle ball, bat	10. Hula Hoop	10. Monopoly

The only 2 toys included on all three lists, in order are LEGO (introduced in 1947) and Barbie (introduced 1959).

I tend to agree with the following list according to another source, which lists the best 5 toys of all time. They are: Stick, Cardboard Box, String, Cardboard Tube, and Dirt. I would add rocks, water, and snow. All have withstood the real test of time, are played with around the world, provide for endless enjoyment and evoke magnificent flights of imagination.

3D Printer for Home

Origo may be the last toy you ever have to buy for your child. The prototype 3D printer under development by Artur Tchoukanov and Joris Peels allows children aged ten and up to design figurines and shapes on a computer, and then print them out to play with.

It will likely have a USB port, wireless connectivity, a price around $800, and it will use 3Dtin as its design software. The printer will be able to produce objects about the size of a large mug. Depending on complexity, Origo should be able to produce a small object (like a ring) in a manner of minutes, but larger objects, like a baseball could take a few hours.  Material costs for 3D printing are high as you might imagine. Instead of buying your children more toys, let them make their own.

Slinky

Slinky was invented by Naval engineer Richard James, who knocked a spring off of a shelf when he was working to develop springs that could keep ship instruments stable in choppy waters.

The spring stepped down to a stack of books, then to the table, and then to the floor, where it righted itself into a cylinder. He tested it with neighborhood kids and the rest is history.