On 28 January, 1958 the Lego brick as we know it was patented by Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, the head of the company. Although the Lego company - whose name comes from the Danish for "play well" - had been in existence since the 1930s, it was not until the 1950s that the stud-and-tube coupling system that is still used today was developed.

Published in the Guardian on 2 February 1963

The new plastic brick was a hit with children and adults alike - as early as 1960, the Observer was calling it "a first-rate constructional toy" for children of all ages.

In 1968 the company opened the first of its Legolands in Billund, Denmark. Guardian writer Betty Jerman visited in 1969, thoroughly enjoying herself and wondering if Britain would ever get a Legoland of its own (Legoland Windsor eventually opened in 1996, but it is unrecorded if Jerman ever visited).

Published in the Guardian on 19 September 1969. Click on the headline to read in full.

Lego has long been appreciated for its versatility and role in helping children develop as they play. In 1974, Barty Phillips visited the Lego company in Denmark, and reported on the research and psychology that underpinned the toy's development, and the company's understanding of the importance of play. (Lego researchers also briefly addressed the argument of Lego for girls - an argument that still echoes today.)

Published in the Observer on 7 July 1974. Click on the article to read in full.

Given the Lego company's approach to child education, it is perhaps not surprising that in 1985 they formed a collaboration with Seymour Papert, the inventor of the Logo programming language, researching and developing software and computer education for children.

Published in the Guardian on 21 November 1985. Click on the article to read in full.

Since 1958, Lego has constantly evolved and adapted to a changing world, introducing new lines and technology. Lego has been used in ways the company may never have envisaged - from the vet who adapted Lego wheels (introduced in 1962) to help overfed tortoises in 2000 to the Canadian students who sent a Lego man into space in 2012.

Both of these examples serve to illustrate Guardian art critic Jonathan Jones' argument in 2012 that the bricks can be the building blocks of imagination. In January 2000, Lego was voted the toy of the century.

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