We have been building with LEGO for a long time now. The amount of LEGO structures that have been built by man probably exceeds the amount of actual structures built by man. This month marks a major milestone for LEGO. The company is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its invention of the toy wheel this month.
The toy company first introduced the LEGO wheel in April of 1962 and they have been rolling along ever since. Pun intended. I never “tire” of those jokes. Anyway, it’s an amazing milestone when you stop to think about all of the joy that LEGO has brought to children and adults everywhere. These days the LEGO Group produces 381 million wheels a year. I can’t even imagine what that looks like. They are the world’s largest tire maker for sure.
Here’s a fun fact: The largest LEGO wheel is 10.7 cm high and was produced for set No. 8457 the Power Puller from the year 2000. The smallest LEGO wheel is 14.4 mm high and belongs to a small two-seater car in sets No. 345 and 346 from 1969. (Pictured above)
Before the LEGO wheel was introduced, some LEGO sets included pre-molded miniature cars. Kids in that day also sometimes had to make due and use LEGO bricks in place of wheels. Hey, imagination is great. But soon kids would have actual wheels to make their creations move just like dad’s car. The first LEGO wheel arrived in set No. 400 in 1962. By 1967, it was the best-selling set, selling 820,400 boxes. Those wheels can move! Production never stops!
Here’s to another 50 years of innovation. By then LEGO will be powered by mini nuclear reactors or flux capacitors.