LEGO Historian

Of all the LEGO building model sets.. few sets have such a complex history as the 236 Garage set. It was introduced under the (Scandinavian) number 1236 in Denmark, Norway and Sweden in 1955 with the introduction of the Town Plan series of sets and part. It was a loose rectangular box set that sometimes came with red garage plates (rare), but mostly with white garage plates. From 1956-57 when Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Portugal came online to LEGO they too had a rectangular box set... but with different design on the box. The rectangular box version came in 5 different box varieties from 1955-70. The top box is of the 1955-57 variety of Denmark, Norway and Sweden (in the local language). The 2nd box is of 1956-57 variety for Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland and Austria. The 3rd box is of the 1958-59 (International) LEGO System version sold in several countries. The 4th box is of the 1960-65 (International) LEGO System version sold in several countries. The 5th box is of the 1966-70 (International) LEGO System version sold in all countries (except USA/Can). Then in 1958 TLG came out with a new version (for only some countries) of the box... known as the flat box version of 236. This had all the parts held in place with part inlays, and also contained a 1:87 scale VW Bus. The rectangular boxed versions never contained the VW. This flat box version came in 3 different box tops... 1958-59, 1959-60 and 1960-65. ****NOTE: The printed "LEGO" brick was NEVER found in any set... it just represents the brick that would be found in the local country... which would be "GARASJE" for Norway, and "GARAGE" for other countries (and possibly :"HUOLTO" for Finland). As complex as all of these varieties of boxes are... it gets even more complex... the question of which box variety was sold in which country? From 1955-57 the rectangular box varieties were sold in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Netherlands Belgium, Switzlerland and Portugal. From 1958-65 the rectangular box varieties were sold in Sweden, Germany, Austrian, Netherlands, and Switzerland. From 1958-65 the flat box variety was sold in Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Italy, France, Portugal, Finland, UK, Ireland and Australia. Neither variety was ever sold in USA/Canada. From 1966-70 the last of the rectangular box versions was sold in all of Europe/Australia. Now when it comes to value... the early Danish/Norwegian/Swedish rectangular box varieties command premium prices, due to the local languages on the box, and also due to using slotted bricks and (occasionally) red base plates). But the really valuable sets are the flat box sets that came with a 1:87 VW Bus. A 1960 Belgian flat box version of 236 could be worth 10 times the value of a 1960 German rectangular box version of 236. This is due to the fact that most early model sets came in flat box versions with the parts held in place in the box via partitions... and all of these sets are very highly sought after. Here is an early 236 flat box inside showing the parts (and 1:87 VW) held in place with inlays.... what makes this set so highly desirable and valued... So the 236 garage sets is a very complex and varied set that betrays the fact that early LEGO catalogs appear to be very simple... since their catalogs are only the front and back of one sheet of paper.... "LEGO Mayhem" at its' most complex.... If it weren't for the complex nature of early LEGO sets and parts, my LEGO collectors guide on DVD/download... would only be 1/4 of its' 2,800 pages in size.... (still available in the Eurobricks LEGO Bazaar as an instant download).

Here are the model designs for many of the Special Sets... And here is what the Australian version of the 236 Garage set design looks like. The larger box sets have similar box designs with the stud background as found in this version of the 236 set...

From Chapter 5 of my LEGO DVD/download.... 1955-59 LEGO sets started having their box tops printed in the local language... although some countries (such as Portugal) only used the international "LEGO System". Here are a few of the box top designs in different languages, as well as the international box. Also shown is the side of the boxes for the international box type that listed all the countries the sets were for... (ironically Portugal and Finland were not listed):

For current buyers of the new LEGO DVD/download (The Unoffiical LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors Guide (1949-90s).... FREE new items will be sent out every 6 months as freebies for an ever expanding Encyclopedia of LEGO. The first new chapter will be a history of the evolution of the LEGO Minifig... from 1956-90s.... The DVD/download is available as a customs free instant desktop download (688 MB of data in 2,800 pages)... http://legocollectorsguide.weebly.com/ The cover of the new chapter on LEGO Minifigs...

LEGO can WARP!!!!!! If it's made of Cellulose Acetate (Cellidor)... the LEGO plastic of 1949-early 1960s...... Before TLG switched to ABS plastic in 1963, they warned in their catalog that LEGO could withstand a temperature of 65 degrees Celsius. But as it turns out.... long periods of attic heat and humidity have affected old LEGO plastic so that most parts of that era have warped. Only sets/parts that have been kept in climate controlled conditions have kept their shape. Those 2 2x14 bricks in the image date to 1955-56. There is an entire chapter in my 2,800 page Unofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors Guide (1949-90s) as DVD/download that discusses LEGO plastics, and their affect by heat, humidity, smoke and light.

From my 2,800 page DVD Download chapter (still available).... here is a copy from the Old LEGO Catalog Chapter... of the very first Australian LEGO catalog of 1962.... This is from before Australia went to the dollar/decimal system in the early 1970s...

It's nice that Australia got recognition for 50 years of LEGO (1962)... the USA got no such recognition last year, for their 1961 (Samsonite) LEGO introduction. TLG sued Samsonite from 1970-72 to get the license back... so they use 1973 as the begin date for LEGO in the USA... rather petty if you ask me...

OK... first of all I want to apologize for my absence (and lack of shipping)... just went thru a very rough period where I lost one of my best friends (died of a heart attack at 49)... and nearly lost one of the most treasured people in my life (my 18 month old grandniece).... Let me just chime in quickly....Fugazi... this is a very very difficult thing to accomplish... only because I have tried it with some of the parts of the 10 6075 Yellow Castle sets I bought back in 1984 on clearance... I put together all the 462 yellow parts (new condition) from that set... and I found quite a few serious issues... mold number aside. Here's some of the parts, ALL YELLOW, and the issues with them (USA 6075 Yellow Castle): --------------------------------------------------------------------------- (71) 1x1 and (183) 1x2 bricks.... all had pip's on the side of the brick... with a bolder font on the studs. (62) 1x3 and (30) 1x4 bricks.... about 60-80% of these had the pips on the studs, (instead of the sides) although it was a bolder font than later bricks. (29) 1x6 and (15) 1x8 bricks.... about 50+% of these had the pips on the studs (instead of the sides) and again it was a bolder font than later bricks. (3) 1x4 arch bricks - all of these had the pips on the normal font studs. (8) 1x6 arch bricks - all of these had the pips on the sides, with normal font studs. (6) 1x8 arch bricks - all of these had the pips on the sides, with normal font studs. (6) 2x2 bricks - all had the pips on the sides, and bolder font on the studs. (6) 2x3 bricks - w/o cross supports, all had the pips on the sides, with bolder font studs. (12) 1x2 inverse 45 degree slopes - all had pips on the side, with bold font studs. (8) 2x2 inverse 45 degree slopes - all had pips on the side, with bold font studs. (6) 1x1 round bricks - early versions had solid studs, later set versions had hollow studs. ___________________________________________________ TLG often throws in a "monkey wrench" into the best laid plans for trying to recreate original sets. Here's another modern example... the 10152 Maesk Sealand Ship.... The 2004 edition 10152 has Maersk blue 2x4 bricks WITH cross supports. The 2005 edition 10152 has Maersk blue 2x4 bricks WITH cross supports. The 2006 edition 10152 has some sets with Maersk blue 2x4 bricks WITH cross supports... but then when TLG ran out of Maersk blue 2x4 bricks in their inventory... rather than create another batch of Maersk 2x4 bricks in that color... they scouted the LEGO model shops for Maersk blue 2x4 bricks. As it turned out, at least one of the shops had some in inventory, and they were sent to TLG to be put into the last of the production run of the 10152. Well as it turns out... these last batch of 2x4 Maersk blue model shop 2x4 bricks were of a very old vintage... without cross supports... dating to the early 1980s... The irony here is that the 10152 was the first set to contain Maersk blue 2x4 bricks... so one would think that all should have bricks with cross supports... and this is not the case in this instance. No other LEGO set has 2x4 Maersk blue bricks without cross supports... except this 2006 set. So there are a LOT of variables that TLG throws into the equation of what to expect in recreating old LEGO sets... thus making it very difficult. And as for real old 1960s USA/Canada Samsonite LEGO sets... putting them together becomes nearly impossible... since there are 4 distinct fonts used in many of the sets (no USA Samsonite set should contain less than 3 different fonts). P.S. This is my little princess that almost didn't make it.... http://www.flickr.com/photos/82930629@N08/8184257095/in/photostream

Fred, thanks for asking... I know this is off topic, but 2012 has been hell for me, lost my house to foreclosure/sheriff sale back in March... only to find out in early Sept. (still living there) that the buyback period for me was not 6 months (as is normal in US), but 1 year... and the realty co. that bought it knew that and was trying to scam me. Luckily I have an acquaintance (who's 13 story office building he owns is unique in the world... and we became friends thru my love for his building)... anyway... to keep it short... he's paying all my legal bills (his net worth has 8 digits, which I didn't know) to sue the crooked realty co., and also buying my house back for me (to pay off like a used car payment over many years). So now the papers are being served to a very surprised realty TODAY... and I can get on with my life and ship out the LEGO orders of people still patiently waiting.Too bad others (with families) in this Mortgage meltdown economy aren't as fortunate as I. Now that I'm not consumed with legal paperwork... I can start shipping today and tomorrow. The only reason I'm bringing all this up is to thank the folks here and elsewhere for being patient with LEGO orders from me...

I'm happy about this.... Lucas already said he wasn't going to do any more Star Wars films, so this is fine by me. Not everything that Disney does is bad.... for decades some of the finest movies in family entertainment was done by Disney. I'm sure it will be a quality product. Also for those who lamented Disney's JOHN CARTER.... sadly had Edgar Rice Burrough's (author of the Tarzan series) 1910 "Princes Of Mars", upon which John Carter is based, been done back before the first Star Wars movie... it would likely have received rave reviews. Unfortunately all of the then (for 1910) novel futuristic concepts are today merely cliche's that have been done in so many other Sci-Fi movies, that it's no wonder it bombed at the box office. But so many of the Sci-Fi ideas that have permeated movies in the last 3 decades originated with Burroughs early 20th century books. That Hollywood genre owes a lot to Burroughs... and it's a pity that John Carter came out so late for that type of film.

Well it looks like Episode 7 of Star Wars will be coming out in 2015... with more episodes to follow!! This will likely keep LEGO folks happy for some time.... http://www.usatoday....asfilm/1669739/ Looks like someone posted this on the Front Page News at the same time....

From 1949-54 TLG made LEGO sets under the AUTOMATIC BINDING BRICKS box top identifier. It wasn't until 1953 that just LEGO was mentioned on the box tops. The first sets with just LEGO on it were the LEGO Mursten sets introduced in Denmark (1953-55), Norway (1954-55) and Sweden (1955). "Mursten" loosely translated means "bricks" in all 3 languages. The first LEGO Mursten sets came in many different color hues. The sets were (starting with the largest, going counterclockwise).... basic sets 700/1, 700/2, 700/3, 700/3A, 700/4, 700/5, 700/6 and (bricks only) 700A. These images are from my Unofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors Guide (1949-90s) as DVD download... Chapter 5 - LEGO Mursten & LEGO System Basic Sets (1953-65). Earlier (1953-54) sets had 3-4 different color bricks arranged in checkerboard fashion. Later from late 1954-55 the sets had mainly only red and white bricks arranged this way. Here is a 1953-1954 Danish Retailer Catalog page showing the sets and how their contents were arranged...

Interesting about the pigtail hair. I was just checking out the construction helmet, since the re-introduction of the Maersk Blue helmet sent the price of those nosediving from hundreds of dollars down to just a few dollars. Although the construction helmet had a continuous production (especially in red), unlike the pigtails.... there were differences between the rare older Maersk blue ones, and the new 2011 ones, thus justifying (for a few sellers on BL) a higher price of nearly $100. I'd be curious to see if there were any mold differences between the old and new hair with pigtails. And if these are made in China (like so many minifigs)... then it likely wouldn't take much for some insiders at the factory to crank out some white (very rare and going for $20-$60 on BL) pigtail hairpieces.... Thanks for that information... it's the exception, rather than the rule for old LEGO parts reintroduced... and I'll let you know what the folks at the LEGO Archives say!

Lasse, I just sent a copy of both of your images to the folks at the LEGO Archives and Collections... to see if they have any information on this very interesting wooden box. I will let you know!

That's a very good question! For some odd reason TLG has a tendency to not re-introduce parts once they've been retired. The 2x12 and 2x14 bricks were retired in 1956... and although we've found plates that size... no more bricks in that size have ever been produced. Ditto for the 4x4 corner brick of 1955-72. It's been retired for 40 years... and it would be a useful piece to have, but it's still retired. I remember when they reintroduced some of the 20th century classic sets in the 21st century... such as the new Main Street set (no Cypress Trees and rail caps, both were already retired). Ditto for the remake of the 398 USS Constellation (no 1x1 windows... just the back of headlight bricks). On occasssion TLG will come out with some new similar parts (the 1x2x2 windows)... but I don't recall them reintroducing the same parts once they've retired the molds. Another part that we'll likely never see again is the 1x3x2 lattice gates/bases. They made them in the 1970s in red and black... but again... not since (but they still make the 1x4x2 lattice gates/bases). Maybe one day they will reintroduce some very old parts... but I can't recall it being done to date....

Lasse, I love how you use your old 1952-53 Danish Retailer Box for old 1949-56 slotted LEGO bricks (and old windows/doors)... their original use. In my investigations of old slotted LEGO bricks... so far I have come across 24 different colors... (Chapter 49 of my LEGO DVD download).... some are very beautiful colors that they don't make today....

This is a typical contents to one of the many box types of LEGO wooden box sets... most of which have 24 partitions....

Wooden boxes are the least understood of all LEGO items. TLG made over 80 different boxes from 1950-1978. No online database lists more than about 10... but in my Unofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors Guide (1949-1990s) I have identified (and have pictures of) nearly 80 different wooden boxes. The big problem with LEGO wooden boxes is that only about 5% of all the different boxes ever had a label on the outside identifying the set number. Most of these contained a "Contents List" that had the set number, the different contents (by color and type), as well as usually some building ideas. Once that contents list was lost (as it is over 90% of the time over many decades)... the owner of the box no longer knows what he/she has!! The first LEGO wooden boxes were retailer boxes, where the retailer sold individual parts to the LEGO customer (usually a child) by individual pieces. Such a process is a foreign concept to North Americans... but in continental Europe it was very common in the 1950s and 1960s. Also introduced in wooden boxes were "high end gift sets" that more well to do parents may have bought their children. The first of these gift sets were introduced in Sweden and Germany in 1957, and ironically not until 1958 in Denmark. Here is a 1958 Danish retailer announcement from TLG informing the retailers of these new exclusive wooden box sets. These wooden box sets insides look very similar to the early 1952-53 box that Lasse owns... (which is why I believe his to be original). The major difference is that they had a removable 8 partition tray that held 4 large double sized partitions underneath (for the old 10x20 baseplates, garage plates, and other large plates). These wooden boxes of that era virtually always had 24 partitions.... hence the set number in this image...700 K/24. The contents of these boxes usually looked like this.... And the set number, the box top style and image were so varied... that it was almost mind boggling why TLG ever made so many different box top designs.... here's 17 of the 80 or so LEGO wooden box sets. These date from 1957-78... and cover continental Europe, Britain and Australia... Chapter 15 of my LEGO DVD download shows all 80 of the different LEGO wooden box sets, and explains the contents, packing variations, contents lists, and other oddities about each one. My 2800 page DVD download (with 6000 historic images) is still available with free future updates... (see the Eurobricks Bazaar for details)....

Well Lasse.... I have good news for you... this is very likely a "museum quality" LEGO Retailer box that dates to circa 1952-53. The inside partitions have the layout of a real LEGO wooden box! I'll post some images of similar wooden boxes later today... this is a rare and beautiful box. Something tells me that TLG doesn't have one of these in their collections.And back in 1952 there were only 2x2 and 2x4 LEGO bricks available, along with the 3 Automatic Binding Bricks window sizes and 1 door size. Plus there was a thin 10x20 baseplate that was available at that time...it was thicker than today's baseplates (about 40% of the thickness of a LEGO brick). I'll post more later. But all the other LEGO parts... 1x2, 2x3, 2x8, 2x8 bricks were not introduced until 1953.Also, the parts in this retailer box would have been sold individually by weight (starting in late 1953, they were being sold individually by part type). So from circa 1950-53 TLG must have supplied their Danish retailers that sold individual parts in Pick-A-Brick fashion, with scales to weigh the bricks from. TLG sold the Danish Retailers bags of loose bricks in 250 gram bags in that era. Starting in later 1953, they switched to plain cardboard boxes for individual parts sales.

I was just looking at some images in my LEGO DVD/download chapter on individual LEGO parts sales, specifically the Danish wooden boxes of the early to mid 1950s. And sure enough of the 4 boxes shown (2 lower boxes are circa 1950-53, 2 upper boxes date to circa 1955-56)... the lower left box has the same small LEGO decal as the 1952 dated LEGO box in the initial post on this thread... in exactly the same location (above the word "BRICKS"). So this was no accident... when TLG switched from "AUTOMATIC BINDING BRICKS" to "AUTOMATIC BINDING BRICKS + LEGO" in 1952... they took older boxes they still had in inventory and added a "LEGO" decal to the lower right corner, at an odd angle. Very interesting.... and not an accident... Note: These are Danish "Pick-A-Brick" boxes where children could buy individual bricks (some factory second marbled bricks as well)... in sizes 1x2, 2x2, 2x3, 2x4, 4x4 corner, 2x8, 2x10 and rare 2x12 and 2x14. Note the 2x12 and 2x14 sizes were discontinued in 1956, and TLG will likely NEVER re-introduce them again.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!!! ..... now you really peaked my interest...... can you take a picture of the inside?? I have a feeling this is a Danish retailer box... Does the box top just come off, slide off... or have hinges? Dying to see the inside.... Also... does the very bright looking "LEGO Mursten" on top of the box look like a LEGO decal that appears to be peeling off? And also... does the box top entire image appear to be paper thin... or maybe cardboard thick? Reason I ask these questions, is because I may send your image(s) to the TLG Archives folks and ask some questions about this wooden box. I have 80+ different wooden LEGO boxes mentioned in my LEGO DVD/download collectors guide, but this one is not among them. The earliest Danish LEGO wooden box with a top dates to 1958... and this one dates to about 1952-53.And interestingly enough... about 1/3 of the rare items that I send the TLG Archives an image of... they have no records of!

In my LEGO DVD/download I show the 4 oldest LEGO boxes, all Automatic Binding Bricks boxes. Well in 6 months when I ship out my next update (free to people who already paid for or own the DVD/download)... there will be 2 additional old box images. Here are 6 Automatic Binding Bricks box images of 1949-54... __________________________ 1) The upper left box is the earliest of circa 1949-50. It shows a "serif" Automatic Binding Bricks label. 2) The middle left box is the next oldest of circa 1950-51. It shows a thin "san serif" Automatic Binding Bricks label. 3) The lower left box is the next oldest box of circa 1951-52. It shows a thick fancy Automatic Binding Bricks label. 4) The upper right box: In 1952 TLG decided to add the word LEGO to their box images. The upper right image dates to circa early 1952. This box from my friend Richard in the Netherlands shows the same 1951-52 box as previously mentioned, but there is a "LEGO" decal in the lower right area of the box. For the longest time I thought that this decal (which is found on wooden LEGO toys of 1944-52) was removed from a different LEGO product, and arbitrarily added to this box by someone outside the company. But as has been discovered... removing these type of decals is virtually impossible, so this decal must have been added at the company. And likely TLG had some older (1951-52) boxes in inventory, so when the decision was made to add "LEGO", a few older boxes simply had the decal added. 5) The middle right box: As just mentioned, in 1952 TLG decided to add "LEGO" to the Automatic Binding Bricks boxes... and they displayed it as "LEGO Mursten" (LEGO Bricks in Danish) on the box top near the upper center of the box. This box type was produced until 1953, when TLG replaced it with a different box top type in Denmark... with only "LEGO Mursten". 6) The lower right box: When LEGO sales started in Norway in November 1953, oddly enough the boxes didn't have "LEGO Mursten" as the new (mid 1953) LEGO boxes had... but continued with "Automatic Binding Bricks". TLG Denmark must have had a lot of LEGO labes with the old Automatic Binding Bricks artwork on it, so Norway got a red box with the older label on it still with Automatic Binding Bricks on it. _________________________________ While TLG Denmark started LEGO sales in Norway to a Norwegian company called Svein Strømberg & Co. (a Norwegian plastics maker).... new LEGO Mursten boxes were sold in Denmark. Within a year this box type was also sold in Norway, and when LEGO was introduced in Sweden in 1955, the same LEGO Mursten box was used... since "Mursten" was the same word for "bricks" (or a similar translation thereof) in all 3 countries... here's the LEGO Mursten box used in Denmark (1953-55), Norway (1954-55) and Sweden (1955). This 1953-55 LEGO Mursten box top shows Ole Kirk Christiansen's 2 grandchildren Kjeld and his older sister Gunhild. Today these 2 "billionaires" are the principle owners of Kirkbi AG, the Swiss incorporated company that owns TLG.... as well as all the LEGO patents.

That's a very good question! The LEGO Archives/Collections have no known copies or images of the 1955-60 SIBS sets in their archives. They only have records of what was used, but not examples. They were very happy to see these 1960s parts pack images, of which I gave them a copy for their archives. But there are some examples out there somewhere... probably in Iceland! The TLG Archive folks and I stay in touch, and share information. Much of what I get is from collectors around the world who ask me if I've seen this or that before... if not, I ask the LEGO Archives folks... and more often than not if I've not seen it before, neither have they. Green tall classic windows from Norway was another example they had never seen before. That's what makes my LEGO DVD download such a rich source of rare and never before seen items... the combination of very rare TLG items and those in private hands. Come to think of it... I've not sent them an image of the Faroe Islands flag. Time for another EMAIL! Also I get some very interesting anecdotes from the old employees at the TLG Archives. One told me that those old 1950s slotted "marbled" bricks were sold to employees and retailers as factory seconds. The late Godtfred Kirk Christiansen (died 1995) mentioned to one of the senior archive employees that back in the 1950s the marbled bricks were sold to retailers for 8 øre each, and perfect slotted bricks were sold to retailers (for PAB type sales to the public) for 11 øre each. Today it's those factory second marbled bricks (likely from factory floor sweepings of mixed colored pellets that were washed and then reused in molding machines) command steep prices, especially for multi-colored swirled examples (that resemble the surface of Jupiter). There is still much to be learned from the early history of LEGO... a never ending source of fun (I get to play LEGO Sherlock Holmes) for me!

If you were taking a ferry boat from Denmark to Iceland thru the North Sea, you would pass by an archipelago of very rugged islands called the Faroe Islands. These are semi-independent from Denmark, although currency and defense are still supplied by Denmark. The group of Faroe Islands (north of all the rugged Shetlands and Orkney Islands of Scotland) have a population of 50,000. http://en.wikipedia....i/Faroe_Islands I just recently learned about these islands for a LEGO related reason... the rarest of all LEGO flags is a 1966-68 wavy flag of the Faroe Islands. I only learned of this fact because a German LEGO collector who specializes in Scandinavian LEGO came across not just 1, but 2 Faroe Island wavy flags of the 1960s. Here's one shown below... (Note the flags are (first column going down.... Faroe Islands, Denmark, Iceland, (2nd column) Norway, Finland, Sweden. These Faroe Island flags were likely sold in either the 1966-68 492 or 493 LEGO flags pack (each had 8 wavy flags). However due to the extreme rarity of these until now unknown flags, it is likely that only 492 or 493 flag packs sold in the Faroe Islands had these flags in them. And with a total population of 50,000 in the entire island chain... it is likely that the number of flags produced was very small indeed. In mint... I would value one of these flags at several hundred Dollars or Euros. Making them one of the rarest and most highly priced LEGO parts of all.... (as found in my LEGO DVD download... Chapter 47 - Old LEGO Town Accessories - subchapter 47.1.1 - LEGO Wavy Flags 1957-73, still available on Ebay or on my website listed in the Eurobricks Bazaar.

When counting LEGOLANDs..... don't forget to count the quickly failed LEGOLAND Sierksdorf in the north of Germany, which was open from 1973-76. There was something not real bright about putting a LEGOLAND "on the way to Billund" in northern Germany. Although there are many factors for why it closed (I doubt we'll be privy to them all)... I can imagine that saving over 100 miles on driving to Billund by just going to a LEGOLAND in northern Germany bit into visits to Billund. Anyway... this former LEGOLAND that is rarely ever mentioned... is today HANSALAND... on the Baltic Coast of Germany, near the historic German city of Lübeck (NE of Hamburg).... http://www.hapa-history.de/history/legoland/index.htm