Lego adults’ favourite toy

LONDON – Lego, the multi-coloured plastic bricks which delight youngsters but catch out unwary barefoot parents, has been voted the nation’s favourite toy, according to a poll.

Invented in 1932 by Danish carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen, the pieces of interlocking plastic were rated the best toy by 1 000 adults aged over 25, the Cartoon Network survey found on Monday. Christiansen coined the name Lego by combining ‘Leg’ and ‘Godt’ which is Danish for “play well”.By lucky chance, the word “lego” also means “I put together” in Latin.Billions of the bricks have found there way into toy cupboards around the world and thousands of people visit Legoland theme parks in Britain, Denmark, Germany and the United States every day.The second most popular toy was action man, the male doll which can be dressed in a variety of outfits.Current action men reflect contemporary taste for adventure with models called ‘Extreme Climber’ and ‘Sky Diver’ but when the little man hit the shops in 1966 he was more combat orientated.Barbie and Ken were rated the third favourite toy with car racing game Scalextric in fourth place.Iconic toys not making the top 10 included the infinitely frustrating Rubik’s Cube, the surgical challenge of Operation and the nerve-busting Kerplunk.- Nampa-ReutersChristiansen coined the name Lego by combining ‘Leg’ and ‘Godt’ which is Danish for “play well”.By lucky chance, the word “lego” also means “I put together” in Latin.Billions of the bricks have found there way into toy cupboards around the world and thousands of people visit Legoland theme parks in Britain, Denmark, Germany and the United States every day.The second most popular toy was action man, the male doll which can be dressed in a variety of outfits.Current action men reflect contemporary taste for adventure with models called ‘Extreme Climber’ and ‘Sky Diver’ but when the little man hit the shops in 1966 he was more combat orientated.Barbie and Ken were rated the third favourite toy with car racing game Scalextric in fourth place.Iconic toys not making the top 10 included the infinitely frustrating Rubik’s Cube, the surgical challenge of Operation and the nerve-busting Kerplunk.- Nampa-Reuters