Thoughts on Lego's 50th Anniversary

My dad bought me as many Legos as he could find at garage sales when I was younger. I would spend hours snapping the little colored blocks together in whatever constructions my mind could dream up. I built ships, houses, skyscrapers, I even tried to build a full-size telephone booth with my younger sister and brother's Duplo's (larger Legos for preschoolers).

Lego has offered hours of entertainment to children, only limited by the child's own imagination, and today is the plastic colored brick's 50th anniversary. But Legos aren't just child's play, they are a source of inspiration for artists like Nathan Sawaya, who has his Lego constructions on display in U.S. museums.

Besides for buckets full of little colored blocks with no set purpose, other than to make a child's imagination come to life with a simple snap of some plastic bricks, Lego also offers some great kits that feature some of the most popular childhood figures.

Batman is one of the many childhood figures who has had a Lego set designed for them. Batman's Lego kits include the Batcopter, the Batcave, and the Batmobile. The well-known Batman characters in miniature plastic form allows any child to create their own story lines for this popular comic book hero.

The Spongebob Lego kits include Mr. Puff's Boating School, The Chumbucket, and The Bikini Bottom Express. These kits would all make a great transition for younger children who are getting too old for Duplos or big kids who just love cartoons. And who wouldn't love to play with a plastic Patrick?

One of the most popular Lego kit series is without a doubt the Star Wars kits. After all, who can resist a chance to, not only build the space crafts from this classic movie, but also recreate their favorite moments from the series? There are far too many Star Wars kits on their website to list or choose from. Any one of these Lego kits is sure to be a hit with any Sci-fi fan.

Lego has allowed children's imaginations to run wild for the last 50 years, and is sure to remain a favorite of children of all ages for many more years to come. I was just telling my fiance the other day how I owned so many Legos as a child and how I wish I still did own a ton of Legos. Even as an adult, I am sure they would bring me entertainment and many more fond memories of my childhood.

When I have children, I will definitely be purchasing them bins and bins of Legos, as well as several kits. I know that I will never have to worry that they are getting the wrong ideas from Legos, like I might with other popular children's toys. And who knows, maybe they will grow up to be the next big artist who's medium is these popular colored plastic bricks.

For more fun and information on products for all ages you can visit the Lego website at Lego.com.