The son of what famous man invented Lincoln Logs?
Many people do not know the origin of Lincoln Logs. The inventors of this toy are John Lloyd Wright, son of famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and his neighbor Bob Batten. They started the company that made Lincoln Logs in 1923 in Racine, Wisconsin.
Tired of playing with their only material – sticks – they tried to build a miniature fireplace out of them so they could play with fire too. But soon they realized there were some limitations to these materials which lead to the invention of Lincoln Logs.
The idea was simple: first, make the logs bigger than ordinary sticks and then make them stay in place using notches and grooves. Finally, they made them out of wood.
The company that produced Lincoln Logs employed only 10 people at first. At first, they were not sure if the product would be successful or not so they refused to sell it outside Racine until the early 1940s when Lincoln Logs became as popular as now.
Important points about Lincoln Logs :
1. Lincoln Logs were invented in the early 1920s by John Lloyd Wright –
The son of famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright and his neighbor Bob Batten.
2. Lincoln Logs were designed to provide an alternative solution to the material shortage –
Due to the fact that many supplies were used for war purposes, there was a severe shortage of materials. Lincoln Logs are made from ordinary sticks/wood (these logs are very large as you can see in the picture) and then smaller logs were put on them for stability. They were also thin enough so that they did not take up too much room in storage.
3. It was created using store-bought materials –
There was a major lack of products during World War I and people started designing their own solutions from ordinary materials they had at home or in their stores. That is why Lincoln Logs were created in such a way.
4. “The only thing in the world better than Lincoln Logs is two of them” –
This phrase was used by the company that produces these logs to encourage parents to buy another set of building logs. After all, many children wanted to build bigger and better houses than their friends did. And this way, they would be satisfied as well. The slogan became very popular and even now it is used as one of the most successful ways of advertising toys ever.
5. Lincoln Logs became very popular all over the world –
The popularity of these logs was not only in the United States. They were also very popular in China, Germany and Japan. And still are quite popular in those countries now.
6. Lincoln Logs are made of wood with grooves and notches –
The idea behind these logs was to use wood as a substitute for building materials so that people would have less waste after the war (as mentioned above). A lot of different materials have been used including plastics, moss, leather, paper and even cotton string. However, wooden sticks provided a product that was cheap to store and easy to make as well as very durable.
7. These Logs were created to help children with their homework –
Children were encouraged to play with Lincoln Logs after school to help them with homework. They could build different kinds of houses and other buildings and even make little people using Lincoln Logs. The products were really popular in elementary schools so that children could learn how to use their creativity as well as logic (it was also a fun way of learning). And they still are very popular in elementary schools now.
8. It was very popular in the 1940s –
Lincoln Logs became as popular as they are now during the 1940s. By then, a lot of people started to make their own homemade sets out of Lincoln Logs and other types of wood and began to sell them outside Racine. Since then, Lincoln Log sets were shipped all over the world.
9. The name was changed from “Lincoln Logs” to “Lincoln Log Sets” –
During World War II, the government banned materials such as paper and cardboard so that no pieces of paper could be used for manufacturing houses. Therefore, Lincolns were renamed so that they would not have any specific meaning in their names.
10. Lincoln Logs are very popular with adults as well –
Although the main target audience of Lincoln Logs is children, adults can also benefit from these logs. For example, a lot of people build their own houses, offices and other buildings for fun or even try to build more complex structures such as bridges that can actually be used.
