LEGO 1956 / System i Leg Sets

System i Leg, which translates to System of Play, was the natural progress of LEGO Mursten and is the foundation of L:EGO sets today. Designed by Godtfred Kirk Christiansen who organized the existing LEGO Mursten sets and modeled new designs around a single, common theme - a townscape or street scene. After nearly a year of development the result was the LEGO Mursten System i Leg (System of Play). The System i Leg was unveiled at the Nürnburg Toy Fair in February 1955. The original Automatic Binding Bricks sets and then LEGO Mursten sets were continued to be manufactured under the System i Leg theme.

1956 LEGO Sets

1956 was a milestone year in LEGO’s European expansion, with the opening of its first foreign sales company in Hohenwestedt, Germany. As sales increased, LEGO streamlined its Mursten line, discontinuing older panel-style windows and slotted bricks in favor of solid-wall designs compatible with the new System i Leg standard. The year’s sets included both basic assortments and play-focused models such as the VW Van, Traffic Police, and Esso Filling Station, emphasizing everyday realism. Individual brick sales remained limited to Scandinavia during this period.