Samsonite was an American manufacturer of LEGO sets which introduced the very first USA LEGO catalog for Christmas of 1961. LEGO and Samsonite created a partnership to produce and sell LEGO in the US. The result was a 9-year license for exclusive North American distribution rights. Samsonite began marketing sets under the name LEGO by Samsonite in the US in 1961 and Canada in 1962.
1961 LEGO Sets
1961 marked LEGO’s formal entry into North America through a licensing agreement with Samsonite, granting exclusive rights to manufacture and distribute LEGO in the United States and Canada. The first ‘LEGO by Samsonite’ sets reached U.S. stores that year. LEGO Italy was also established, extending the brand’s European network. On the product side, LEGO introduced the first wheels and received a U.S. patent for its stud-and-tube brick design, laying the foundation for its global system standard.