LEGO 1967 / Samsonite / Basic Set Sets

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.

1967 LEGO Sets

In 1967, LEGO refined how its sets were scaled, a significant shift that continues to influence modern LEGO design. Throughout the 1960s, the size of LEGO sets and the scale of models gradually increased. The introduction of model-based sets—known as Model Makers in the U.S.—departed from the earlier 1:87 Town Plan scale and instead adopted a larger scale based on the 2×2 wheel. This shift was reinforced by the train sets introduced in 1966 and a new series of truck models released in 1967, all of which adhered to the same scale. From this point forward, LEGO development focused on a more consistent system, moving away from the loosely scaled Town Plan era toward a standard scale that would later align with modern minifigure proportions.