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.
1979 LEGO Sets
1979 introduced Fabuland, bridging DUPLO and System with animal characters and story-led builds that ran for a decade. Classic Space expanded with new ships and lunar installations, and Castle gained momentum after its 1978 debut. Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen became LEGO Group president, setting the stage for the brand’s global expansion in the 1980s.