Building Sets are the plain DUPLO brick sets, buckets and boxes of bricks without a story. DUPLO started in 1969, and the name comes from the Latin word for double, because each brick is twice as long, wide and high as a LEGO brick. The studs are made to fit, so DUPLO and LEGO bricks lock together and a builder can move from one to the other. For years the plastic bucket was the usual way to sell them, from the 1980s through the early 2000s, often shaped or printed as an animal, a farm or a circus, and some came as anniversary editions. Later sets switched to cardboard brick boxes with ideas for what to build on the side.
1997 LEGO Sets
1997 saw LEGO’s first major sales decline, prompting experimentation and digital expansion. LEGO Island introduced the brand’s first open-world video game, setting the stage for future digital storytelling. New subthemes included Divers for underwater exploration, Fright Knights for gothic medieval fantasy, and Time Twisters as a sequel to Time Cruisers. LEGO Space added Roboforce and UFO, shifting toward alien-focused designs, while Aquazone expanded with Aquaraiders. Despite challenges, LEGO’s creativity remained strong across both physical and emerging digital platforms.