Bricks and BlocksThough the memories of childhood encompass scores of different experiences, there are some that seem nearly universal. It might be an involvement in some sort of school play or special activity, or of a fond recollection of a birthday. There are many common childhood memories that involve a particular toy or kind of playtime object, whether it's a modeling clay or a remote-controlled car or a video game. But many generations grew up without these things, and we can take a look at their collective body of memories to find a unifying element: a toy, used since time immemorial, and which continues to be highly appealing to kids. Bricks blocks are familiar sights for scores of people the world over; though they've been dreamed up in myriad manifestations throughout time, the basic concept behind bricks blocks remains the same: to encourage and stimulate the analytical mind, helping it to identify and create sound structures.Toys for building various constructions have been around for ages, and it's likely that our earliest ancestors fiddled with rocks, stones, and sticks to create fun representations or to simply exercise the mind and the visual coordination. In time, the toys began to take a more definite shape, attaining a consistency throughout that has made them easier to work with, as well as more representative of the building materials used "in real life." In some instances, these have actually taken on the shapes and feel of real-world construction elements. In fact, bricks blocks and sticks that mimic the items we use in our everyday construction and maintenance are quite popular among children. One of the most successful ideas in the world of constructive toys for children has been the creation of small wooden logs with interlocking parts, suitable for putting together a vast variety of formations and building types. While traditional uses and suggestions have focused on houses and cabins, these wood logs have been tinkered with and arranged into countless numbers of original works by the children who love them -as well as enthusiastic adults. A childhood staple for several generations, wood logs have helped to stimulate the visual cortex as well as the analytical and creative areas of the brain, and such toys are prized for their ability to educate and teach constructively while also providing entertainment. Another great notion in bricks blocks has been turned into a veritable empire, with toys for both children and adults spanning thousands of products, and a popularity so great that a specialized theme park has opened up to celebrate the basic toy's components. Legos are a classic toy that serve to allow users to dream up and create any number of imaginative constructions, in vivid colors and with a consistency that makes for architectures truly reminiscent of modern buildings. The simple units, consisting of plastic bricks blocks that attach to each other by means of small snaps on their surfaces, have evolved from simple sets of uniform shape, size, and color, to large collections with an excellent variety of pieces, as well as sets intended for a specific style of building or a recreation of a particular object. The introduction of characters, plants, and other non-brick items helped launch legos to a more widespread popularity, but it is the basic bricks blocks components that make the product functional. |