Toy Building Sets

Building sets for boys and girls have been around for a long time. One of the earliest type of sets was Lincoln Logs. Classic Lincoln Logs are wooden logs that have a notch on each end allowing for constructing buildings, walls, forts and other structures.

Lincoln Logs were invented in 1916, but many other building set kits followed, including the Girder and Panel Building sets from Kenner Toys that were available in the 1950s-1960s, Tinkertoys, Construx, Erector Sets, and the still popular Lego toys.

Building sets are to be distinguished from model kits in that building sets generally allow for a wide variety of things to be built, and building sets do not require any glue or other permanent fasteners. Model kits usually are specifically designed to build one thing only - and usually they require that the pieces be put together using glue which makes their construction a one-time and permanent action.

Building sets such as Erector Sets allow one's imagination to run wild - you can build a building, a robot, a monster, a truck or whatever you fancy in an afternoon. Then, you can easily take your creation apart and start all over with another imaginative project.

Lincoln Logs

Erector Sets

Girder and Panel

Tinkertoys

Legos