Take a trip down memory lane, with a flick through the 1980 LEGO catalogue – which were your favourite sets?
I had not seen this for well over 25 years – unearthed from the loft on Boxing Day (along with all my old school books)
The wonders of the basic brick sets!
I had the Battery Motor set, I can remember making windmills, using two wheels and a rubber band to turn them, and also a platform which held and rotated a piece of paper to make circular and spiral artworks.
I remember wanting some light up bricks, and I also had the 836 box of windows and doors, as well as 838 roof tiles, and 837 wheels!
I was too old for Fabuland by 1980, but it looks such fun.
I loved my Lego Town and had the Snack Bar, Digger, Beach Buggy, Ambulance, Fire Truck and Police Car. Very affordable, simple and small toys.
I never really saw the point of Lego Castle, too limiting really.
Despite being very interested in things like the planets and space, LEGO Space never really interested me. It is all considerably simpler than the Star Wars sets today.
Even in 1980 the technical sets were eye wateringly expensive. Today I am amused by that very very late 1970s / early 1980s haircut!
The spares service, in the days before the internet when you had to write to ask for items, and send a postal order to pay for them!
A mere £1 for the LEGO builders club membership for a year.
What were you playing with in 1980?
This is so cool! I had loads of lego when I was younger, a giant box at my grandparents’ that I used to build all sorts of things from.
It is a timeless toy.
You have just taken me back to my childhood!! As a child of the 80’s / 90’s I can remember lots of these Lego sets that I was obsessed with! Especially the castles. I now buy my toddler Duplo, but can’t wait to get her into the Lego sets 🙂 x
I never had the castle sets.
haha you can’t even buy one of those little sachets of lego pieces for £1 now let alone a whole year subscription!
It is so expensive. The £1 for club membership would only cover one stamp!
Ah this takes me back! I was a 90s baby but loved my Lego <3 Fancy just being able to go online to order spares! Madness.
I did chuckle at the mention of postal orders.
My step brother always had LEGO which was so fun to play with!
hours and hours of fun!
A real nostalgic look. I had a lego hospital in the late 80s/early 90s. We never finished building it as either bit were missing or more likely my grans dog ate some of the crucial pieces
I had a wonderful Playmobile hospital set. I loved it so much.
Love these images – they’re great! I wasn’t playing with Lego in 1980 but I was playing with dolls and makeup! Great that you’ve kept the mag – that it itself will be worth a few bob in years to come, if not already.
This looks awesome. I grew up in the 90s and i used to love Lego, would have hours of fun with it x
I adored my Lego, as they said “a new toy every day”
I remember building a lot of LEGO houses. This LEGO is really great as I saw it at Bricklive – especially the Fabuland stuff.
I was slightly too old for Fabuland, but did love my Lego.
I loved all my Lego sets and remember some of these well. It has certainly come on in recent years
I sort of prefer just bricks, but it is all eye wateringly expensive sets these days. but i suspect that lots of adults buy it for themselves.
I wasn’t born so I was still playing the waiting game! I did play with lego growing up though as my cousins had millions of pieces 🙂 ox
Millions of pieces are the best thing!
I used to play with duplo as a kid but I never got into lego until recently x
I never had Duplo – the made the first sets in 1975 when I was 3, so I was already nearly ready for the regular bricks
haha wow I haven’t seen some of these sets for years! and only £1 for the membership! Those were the days when everything was cheaper and not all about the money! Still love lego and duplo years on
I think the little police car I had had a price tag of 81p on the box!
I remember Lego of old and the change between then and now is huge, there is so much more which is aimed at girls rather than being quite masculine x
Yes, although they were really good back then about it being a gender neutral toy. I’m not sure what I think about the pink.
Love a good bit of nostalgia! I would have been at an age for Duplo and remember my sets clearly.
Thanks for sharing!
Leigh at Fashion Du Jour LDN x
One Christmas, many moons ago; must have been around 1980, I went with my parents and sister to stay with friends in London. We traveled by train. The house was a large town house with many floors. One of my big brother’s joined us. To my utter delight, I got a box of Lego, which may have been number 40 from the images above. My sister got the hospital, a little more complex as she was older. We pawed at the boxes, and could seen inside, under the clear film that stopped us from getting in to it. We weren’t allowed to open it until we got home. It was so cruel. Both those sets still exist, at my Mother’s house. My grown up children have played with them, and Jasper will of course soon be able to. Cannot beat Lego, and this era was surely one of the best EVER! Amazing find Helen. Fabulous.
that must have been torture. It is a long old train journey!
Vintage stuff is the best!!! I used to love lego!!!!! Ahh good old days
I absolutely love looking at old adverts and catalogues as well as watching old ones on youtube – so much fun.
Laura x
I love those YouTube advert compilations. Just amazing.
Nostalgic trip down memory lane. I still have all those catalogues including the one from 1980. I even kept all my Lego sets. I’m 45 yrs old and my three kids now play with them, although they call them “daddy’s Legos” and prefer the new sets.
At the age of 7 in 1978 I was part of Lego’s great and timeless sets. I never realised this was the year that the minifig was introduced but I’m glad I was part of this time. I was lucky to have the first Fire Station set, Castle, Space outpost and smallest of the three spaceships. all around 78 to 80 I guess. Various other smaller sets such as the Chef snack bar and lots of the single smaller road vehicles. Later I finished with 6927 and 6929 which I adored. In around 1981 I think was when I got the fabulous Yellow Trainset. From then I had a bunch of technical Lego . Forklift, Bulldozer , Pickup 8846 and the Car chassis which was pretty large and I had zero enjoyment with
For me Lego was about the spaces within these sets that they would create. Life within a created architecture is a fascinating thing but it’s never mentioned as far as Lego goes
The best of times