Lincoln Logs
Lincoln logs have been the childhood toy for generations. Parents would give them to their children and their children would give them to their kids and so on. The reason why they have survived so many generations is because all kids enjoy building things, even if it’s not made from LEGOS. Lincoln Logs were originally made of 100% wood although since the 1970s have switched over to plastic. There is currently a Nostalgia line that is once again made of 100% wood.
Most people believe that the Lincoln Logs were named after president Lincoln, since he lived in a log cabin for the majority of his childhood. However, there’s another theory behind the name. The designer of this toy was John Lloyd Wright, the son of famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright (FLW). FLW had designed the Imperial Hotel in Japan to be “earthquake proof”. He did so be designing interlocking beams in the building. John Lloyd Wright later took that idea and formed the first Lincoln Logs sometime between 1916 and 1917. The original logs came with a manual on how to build Uncle Tom’s Cabin (yes, from the book of the same name). Due to his father’s influence in the concept of this toy, many people believe that John Lloyd Wright named the toy after his father’s birth name, Frank Lincoln Wright. Lincoln Logs have not gone through too many changes throughout the 90+ years they’ve been in production and that’s telling of it’s lasting appeal.