Lego Catalog 2007

[Zita Lifland]

Meand my partner recently got our hands on a whole bunch of LEGO dealer catalogs. As far as I can tell, none of these particular catalogs have been scanned and put online before - in fact, barely any LEGO dealer catalogs at all have been. So, we've begun the slow process of scanning and uploading them for y'all to read. I think the plan is also to submit them to Brickset's catalog repository. Anyone else can feel free to reupload these scans too or otherwise do what they want; we don't mind.

Being aimed at storeowners, rather than consumers, these tend to be a bit more dry than the usual catalogs, but often have information and pictures not seen elsewhere - like details on suggested set prices and wholesale case prices (some of which I think had been lost to time until now?), recommendations and pictures of how to set up aisles and displays, unique set descriptions, occasional pictures of prototype sets and video games, release schedules, and general promotional images/dioramas/etc sometimes not seen elsewhere. The exact formatting and what's included in a dealer catalog changed a lot over time, but there's usually at least something interesting in any of them.

When the LEGO plastic bricks were first introduced in 1949 as Automatic Binding Bricks in Denmark, TLG started a tradition that continues today. I just (images thanks to Jim Hughes, Lothar Gasteiger, Jan Katanek, Rohnny Sweenen and Richard Bintanja)... compiled the complete group of these earliest Danish catalogs for the first 10 years.

To expect a monotonous collection of similar catalogs, that was not the TLG way of doing things. In fact TLG rarely made even similar catalogs in the early years. So for the first time ever seen (as a group) in public.... here they are.... Note: these were often just labeled as brochures...

The backside with the earliest known LEGO building images... showing the Autmatic Binding Bricks (slotted bricks and windows/doors that fit into the slots).... Shown here are the 3 basic sets and 2 spare parts packs of that era. Note... all items back then that were related to plastic bricks had the 700 number prefix...

Then in mid 1953 TLG eliminated the Automatic Binding Bricks names from the boxes and catalogs.... however there was no actual LEGO catalog produced from mid 1953 until November 1954. Instead TLG produced a 4 page ideas brochure that only showed models that could be built with many extra sets (no exact set models). So here is the 1953-54 (one page) Danish Retailer catalog that showed retailers what LEGO sets were available from 1953-54.

And finally the 1958 Danish LEGO catalog... in a design that would be used for a few years by all continental European countries. It appears that many of the prices were changed before the catalog was finally released....

That little fellow is known to old time LEGO collectors as the "LEGO Gnome"... but I don't know what he was called in Danish back in the 1954-62 era that he was found in LEGO printed matter, and on LEGO boxes.

Thanks Lasse.... I've seen plastic doll size versions of the LEGO Man selling for over $500 in mint condition. Early LEGO is very hot right now on the secondary market... especially the sets that have the parts inlaid in boxes (not loose parts), and also the marbled bricks. There is now a growing interest among these truly collectible items.

The debate my wife and I have been having about all of this is: did they really print out big parts like this or did they fake it with Photoshop? I'm hoping that they went and did this Matt Denton-style and printed everything extra large, handed it to the kids and let them do whatever child models do. My wife doesn't feel like the shadows work right, and she thinks they faked it in the computer. I don't expect that we have access to anyone involved with making this catalog for an utterly authoritative answer, but maybe you're good at spotting the Photoshop signs.

Kids can officially start their LEGO Holiday wishlist, now that the LEGO Holiday 2023 catalog is here! Find loads of seasonal LEGO toys including Advent Calendars, the Alpine lodge, Nutcrackers, Gingerbread ornaments, Christmas trees and even Santa's sleigh with reindeers. Or choose from new sets from LEGO Harry Potter, LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Friends, LEGO Avengers and more.

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The catalogs presents high quality photographs of LEGO Minifigures together with extensive meta data. The catalogs also include a price guide that helps you to identify the true treasures in your collection. The Minifigs are organized by an innovative nomenclature that makes it easy to identify Minifigures. Indexes make it even easier to find Minifigures, the sets in which they appeared and what heads belong to which Minifig. The catalogs are the essential guide for all Minifigure collectors and enthusiasts.

Hello,

We are still unable to get the 1600+ figures for 2016/17. It has become almost impossible to get them all. Help would be much appreciated. Do you know of a collector who would be willing to allow me to take photographs?

Hello Christoph,

is the app still supported ? I wanted to import my minifigs from Brickset, but the app just set it to zero and doesnt import any new data. Are there any known issues ?

Sincerly

Lars

Given the high number of new Minifigures each year and my residence in New Zealand, I find myself incapable of keeping up and updating the book. I am sorry for that. I hope the old books serve as a reference for collectors.

One thing I noted in this particular issue is how many Christmas-themed minifigs LEGO released this year. I like to collect different torso decorations, as I make sure no two minifigs are alike in my city, and all the various Christmas sweaters add lots of variety. (Most of these minifigs can be found in the LEGO Advent Calendars and other Christmas-themed sets.)

Another unique feature of this issue is that it came with a thick product catalog. This is not the regular shopping catalog LEGO VIP members normally get with some of the most popular sets, but a smaller and thicker magazine with 123 pages featuring pretty much the entire currently available product range. There are no descriptions and no prices included, only set pictures, set numbers, and names.

I have never seen a catalog like this in the U.S., but I believe it is more common in European countries. I like it. It allows me to look through most of the currently available LEGO sets without being glued to a computer screen. Note that some of the later sets released this year are not featured, so the catalog is not as complete as the database of the Online LEGO Shop.

What do you think? Do you get the LEGO Life Magazine? Have you received the latest issue yet? What do you think of the additional product catalog? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below!

This deluxe catalog presents high quality photographs of all LEGO Minifigures released between 1975 and 2015 in supreme printing quality.The 6500 plus Minifigures are organized by an innovative nomenclature that makes it easy to identify Minifigures. Several indexes make it even easier to find Minifigures and their heads. The number of Minifigures included in this 1st edition nearly doubles that of previous catalogs. It also comes in a more durable hard cover casing with superior color printing of all Minifigures. No other book matches the accuracy and completeness of this catalog. It is the definite guide for all Minifigure collectors and LEGO enthusiasts. More information is available on our Minifigure website.

In 1985, I received my first LEGOLAND set. It was the Space Dart-I, which was a part of the LEGOLAND Space System. I would eventually pick up a few more pieces from the Space System, the Surface Rover, Crater Crawler, and Tri-Star Voyager.

The cover introduced you to three components of LEGOLAND, the Castle, Town, and Space Systems. I would eventually get a piece or two from the Castle System, but never owned anything from the Town System. I think the motorcycle riders are giving off a swell CHiPs vibe.

Pages 2 and 3 introduces the uninitiated to the age recommendations around the various Lego products and sets. It starts with DUPLO at ages 1-5 and goes all the way to the Expert Builder Sets for ages 7-14.

Pages 4 and 5 are all about Duplo Toys. I never had a full set of Duplo just a few random ones that were probably packed up in a bag of Lego at a garage sale. I was way more into Playplax or Bristle Blocks for really young kid building toys.

Here we get an intro into the concept of Legoland, and it promises that it will be exciting to build in the past, present, and future! That is a nice way of framing their theme choices. According to the catalog itself,

My friend collected the Castle Series, and we would attempt to use them in our Dungeons & Dragons gaming sessions a couple of times. So I always wished they had leaned into fantasy with this series. I wanted monster minifigs and large dragon play sets.

The addition of the airport to the town system was very compelling. I lived between two airports, so I was constantly watching for planes as a kid. This theming really appealed to that sky watching tendency. Sadly, I never owned anything from this collection.

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