Today’s guest article comes from Mirko Crucchiola, an Italian AFOL, member of ItLUG, and writer for Brick.It Magazine. He shares a deep dive about the mystery of LEGO Minitalia in Italy.
LEGO Minitalia
I want to tell you the story about a particular LEGO theme that fully reflects my Italian origins: LEGO Minitalia. Throughout LEGO history, there have been numerous themes that were abandoned during the production process, such as the now-famous Sea-Tron. There have also been some LEGO themes that have been completely forgotten, not because they were abandoned, but because of their exclusivity to a particular region. BrickNerd’s own Sue Ann Barber has identified some of these bricks in her article on Hard to Identify LEGO Parts.
One of these hard-to-identify parts, made with low-quality plastics and without LEGO logos (and very often identified as clones from competitors), is LEGO Minitalia which was sold only in the Italian market (and perhaps this is the reason why they are phonetically called “Mini-Italia”).
Having become a mythical LEGO theme, Minitalia quickly became the prerogative of Italian collectors who had a good memory of this theme (and the most hardened collectors worldwide who knew of the theme’s existence). The term Minitalia, among other things, identifies not only the theme but more generally the type of brick.
To tell the truth, it is not the only one of this kind—there is another one that is even rarer: the OLO brick, from the homonymous LEGO OLO theme, produced only for the Japanese market. OLO has the particularity of being completely identical to the Italian counterpart except for a small detail that we will soon see. But now it’s time to learn the history of Minitalia, the LEGO bricks with an Italian soul.
The Myth of Minitalia
The birth of Minitalia has long been confusing and tied to a false myth. It was thought that due to a customs ban imposed by the Italian government in the 70s for toys produced in foreign countries, that LEGO began producing a specific theme directly in Italy. The hypothesis could be supported by the characteristics of the Minitalia brick, with a system that used an “X” foot rather than the classic tube (which you can see was also used) with a hollow stud and without a logo. These bricks were also made from a different quality of plastic than ordinary LEGO bricks.
Image via Maxx3001 on Flickr
However, there is no trace of any customs bans of this sort in the Italian legal system (though BrickEconomy still references this theory on their site). It’s clear that another story existed. Over time, we were able to reconstruct the history of this brick—now totally different from its initial myth.
The History of Minitalia
Minitalia arrived in the Italian market in 1970 during a period of major innovation from The LEGO Group: the first minifigure was made in 1974 and the current minifigure was born in 1978. The LEGO Minitalia theme seems to have contributed in part to this LEGO evolution. LEGO Minitalia can be confirmed to have existed during this period thanks to the presence of the Italian LEGO catalogs of that period.
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Italian LEGO catalogue from 1970-1974. Images via BrickLink
This certainly went against the myth of the block on the import of LEGO products in favor of the LEGO Minitalia theme favored by production in some Italian factories. It seems that, in reality, one of the reasons for the creation of this theme is due to its Italian market.
Minitalia bricks had very particular characteristics and meant that the cost of the sets was also lower than ordinary LEGO sets. Italy was not like many other European countries, and certainly not like the countries of central/northern Europe. The Italian climate was very different, even more so today, and that “warm” climate favored outdoor play more than indoor play. A toy like LEGO was born to entertain Danish children indoors and subsequently the neighboring Norwegians, Swedes and Icelanders, arriving in Germany in 1956 and achieving deserved success.
Image via BrickLink
Taking root in the Italian market was a real feat. It was no coincidence that LEGO quickly took hold more in northern Italy (with a much more humid and cold climate) than in central and southern Italy, generally known for a milder climate and certainly more suitable for outdoor play than indoors. This was well known in the 70s, even to then-General Manager and CEO of LEGO Spa (the Italian branch of the LEGO Group), Giancarlo Morganti.
It seems that it was a marketing choice to produce Minitalia with a name that recalls the sound of Italy, with the intent of making a greater impact on the minds of Italian families. We know that LEGO would certainly have had its deserved Italian success outside of this line, but a similar commercial operation would have implied a greater commercial push for the LEGO Group. It is no coincidence that a similar operation took place with the Japanese market for the creation of the famous Dacta line in the 80s, and where the LEGO Group introduced the “Japanese cousin” theme of Minitalia, namely OLO.
The average Italian purchasing power was much lower than in other European countries, and was diversified between the north, center and south of Italy. This “difficulty” of the Italian market was also recognized by Morganti himself in 1975. So it seems plausible, despite the evident Italian success, that precisely to overcome these barriers, Minitalia was produced.
Another theory suggests that LEGO Minitalia was used as a test to introduce new features for LEGO bricks. In fact, Minitalia, parts like the slope 33°, the doors, and the famous windows with shutters later entered the LEGO System. Furthermore, Minitalia bricks were the first LEGO bricks to have internal side bars and a thinner wall, a detail that lasted for a short time in the 70s and then became a distinctive element of the modern brick. Lastly, the bricks had a feature found in all Minitalia variants, the “X” system compared to the “O” system, or cut tube. The “X” system appeared for the first time in these bricks, but it was a feature that the LEGO Group knew very well, as we will see shortly.
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From left to right: brick Minitalia with the “X”, brick Minitalia with the “O”, regular brick from 1974 (approximately), more modern regular brick. Images via Old Bricks.
Production History and Inaccurate Myths About Minitalia
Today we almost certainly know that the LEGO Minitalia bricks were produced in the LEGO “factory” in Kolding, Denmark. It was not actually a LEGO-owned factory but was closely linked to it. System Plast A/S in Kolding was created by Karl Georg Kirk Kristiansen after the production of wooden toys was totally abandoned following the great fire of February 4th, 1960. The decision to end the production of wooden toys led to the definitive leave from the LEGO Group of Gerhardt and Karl Georg Kirk Kristiansen, Godtfred’s two brothers, and the heads head of the wood and plastics production divisions, respectively.
It was Karl Georg who later started this injection molding plastics factory in Kolding, a factory that was acquired by the LEGO Group on November 18th, 1981, leaving Karl Georg as factory manager until his retirement in 1988. This factory was soon affectionately renamed “The Tyre Factory” since it was used for the production of LEGO tyres—a production that returned to Billund in 1993, as did most of the employees in Kolding. In reality, the name of the company founded by Karl Georg on August 7th, 1961 was “Karl Georg Kristiansen A/S” with headquarters in Kolding.
Image via LEGO
“Aug. Andersens Strømpefabrik A/S” was founded in Kolding on May 23rd, 1951. This company came about with the acquisition on November 18th, 1981 by the LEGO Group, which then took the name of System Plast A/S with headquarters also in Kolding: Industrivej 6.
The Minitalia bricks did not have the classic tube system of the 1958 patent, or in any case the officially known shape, but had an internal “X” . Now, even though it was present for a short period, this “X” certainly destabilized many collectors, helping them to decree these bricks as “not LEGO” (an error born from the little knowledge of the history of the LEGO Group).
In fact, we now know that the choice of this new system came from the desire to test new technical solutions. It would seem that these choices also affected the cost of the LEGO Minitalia sets, contributing to a boost that would also have served to increase sales of regular sets in Italy.
The Minitalia system was not entirely new to the LEGO Group. The “X” system was one of the variants tested for the famous patent of January 1958, which, as we know, patented the tube system as a technical innovation of LEGO bricks. So the LEGO Minitalia bricks were, in a certain sense, directly linked to the history of the birth of the LEGO brick.
Image via LEGO
The Marketing of Minitalia
The limited release of Minitalia in Italy has sadly allowed for the loss of important information also related to the marketing of the theme. The greatest assumption linked to the “Minitalia” bricks was that they were a clone product. For a long time, 1972 was identified as the year LEGO Minitalia began based on marketing for the product found—then, because of the slope 33 ° element, it was marked as 1971. However, today we know that Minitalia appeared in 1970 based on an advertisement that comes from a Disney comic in the Italian version “Topolino”, n. 754 of May 10, 1970.
Topolino Advertisement n. 754. Images via ITLUG
Minitalia’s marketing has since been meticulously investigated and reconstructed step by step by the Italian fandom. Today thanks to BrickLink, we have a total time frame that we can reconstruct, thanks to a user of the Italian LUG, ItLUG.
1970 to first semester 1973: boxes 1/4 and 5 (buildings)
1971 to first semester 1973; boxes 21/24 (motor vehicles)
First semester 1973 to 1976: boxes 30/32 (ships)
Second semester 1973 to 1976: boxes 11/17
Marketing for Minitalia ended in 1976-77, leaving the LEGO Group with a legacy consisting of a good series of elements that, as we have said, we will find again in the regular sets after the end of Minitalia.
The Plastic of Minitalia Bricks
Let’s now look at the main features of the Minitalia brick. First of all, let’s talk about plastic—something that is visibly noticeable, especially in many bricks that have now become “vintage.” The LEGO Group has, throughout its history, repeatedly modified the plastic mix used for its bricks. Before the 1958 patent, the mix used was CA (Cellulose Acetate), and after the 1958 patent, ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) has been used.
Minitalia bricks of the 70s used HIPS (High Impact Polystyrene), a plastic that was less expensive than the more widespread ABS that was used. HIPS had already been used for other LEGO elements, such as the famous waffle plates, or for non-LEGO elements and the “PRIMA” bricks. Baseplates today are produced using HIPS.
Image via João Manuel Mimoso
The main characteristic of bricks using HIPS is the whitening due to pressure or prolonged wear, despite being highly resistant to impacts. At the corners of modern baseplates, it is possible to see this whitening that we find above all also in the famous round left/right 4×8 waffle red plates from 1955, and certainly also in the Minitalia bricks. Minitalia bricks were once thought to be a LEGO clone because they were made from HIPS.
Features of Minitalia
The feature that certainly immediately catches the eye of Minitalia bricks is the presence of the hollow stud and the absence of the LEGO logo. The writing “Pat. Pend” inside the brick suggests the presence of a patent, but certainly nothing suggests that this is an original LEGO brick. This is true both today and a few years ago, when the possibilities of knowing the history of this brick were truly limited.
Images via Old Bricks.
Once again, this could indicate a further saving of plastic material with consequent reduction in production and sales costs. It is worth remembering, in fact, that in the 70s a regular LEGO set cost, on average, almost double compared to a LEGO Minitalia set. Here we return to the main point, which is certainly not validated but which also seems probable, which posits that the Minitalia brick was a sort of test to find new technical solutions to adopt in the regular LEGO brick—which is the case in terms of the 12 internal vertical ribs.
Of course, new elements were introduced in the Minitalia sets such as the opening door, two window models, arches, shutters, slope 33° and cardboard roofs (this is a small Easter egg which recalls the very first LEGO sets created in 1949 which included cardboard elements and certainly also the cardboard roof of the English Minibrix sets of the 30s-50s) which we will then find as regular components, lightly modified, in the regular LEGO sets.
LEGO Minitalia Catalog. Image via Michiel de Ruijter
Unfortunately given the limited information, especially official, from the elements collected so far we cannot absolutely affirm these suppositions which appear very likely if not highly probable.
LEGO Minitalia Set. Image via Michiel de Ruijter
The Shared History of Minitalia Bricks and OLO Bricks
Just like Minitalia bricks, Japan had its own series of sets on the market that, like the Italian brick, then gave birth to the myth of OLO bricks. I speak of myth because if the LEGO Minitalia sets have a certain rarity (and the reason is simple: many bricks for their characteristics have simply ended up in the garbage), OLO bricks, given thier geographical region, have been almost impossible to acquire.
OLO Brick. Image via WRme2 on Flickr
We know more or less that the production of OLO bricks was always located in Kolding, and therefore contemporary to the Minitalia brick, and above all, the aim was the same as that of LEGO Minitalia, that is to increase sales in the Japanese country that was very resistant to LEGO products in the 70s. It wasn’t until the 80s that LEGO officially launched a marketing campaign aimed at convincing Japanese parents of the quality of its sets with LEGO Dacta.
The history of OLO bricks is very similar to that of Minitalia. We know from the first LEGO set sold in Japan in 1962 that sales were not exceptional. These sets were under the production license of the Japanese company ASAHI, which became Fujisho Corp. in 1969. It seems that the idea of OLO, like Minitalia, was used precisely to make inroads into the Japanese market, which arrived a decade later.
OLO Box. Image via Yodoba on Flickr
LEGO OLO sets from Denmark began in 1970 with production ending in 1978. Evidence of the origin of OLO and Minitalia bricks can be easily traced. Recently, (I do not remember the exact date), some loose OLO and Minitalia bricks were recovered together in Denmark.
I think the most eloquent case is the glued model, a classic promotional set, that Italy’s and former BrickNerd Francesco Spreafico discovered a few years ago in Italy. This model seems to be a Minitalia promotional model but—to Francesco’s great surprise—it contained many OLO bricks. It therefore represents indisputable proof (but without direct confirmation) of the same source of both bricks.
Comparing Minitalia and OLO Bricks
There is a small detail that differentiates an OLO from a Minitalia brick. Let’s start with the plastic. In this case, it seems that the ordinary ABS was used compared to the unlikely HIPS of the Minitalia. The shape is almost similar in all respects to the Minitalia, since the “X” system and hollow studs were used instead of the tube system.
OLO Brick. Image via WRme2 on Flickr
In terms of differences, the classic writing “Pat. Pend.” is often inverted into “Pend. Pat.” But the real detail to look at is inside the hollow stud (where we generally find nothing in Minitalia bricks) because a small K can be found on OLO bricks.
OLO Brick. Image via WRme2 on Flickr
Nothing is left to chance—that K has a meaning. Originally the name of this LEGO line was supposed to be KOLO, considering that in Japanese the pronunciation of “LO” is “RO” and the K on the studs would have stood for the initial of this line. Later, KOLO changed names to OLO but the K inside the studs remained.
OLO Brick. Image via WRme2 on Flickr
Minitalia Mystery Solved?
The story of LEGO Minitalia is more than a curious footnote in the 2×4 brick’s history—it is proof of how LEGO has adapted, experimented, and localized itself in response to cultural and economic conditions (further evidenced by where they choose to place their factories, though that is a topic for another day). What’s perhaps most fascinating is how something once seen as a low-quality clone or an oddity has come to be appreciated as a legitimate and influential part of LEGO’s legacy.
I hope you enjoyed discovering this particular Italian story today. LEGO Minitalia and its Japanese sibling, OLO, are mysteries that have been solved, but the history of The LEGO Group and the brick continues to slowly unravel. Instances like Minitalia bricks highlight that things aren’t always as clear-cut as they may seem, so we will continue to dig into these lesser-known chapters of LEGO history.
What is your experience with Minitalia or OLO bricks? Let us know in the comments below!
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