I brought home a couple of souvenirs from my recent visit to the LEGO Click Brick store in Japan. One of them was a LEGO 1958 keyring, produced in 2008. It features a picture of the classic LEGO Town Plan and was obviously made for the past 50th anniversary of the theme. Perhaps the keyring was just leftover stock, or maybe it was on sale and display again because 2012 is the 50th anniversary of LEGO in Japan.
Nevertheless, on the front there is a picture of young Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen (now the LEGO chairman, grandson of LEGO founder Ole Kirk Christiansen) playing with 810 European Town Plan, which incidentally was released in 1960. Instead of 1958, the photograph is likely from late 1959 or early 1960, from the time when the LEGO Group photography was finally graduating from amateur hour to professional league. This of course is the same picture that inspired the 10184 Town Plan cover art.
Looking closely, you can see a familiar blue truck next to the building on the right, also note the included town board underneath. As for the girl, Kjeld was often accompanied by his younger sister Hanne and his older sister Gunhild (and their cousin Jorgen) in the early promotional pictures, but the girl here is neither of them – a collector’s guide refers to her just as a blonde girl in a blue dress. (Tragically, Hanne died in a 1969 car crash on the way to cinema. Kjeld was also a passenger in the car but survived.)
On the back, there is a modern LEGO logo. There is also a secondary piece on the ring with the old LEGO System logo. Product number 4547289 and the words “Vintage”, “Made in China” and copyright 2008 are written on the (plastic bag) package, as well Japanese translating roughly to “Town Plan 1958 Key Holder”. Online the keyring is known as the 4547289 1958 Photo Key Chain.
There is a larger scan of the Town Plan photograph available here. Curiously, a 1959 release of this photo also exists, with similar setup and same children, only slightly younger – you can see it here. The 1960 photo used in the keyring is markedly more professional than older LEGO promotional shots, many of which came from the Christiansen family album. In the 1950s they even edited Kjeld’s father Godtfred into a policeman in one rare family-photo-turned-into-box-art incident.
Fun fact: Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen’s last name starts with a K (instead of Ch) due to an error in his birth certificate. The rest of the family are Christiansen. Today, Kjeld and Gunhild are the principal owners of Kirkbi, which owns most of the LEGO Group.
6 Responses to Keyring 1958
[…] my old 1980s keyrings (LEGO Ambassador and Castle) from the very same Legoland and the recent 1958 inspired keyring that came from Japan – so naturally I was inclined to buy one this time as […]
[…] Suggestion: For more on the history of LEGO, check out Keyring 1958. […]
[…] This early time period – distinctly marked by the dominance blue, red and white colors in its bricks and designs (and those quirky little windows, metallic trees and miniature cars) – was topped off by the introduction of LEGO DUPLO in 1969. For a little more on the early LEGO history, check out Keyring 1958. […]
First, I must say I am a great LEGO fan since 1961, when the first LEGO sets were available in Portugal.
I am now 57, and I still love to play with my daughters with LEGO!
My godfather, the late Danish Glasharmonika classic musician and writer Ejnar Hansen, from Åahrus, worked for the LEGO Group in the USA, and he gave me my first set: the Church reference 309.
The picture of the above beautiful keyring portraits Kjeld Kirk, and also his younger sister Hanne Christiansen, no matter what the collector’s guide mention.
In October 1969, Hanne (aged 18) and Kjeld (aged 22) were driving home under rain from a movie in the neighboring town of Give, when their car skidded off in the wet road and hit a tree. Hanne was killed and Kjeld was seriously injured.
This tragedy so shook their father, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, that he seriously considered selling the company.
Kjeld never talked about that tragedy since. Even today, Lego GROUP staff avoid speeking about little Hanne.
I still have a rare variant of this picture, in my old Town Plan in cardboard; in my picture, (among other very small details) little Hanne was wearing a lovely ring in her right ring finger, which do not happen in other pictures.
When I was five years old, I believed childishly that these two nice children were my friends, not knowing who were they, obviousely…
When I was 12, I got very sick, and for months I could not get up from by bed.
My Lego’s were my favorite toys and a great company. LEGO offered me great joy, even beeing so ill.
I thank, from my heart, all Kristiansen/Christiansen family, for making so many millions of children happy!
Thank you for the heartfelt comment, Armando! And the interesting personal insight. Much appreciated.
Indeed, LEGO has given many generations plenty of wonderful memories – and new ones to be made, of course.
p.s. I wonder if this is the variant of the picture you mention? http://www.flickr.com/photos/54802887@N08/5445020294/
Please don’t thank me. I thank YOU for your most kind words!
I am very happy to share with you my feelings, and my memories.
About your post script, indeed I can confirm that my old Town Plan cardboard (still in very good condition) has the same picture variant shown in your link.
It is a beautiful photograph, and those old memories still warm my heart…
Thank you, QUESTFORBRICKS!
Armando