The world's biggest maker of tires--if not the maker of the biggest tires--is Lego. This month, the company marks half a century of getting toys rolling.
Daniel Terdiman
Daniel Terdiman is a senior writer at CNET News covering Twitter, Net culture, and everything in between.
Fifty years ago this month, Lego began adding tires to some of its sets, and toys have never been the same. Now, the company says, it is the world's largest manufacturer of tires, though you probably wouldn't want to drive a car that uses its wheels. Still, with an annual output of 381 million wheels (the number it produced in 2011), you could roll nearly 100 million toy cars around the living rooms of the world.
These are the first wheels Lego ever produced, in 1962.
2 of 6 Lego
Lego vehicles before wheels
This is the box for a Lego vehicle before the company started rolling out wheels. Originally, many Lego cars were pre-molded, and some kids built their own wheels using standard Lego bricks.
3 of 6 Lego
First Lego set with wheels
This is Lego set No. 400, which was produced in 1962. It was the first set to include wheels, and became the company's best-selling set by 1967, moving 820,400 units that year.
4 of 6 Lego
Wheel production
A look at the Lego wheel production system.
5 of 6 Lego
Many Lego tires
Lego wheels come in all shapes and sizes. Well, they're usually round, but they do come in many different sizes.
6 of 6 Lego
Smallest Lego wheel
This is the marketing material for Lego's smallest-ever wheel. It is 14.4 millimeters high and was part of a two-seater car included in Lego sets No. 345 and No. 346 starting in 1969.
