Lego Duplo

Lego Duplo (also called Lego Preschool, Explore, or DUPLO) is a type of Lego toy. Duplo bricks are bigger than regular Lego bricks and are meant for children aged 1½ to 6 years old, because they are easier to handle and safer for younger people. Duplo bricks are compatible with regular Lego bricks. There are now many different Duplo brick sets with figures, animals, cars, houses, and trains.

Lego Duplo was launched in 1969. At the time, the Lego Group was at the time looking for ways to make safer toys for younger children. In 1968, the owner of the company, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, suggested that the studs on the bricks could be emptied to make them fit into other Lego bricks. The company decided to make the Duplo bricks twice as big as the normal Lego bricks. The name "Duplo" comes from the Latin word duplex, meaning double.

When Duplo bricks first appeared in shops in 1969, they were available in four colours: red, yellow, blue, and white. The year after, two more sets were added with blue and red wheel plates. In 1972, the Duplo brick with two rows of two studs was created.

In 1975, Duplo became a separate brand and five sets were created made up of only Duplo bricks. The Lego Company also released a round-topped two-by-two stud brick and a small four-wheeled wagon with two rows of six studs. These new sets were created in the aim that when the children using Duplo became older, their Duplo bricks could be used together with regular Lego bricks.

In 1977, the Duplo name was changed to Lego Preschool. New bricks released at the time include small figures made up of a head shaped like a tube and a body without legs or arms. Another new brick was a half arch. The new sets included figures, doors, and two-by-six brick wagons that could become a car or train.

The name Duplo was brought back in 1979, along with a new logo. Some brick sets were sold inside a plush version of the rabbit shown on the logo, that zipped closed.

In 1983, other Duplo figures appeared, called Duplo people. The Duplo people have moveable heads, arms, and legs and look like large Lego minifigures, but cannot be taken apart, which makes them safer for small children. Lego then started selling set number 2700 which included a model of a steam engine with two train cars. In 1986, a Duplo doll house with sliding doors was introduced. This included a "Duplo people" mother, father, and small child.

In 1992, Duplo Toolo was released, which was a range of building sets using screwdrivers and was aimed at children between the ages of three and six.

In 1993, the Lego Group made a new a grey rail train system with a stop-and-start track. Later, two more train systems arrived. In 2005, Lego started selling Duplo trains themed after Thomas & Friends.

In 1995, Duplo Primo was launched, which was a line aimed at children aged between 6 and 24 months. Most of the products in this line were not construction toys. Duplo Primo was later renamed Lego Primo.

The name Duplo was renamed again to Explore in 2002. The new brand name was used to emphasise the link between the bricks and the child's learning. Explore introduced four different ways of exploring play: "explore being me"; "explore together"; "explore imagination" and "explore logic". In Autumn 2004, the Duplo name had returned with a new rabbit logo designed to match the new elephant logo for the Lego Quatro range.

Lego has made Duplo sets with Bob the Builder and Thomas & Friends characters. Those Duplo ranges have been stopped, but Duplo sets now include farm, zoo, town, castle, and pirate lines. In 2008, a doll house and princess castle were made available. Some Duplo sets have cars, trucks, and buildings which cannot be disassembled.

Lego Duplo bricks are made at a factory in Nyíregyháza, Hungary. Most Duplo elements are produced alongside traditional Lego bricks.

In 1995, Lego Duplo was the sponsor of the British children's preschool TV series Tots TV.

In 2014, Lego Duplo appeared in The Lego Movie, as aliens built from Duplo bricks that threaten the citizens of Bricksburg. They reappeared in the 2019 sequel, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, as the same alien invaders, with the story picking up from the events of the last film.

In March 2020, a new theme park attraction was announced at Legoland Windsor Resort. The Duplo Dino Coaster was created as part of the Duplo Valley, an area of the park made for children aged five years old and younger. The area also includes Duplo Valley Airport, where there are fully controllable helicopters.

In 2009, Feeding Zoo (set number: 5634) won the "DreamToys" prize in the Construction category by the Toy Retailers Association.

In 2019, Submarine Adventure! (set number: 10910) was awarded "DreamToys" in the Trains, Planes and Automobiles category by the Toy Retailers Association.