BRIO is a toy company founded in Sweden. Ivar Bengtsson was an basket maker who started to make toys in Osby, Scania, in southern Sweden. In 1908 Ivar's three sons took over and founded BRIO, which is a acronym for Bröderna ("brothers") Ivarsson [at] Osby. Today the toys are still made of wood and are manufactured in Osby, the village were it all began.
Products
Two of BRIO's better known products are:
- Their toy trains. These are non-electrical and suitable for younger children. The cars connect with magnets and are easy to manipulate.
- Their BRIO-Mech construction kits. Long, thin wooden slats with evenly spaced holes are connected together with various fasteners made of colorful plastic. Young children can build sturdy and elaborate constructions.
Children can sometimes demonstrate a very long attention span for these toys, particularly the BRIO-Mech.
The quality woods used and the fact that they are made in Sweden make BRIO toys rather expensive. Their trains compete with cheaper imitations that use the same kind of track.
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