‘Lincoln Logs’ are an American construction toys designed in 1916 by John Lloyd Wright, the son of the architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. John Lloyd Wright had been working in Japan on the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, designed by his father, and drew inspiration from the hotel's foundation of interlocking log beams -- a feature which made it earthquake resistant by allowing for the building to sway without collapsing. After returning to the US, Lloyd Wright established the Red Square Toy Company and began marketing Lincoln Logs in 1918.

The original slogan was “Interesting playthings typifying the spirit of America”. This slogan shows the impact of Friedrich Froebel’s philosophy about kintergarden, which had shaped John Lloyd Wright’s own upbringing, as his childhood playroom had been populated with blocks of different sizes inspired by Froebel’s “gifts”, made to encourage open-ended play.

The toy’s name comes from Abraham Lincoln’s childhood home in Kentucky, and the toy came with instructions on how to construct this, as well as how to construct Uncle Tom’s Cabin. This harkening back to Abraham Lincoln and Uncle Tom shows the patriotic mood which valued the traditional ‘spirit of America’ after WWI, with Americans also being encouraged to purchase American goods during this period.

The toy was one of the first to be mass-marketed on television, and enjoyed immense popularity in the 1950s because of this, with adverts appealing to middle and upper-class consumers who could afford a television in their house.