Singapore Turns 61: A Look Back at the LEGO Sets of 1965
Singapore Turns 61: A Look Back at the LEGO Sets of 1965
Singapore celebrated its 61st National Day on 9 August 2026, marking 61 years since independence in 1965.
So, as Singapore celebrates 61 years, let's take a little trip back to 1965 and discover what LEGO fans could have been building when Singapore became an independent nation.
1965: Two very different stories begin
The LEGO sets of 1965 look very different from the sets we know today.
There were no LEGO minifigures, no Star Wars™, no Technic, no LEGO City and certainly no 7,000-piece collector sets. Instead, the focus was on building, imagination and creating your own world from a relatively small collection of bricks.
So, what LEGO sets were released in 1965?
According to Brickset's historical catalogue, a wide variety of LEGO sets are recorded as 1965 releases. They included basic building sets, vehicles, houses, educational sets, gears and even highly detailed miniature cars.
Basic Building Sets
Some of the most recognisable sets from the year were the classic LEGO System Basic Building Sets, which ranged in size from the 005-1 Basic Building Set with only 53 pieces to the 030-1 which had a comparatively huge 167 pieces and a baseplate.
The philosophy was wonderfully simple: give children the pieces and let their imagination take over. That idea remains at the heart of LEGO more than 60 years later.
Small Cottage
One particularly charming set was 326-1 Small Cottage.
With just 60 pieces, it was a tiny example of the sort of everyday world that LEGO builders could create in the 1960s. It’s fascinating to compare this with today's LEGO houses, which can contain hundreds or thousands of pieces and feature incredible levels of detail. The basic idea, however, hasn't really changed: build a place, create a story and decide what happens next.
Vehicles
For budding aviation enthusiasts, there was the 320-2 Airplane, a 120-piece LEGO System vehicle set.
It was a brick-built aeroplane with a propeller and was one of the larger vehicle models available at the time.
Another 1965 release was 319-1 Truck with Trailer, containing 74 pieces.
In 1965, a child could start their aviation collection with a much simpler little brick-built plane. Today, LEGO has everything from commercial airliners trucks, cars to boats, commercial and domestic vehicles.
Clowns
Perhaps one of the most unusual sets from the year was 321-1 Clowns.
Containing 223 pieces, it was a brick-built figure set centred around circus clowns and is a great reminder of just how different LEGO's product portfolio was before the arrival of licensed themes and today's enormous range of characters and fandoms.
Gears and motors
LEGO was also experimenting with mechanical possibilities.
The 001-1 Samsonite Basic Set included gears, while the 002-1 4.5V Samsonite Gears Motor Set introduced an electric motor. These particular Samsonite versions were sold only in the USA and Canada. It was an early glimpse of something that would become an important part of LEGO's identity: not just building something, but making it move.
LEGO cars before LEGO cars became a thing
One of the most fascinating parts of the 1965 LEGO catalogue is the collection of tiny 1:87 scale vehicles. These weren't brick-built cars in the way we might think of them today. Instead, LEGO produced miniature vehicles including:
- Citroën DS 19
- Fiat 1800
- Volkswagen Samba Bus
- Opel Rekord
Each was essentially a tiny scale model, with the individual sets containing just one vehicle.
And what about Singapore?
In 1965, Singapore and LEGO were both in the early stages of very different journeys.
Singapore was establishing itself as a new independent nation and beginning the transformation that would eventually make it one of the world's most modern and dynamic cities.
LEGO, meanwhile, was developing the building system that would become one of the world's most recognisable toys.
Singapore would grow from a newly independent country into a global centre for business, technology, tourism, design and culture.
And LEGO would grow from relatively simple boxes of bricks into a global entertainment and lifestyle brand spanning architecture, art, film, gaming, sport, engineering and some of the world's most recognisable pop-culture franchises.
Both started with a simple idea: build something better, one piece at a time.
Majulah Singapura — and keep building.
