A train made of toy Lego bricks is one of the exhibits at the new Legoland amusement park in Carlsbad, California RELATED VIDEO CNN's Susan Reed reports on Legoland Windows Media 28K 80K

March 21, 1999
Web posted at: 8:39 p.m. EST (0139 GMT)

CARLSBAD, California (CNN) -- Children have been building all manner of things out of small bricks that snap together for 50 years -- since Danish toymaker Ole Kirk Christiansen produced the forerunner to Legos in 1949.

The modern version of Legos -- the word is a contraction of the Danish words "leg godt," meaning "play well" -- made its first appearance in 1958. Ten years later, the toy company opened an amusement park in the Danish town of Billund with exhibits made entirely out of Lego bricks.

Legoland is now going global. Following the successful opening of Legoland Windsor outside London in 1996, another one recently opened in the place that practically invented the theme park: Southern California.

Reporter Sue Reed takes in the sights at the opening day.