Better Blocks were invented by Warren Wilson in Adelaide, Australia, in 1988. A serial inventor, Warren was inspired to create a product that could compete with Lego® Blocks after attending a trade show in Nuremburg, Germany, where a colleague pointed out that Lego® had no direct competitor. Warren returned to Australia and, using his own self-made plastic injection molding machine, spent two years developing and prototyping the idea for Better Blocks.
The primary difference between Lego® blocks and Better Blocks was that Better Blocks could bend to create rounded corners and many 4D shapes and structures. Warren filed provisional patents on the idea, and after months of struggling to raise capital on his own, found himself backed by an American marketing expert who helped him advertise to consumers directly via television.
From these humble beginnings, Better Blocks went on to sell 2 million kits and became the first true competitor to Lego® in the plastic block toys niche. The Better Blocks television ads ran for 9 years, and became the longest running D2C television ad campaign in history.
Warren heard from thousands of happy customers through the years who shared their personal stories of using Better Blocks to bring their family together around play -- none more compelling than the father who wrote to say that Better Blocks had brought him and his son back together for the first time in four years.
The Better Blocks story shows that we can all find our own ways to bring joy and connection to people everywhere. And the story isn’t over . . . More than two decades after Better Blocks incredible first run ended, Warren partnered with long-time colleague & product designer Pat Smith to re-imagine Better Blocks. This partnership culminated in a 21st Century redesign with improved materials and learning benefits.
Warren’s Better Blocks opened new worlds of learning, creativity, and togetherness for millions of people. Today, Warren & Pat have brought it all back in a way that will take you back to your own joyful memories of pure play and share it with the kids you love as they experience the magic of Better Blocks for the first time.
The sky is the limit with 3D block play. Help your children discover self-expression, innovation, creativity, & problem-solving when they Play Outside The Box With Better Blocks™
Better Blocks are manufactured 100% free of the harmful chemicals that leech from other plastic toys, so you can let your kids create for hours with no concerns.
The Basics Kit now comes with more colors, shapes, and sizes – including our all-new figure 8 pieces, along with improved manufacturing for a tight snap fit between blocks with an easy release.
With our improved block fit, Better Blocks can connect even better with your kids’ Lego® toys to extend the fun and creative capabilities of both products!
The new Better Blocks kit is now STEM certified, helping kids to expand their fine and gross motor skills, critical thinking, abstract reasoning and much more!
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