Description

Red wooden box with brass bail handles and latch containing Bakelite construction set. Two instructional booklets including descriptions of toys in the Bayko line. Box has "A.R.B." and "Bayko" in faded gold lettering on top of box.

Patented in 1933 by British engineer Charles Plimpton, Bayko building blocks were one of the first mass-produced plastic toys. Made of (and named after) the early plastic Bakelite, Bayko kits were modern in many ways.

In addition to their material, they also reflected contemporary trend of modernism in architecture. Their simple surfaces, right angles, and modular, repeatable elements reflected the architectural trends sweeping much of the world at the time–often called the International Style.