On Toy Street, we have a huge collection of Brio toys. From trains to fairgrounds they offer it all, so let’s take a look at what makes Brio so great.

A Bit of Brio History

Brio was originally started in 1884 by 18-year-old Ivar Bengtsson, who began selling woodchip baskets from his small village in Sweden. The quality and durability of these wooden baskets caused the business to boom, and Ivar and his wife began planning their expansion. By 1907 they had produced their very first toy, the Osby Horse, made solely of wood. By the following year, Brio was founded.

Toys were an essential part of the Brio product range and all of them had the BRIO logo printed on them, marking their quality. By 1958, some of the well-loved toys of today were introduced – including the miniature railway tracks and trains. Since then, Brio has been producing toys, pushchairs, car seats, and furniture. In 2015, Ravensburger Group acquired Brio from Sweden.

The Original Wooden Toy

Brio toys have been sold in Europe since 1958. They are most famous for wooden toys and, in particular, train sets. Brio train sets include jigsaw-like tracks and train carriages that fit together with magnets. The tracks were unique in the way that you could build them any way you wanted, with any type of Brio train able to ride in the grooves.

In more recent years, Brio has extended its range to include battery-powered and remote-control type toys, including modern vehicles such as electric trains and cars – steering away from non-motorised vehicles. As well as starting to use electrics, Brio have also started to use plastic in their toy production to enhance their toys.

Wooden Toys are Back in Fashion

Although Brio has recently started to incorporate the use of plastic into their toys, the majority remain solely made of wood. Wooden toys seem to have come back into fashion and there are several reasons why this may be the case.

The first is because they look nicer. Let’s face it, plastic toys aren’t usually the most visually pleasing. And with parents increasingly trying to make playrooms and bedrooms look cute, wooden toys are the way forward.

Secondly, they’re more durable. Not only are they harder to break than their plastic rivals but they are safer too. Plastic toys can break easily, resulting in small plastic parts becoming unattached. This can lead to injury and choking hazards.

Finally, wooden toys enhance children’s imagination and promote a more creative style of play. With wooden toys there are no lights, sounds, or screens – it’s all about what the child wants them to do, allowing them to use their imagination more and promote a more creative style of play.

The Brio Collection

Brio Toys have come a long way since their traditional wooden horse and vehicle. There is now a whole range of lifestyle Brio sets to be collected. Here are the main categories for you to enjoy:

Travel

The travel range obviously includes the classic wooden train sets. It also includes cars, boats, and planes. With pilots, train drivers, and passengers, the world is your oyster. There is also an app-enabled train where you can drive the train through an app on your tablet!

Countryside

Enjoy some countryside play with Brio’s own range of farm toys, including horse and rider, tractors, hay wagons and cows! Train your horse with the horse training set and then put on a show with the horse jumping pack!

Village Life

How about a bit of village community fun with houses, schools, markets and shops! Pets are also included within this range and are sure to have a whale of a time at the playground. There is also a singing stage where you can put your voice to good use!

Emergency Services

All communities need access to emergency services. Add some to your collection including police stations with vans and boats, fire stations, helicopters, and rescue trains and boats. All on hand in case of an emergency.

Highlights From Brio Toys

There are always new Brio collections on the way. With over 200 items in our Brio category on Toy Street, there is truly something for everyone. In fact, there might just be a whole custom Brio world for everyone!

Be sure to check out our Brio collection to get yours started now!

Editors note: This blog was originally published on March 16th, 2018. Updated on March 30th, 2022 to improve the information available.