BRIO’s history began in 1884 with basket-maker Ivar Bengtsson. Today BRIO is a global corporation, and the biggest in wooden toys. Ivar Bengtsson understood that quality pays off. This approach lives on today. BRIO’s toys are characterised by quality and durability, and are often handed down from generation to generation. BRIO has also accumulated extensive expertise on how toys stimulate a child’s development. A BRIO toy is not only educational, it’s also a joy to play with. As all good toys should be.
BRIO is best known for their wooden toy trains, sold in Europe since 1958. Most are non-motorized and suitable for younger children. The cars connect with magnets and are easy to manipulate; in recent years, the range has been extended with battery powered, remote control, and ‘intelligent track’-driven engines. BRIO licenses Thomas the Tank Engine wooden trains in some parts of Europe, but Learning Curve holds the Thomas license in the United States. Many competitors, such as Whittle Shortline, make products that are compatible with BRIO. The high quality woods used and the Swedish manufacture make BRIO toys more expensive than many other brands.
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“Brio is a wonderful company that makes very high quality toys. Along with high quality comes durability and unfortunately a higher price too. Brio train sets are really indestructible. My sons have tried hard to break these trains but to no avail.”
“I have watched my grandsons play for hours, and develop creative ideas, playing with their BRIO wooden building system. When I first bought it for them I thought that perhaps the train set would be used occasionally during rainy day periods”
“My son received a BRIO set from his grandparents when he was three years old. He loved it then and he and his dad would play and build for hours. Through the years we’ve purchased many additional pieces for his set and he loves it.”
“I purchased my first Brio piece six years ago when my oldest son was just two! Now I have another son and the BOTH still play with the Brio system. I have added many more pieces to our collection since then and am always looking at the new sets when they come out. So many toys end up at the bottom of the toy box or thrown aside. Brio has withstood the test of time. They are well-made and affordable. And my daughters like them too!”
“I bought a Brio train set for my oldest grandchild in 1993. This was a basic set, and has been added to over the years. The construction and finish on all of the pieces is super! I have never had a single piece of this system to fail or break.”