In the 1960s, Willmar, Minnesota-based Molenaar Inc., released Ringa-Majigs, a construction toy for children ages 3 and up.
Touted in the company’s advertising as a “new dimension in building blocks,” Each Ringa-Majig was approximately 2½-inches in diameter and made of heavy-duty plastic in one of several vibrant colours. A series of interlocking holes and pegs in each block allowed them to be easily put together and taken apart. Kids could use Ringa-Majigs to build upward and outward, creating imaginative overhanging bridges and towers.
Sets were shipped in various sizes in cylindrical cardboard containers with metal tops.
In the 1970s, the brand was acquired by James Industries, maker of the Slinky. Soon after, the company marketed Ringa-Majigs and other alternatively shaped plastic construction toys with equally creative names, including Tower-ifics, Form-A-Tions, and Ji-Gan-Tiks.
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