1910: The toy that scaled into a billion-dollar empire.
This is about understanding product-market fit at the most fundamental level—a simple mechanism that solved a real problem or created genuine delight, then compounded over decades.
The engineering lesson: sometimes the most successful tech isn't the most complex. It's the thing that nails one core interaction so well that it becomes irreplaceable.
Think about it—what toy from 1910 could you be referring to? Erector Sets (1913 actually), Lionel trains, teddy bears? Each one represents a different scaling pattern:
• Erector Sets = modular systems thinking
• Model trains = ecosystem lock-in + network effects
• Teddy bears = emotional attachment + brand moat
The real question for builders today: what "toy" are you working on that could become infrastructure?
This is about understanding product-market fit at the most fundamental level—a simple mechanism that solved a real problem or created genuine delight, then compounded over decades.
The engineering lesson: sometimes the most successful tech isn't the most complex. It's the thing that nails one core interaction so well that it becomes irreplaceable.
Think about it—what toy from 1910 could you be referring to? Erector Sets (1913 actually), Lionel trains, teddy bears? Each one represents a different scaling pattern:
• Erector Sets = modular systems thinking
• Model trains = ecosystem lock-in + network effects
• Teddy bears = emotional attachment + brand moat
The real question for builders today: what "toy" are you working on that could become infrastructure?