General Information

The following information has been collected from original newspapers, catalogs, and magazines, some of which are freely available for reference below. The rest can be found in the site’s gallery. No aggregate catalogs (BrickLink, Brickset, etc.) were used.

Advertised Part Count(s): 9 pieces

The Orlando Sentinel, December 12th, 1965

First Year Confirmed Available: 1965

I’ve written an extensive article about the 1965 wave in particular.

USA Only.

Most Likely Retirement Date: 1967

It does not appear available (and has been removed) from all 1968 materials. It only appears in 1968 newspapers at deep discount.

Last Year Seen Available: 1968

Garden City Telegram, October 10th, 1968

Aliases: Jumbo Brick Pull-Toy, Pull Toy

Retail Price(s): $3.50 (USA)

Discounted Example(s): $2.33 (1968), $1.99 (1968), 99c (1968)

Rarity Score (Index): 8/7 (for a boxed version. For a loose, unbroken one: 4/7)

Known Box/Packing Variants

Boxed examples of the 042 Pull-Toy are incredibly rare—so much so I've never seen one online or having ever sold. As a result, we currently do not know how many (if any) variants of the 042 exist.

We are not stuck without recourse, however. Going along with general trends we've seen with other 1965 sets, there could be two versions should any boxes be found:

An original 1965-1966 version will have "AGES – 1 1/2 TO 4" (as can be seen in high resolution scans of the set's box).

A 1967 version might exist with "FOR PRE-SCHOOL AGE" (as 1967 idea books have updated this) or the age range omitted entirely. There are currently no known images of that updated box.

All currently known images of the set depict only the first variant (including this 1968 newspaper clipping showing the box), so I would caution any belief that there existed two variants. It'd be odd that Samsonite decidedly updated the 042 the same year it was retired, but it wouldn't be the first time, I suppose.

This set also sold elsewhere in the world with different dimensions (and one of those surviving boxes are online). It appears the European version was formatted differently, but generally used the same images/information.

The set likely never sold in Canada and there is no evidence to suggest otherwise.

Box/Overview

The 042 Jumbo Brick Pull-Toy was a very late addition to the 1965 line, discussed in the Historical Examples section below. It served as the 041 Beginner's Set companion set, developed more so as a supplement than a stand alone set (inferred via the part count).

This section will be very lackluster, however, as I do not have any images of the box. None currently exist online, though I've not yet given up hope that one survives somewhere.

I've instead opted to use the image from my Imaginations Inc idea book, as it is a slightly higher quality image than can be found online:

box top image

The text on the side, while hard to make out in spots, appears to read:

"Lego has been fully tested by accredited pre-schools. It has been proven to be a ????? and is stimulating to a child's creativity. Lego builds a child's ????? and provides wholesome ????? over an extended period of time."

And here I am, coming back to this article nearly six months later, after having realized I didn't have to spend a half hour trying to read all that. It's the same phrase on the back of the 041. I'm glad I was close, I'm just shocked I didn't make the connection sooner:

This ad from a late 1966 issue of Parents Magazine shows a very poor quality image of the bottom(?) of the box (which is the best you're gonna find currently):

Contents

This set featured the debut of an exclusive piece—the pull toy. I know, surprise, surprise.

The pull toy consists of a four wheeled cart with a 4x8 plate of studs and a string.

The set has a thin plastic coupling to hold the string on both sides. This part is very fragile and is found broken on many examples:

The underside gives a better view as to how everything is assembled, though I don't think there are any surprises here:

The string on any particular example may look like this one, though be warned that the string here may not be the only one used in production and that used examples may feature replacements. Mine seems unlikely to be a replacement as it matches in style with other 042 examples, the 322 Educational Gear Set's string, and even the above Parents Magazine

The attached brick will inevitably have variations as all Samsonite basic elements do.

The set came with eight blocks, seven blue and one red. I built my model(as it came assembled in the box) incorrectly, as most examples show the front and end overhanging by one stud. Small issue overall, but worth noting:

Historical Examples

The 042 Jumbo Brick Pull-Toy was incredibly important in dating the 1965 line to have been ready for a wide release in 1965. Its prototype box is extremely unfinished in the 695's brochure:

But even so, while not never appearing in any catalogs, the 042 appears in numerous advertisements for 1965. The one shown below was the most important, as it unambiguously shows the 042 available at a regular store and was on shelves in 1965:

Hence the 042's box was completed for 1965, and supports the argument that the rest of the pictured prototype boxes were too. I just love showing the above image, it's so fun in terms of the assortment of random groceries.

The set was decidedly cut from the 1968 line, early enough to have been removed from the 1968 idea books' revision:

But also earlier than the decision to retire the 002 and 003 sets, as they had been replaced by the new motor system in North America in 1968.

The decision to retire the 042 was more likely to have been made sometime in the 1967 season. I was previously unsure of exactly why the 042 had such a short life, but the answer became obvious once I started looking into other Samsonite toys. A suspiciously adjacent, non-LEGO product titled "LoveLand Block Wagon" began to be produced by Samsonite's toy division in 1967: