rec.toys.lego

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Revision as of 04:38, 14 August 2025 by Ringtail Raider (talk | contribs) (Usenet messages: can't find message IDs for some of these... unfortunately the internet archive's copies of some of these newsgroups only go back to 2000-ish, and google groups won't show me the original message IDs. im sure someone has better copies but idk who to ask)
rec.toys.lego
A rec.toys.lego message from September 1994 viewed in a Windows 3.1 newsreader
Type of site
Usenet newsgroup
Available inEnglish
Created byDavid Koblas
URLrec.toys.lego
Launched
  • January 1993 (ATL)
  • 10 January 1994; 31 years ago (1994-01-10) (RTL)

rec.toys.lego is a Usenet newsgroup.

History

The alt.toys.lego newsgroup was created by David Koblas[U 1] in January 1993.[1][note 1] It was the first of a number of toy-related newsgroups in the alt.* hierarchy;[3] others created later in 1993 included alt.toys.hi-tech in May and alt.toys.transformers in September.[U 8][U 9] Although alt.toys.lego received continuous activity after its creation,[3] the alt.* hierarchy was not well-propagated due to many dial-up Internet service providers not offering it to subscribers; suggestions were made in many alt.* groups to migrate to one of the Big 7 hierarchies as a result.[1] A new LEGO newsgroup under the rec.* (recreation) hierarchy was suggested in September 1993,[note 2] with the goal of making the community more accessible.[U 11][U 12]

Notes

  1. The exact date of its creation is unknown. The earliest alt.toys.lego post archived on Google Groups is from 18 February 1993.[U 2] A list of alt.* newsgroups from 5 February 1993 does not include alt.toys.lego;[U 3] however, an archived message in alt.fan.warlord (a newsgroup dedicated to mocking bizarre signatures)[2] quotes an alt.toys.lego message dated 5 February 1993,[U 4] and alt.toys.lego is mentioned in a news.admin.policy message from 8 February 1993.[U 5] Koblas's rec.toys.lego proposal from 14 October 1993 refers to alt.toys.lego as having been active for nine months,[U 6] and the FAQ post from 11 January 1994 claims alt.toys.lego had existed for "almost one year".[U 7]
  2. A rec.toys newsgroup had previously been suggested in news.groups in April 1993, though it had not been created.[U 10]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Eaton, David (July 25, 2013). "20th Anniversary of the Online LEGO Community!". Brickset Forum. Archived from the original on June 25, 2015.
  2. Kehoe, Brendan P. (1994). Zen and the Art of the Internet (3rd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: PTR Prentice Hall. p. 47. ISBN 0-13-121492-6. The newsgroup alt.fan.warlord is a dumping ground for the most heinous of signature violations. In the course of reading news, people occasionally do follow-ups into alt.fan.warlord to show off their latest discoveries — talking whales, ten-line-high cacti, and a variety of other ASCII miracles.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Myers, Eric G. (September 17, 1996). "A Brief History of Toy-Related Usenet Newsgroups". Raving Toy Maniac. Archived from the original on 25 April 2024.

Usenet messages

  1. Pfeifer, Tom (12 December 1994). "Re: rec.toys.lego vs alt.toy.lego Question". Newsgrouprec.toys.lego. Usenet: [email protected]. Archived from the original on 10 November 2024. Quoting post by David Koblas (December 1994). "Re: rec.toys.lego vs alt.toy.lego Question". Newsgroupalt.toys.lego. Usenet: [email protected]. 1 year and 11 months ago I created alt.toys.lego, since I didn't think that rec.toys.lego would pass a vote without some precidence... 11 months ago, I caused the creation of rec.toys.lego and rec.toys.misc based on the success of alt.toys.lego.
  2. LaLiberte, Daniel (18 February 1993). "Lego strategy game". Newsgroupalt.toys.lego. Archived from the original on 23 April 2024.
  3. The Society for Reviling ATnT (February 5, 1993). "Another listing of newsgroups in the "alt" Usenet hierarchy". Newsgroupalt.newgroup. Usenet: [email protected]. Archived from the original on 28 April 2024.
  4. Leverton, Nick (11 February 1993). "Re: LegoLand in England??". Newsgroupalt.fan.warlord. Usenet: [email protected]. Archived from the original on 28 April 2024. In alt.toys.lego, article <[email protected]> [email protected] (Nick Pettefar) writes...
  5. Olivers, Erik (8 February 1993). "Re: Anonymous postings to non-personals newsgroups". Newsgroupnews.admin.policy. Usenet: [email protected]. Archived from the original on 28 April 2024.
  6. Koblas, David (14 October 1993). "RFD: rec.toys.lego and rec.toys.misc". Newsgroupalt.toys.lego. Usenet: [email protected]. Archived from the original on 27 April 2024.
  7. Pfeifer, Tom (12 December 1994). "LEGO frequently asked questions". Newsgrouprec.toys.lego. Usenet: [email protected]. Archived from the original on 10 November 2024.
  8. USENET news (20 May 1993). "Create newsgroup alt.toys.hi-tech". Newsgroupalt.toys.hi-tech. Usenet: [email protected]. Archived from the original on 25 April 2024.
  9. Mar, Steven (12 September 1993). "Transformers E-Mailing List". Newsgroupalt.toys.transformers. Archived from the original on 25 April 2024.
  10. Conty, Enrique "E. Kontei" (23 April 1993). "Test Baloon: rec.toys". Newsgroupnews.groups. Archived from the original on 27 April 2024.
  11. Carter, Ron (16 September 1993). "A thought for discussion..." Newsgroupalt.toys.lego. Usenet: [email protected]. Archived from the original on 27 April 2024.
  12. Carter, Ron (18 September 1993). "OK, how about a modified suggestion (trying to please all :-)". Newsgroupalt.toys.lego. Usenet: [email protected]. Archived from the original on 27 April 2024.