The ToyBlocks Co. story began in Iowa in 1949, when Pat Price began carving and painting wooden blocks in a corner of the family's barn. Initially, Pat made the blocks as gifts for younger cousins and neighborhood children. Their enormous local success led Pat to rent a booth at the 1949 Iowa State Fair. There, Pat sold all 40 of the pre-made block sets and received orders for 100 more.

Since that time ToyBlocks Co. has become one of the world's largest toy manufacturers, employing approximately 2,300 people in 12 countries. Every year, millions of children enjoy countless hours of creative play with ToyBlocks products. For the past 30 years, child psychologists have regarded these products as the best in the construction-toy sector. Parents and child psychologists alike applaud ToyBlocks' innovative, patented design for stimulating children's creativity and enhancing their motor development.

The company achieved record sales in 1999, with sales topping US $673 million, and its growth rate exceeded the growth of its top 10 competitors. ToyBlocks has historically been sold through smaller toy boutiques, with this channel comprising 42% of all sales. Since 1985 however, an increasing percentage (57%) of sales have come through the Megamart channel which generates extremely high volume. Additionally, the company began selling through e-tailers in 1998. Although this distribution channel represented less than 1% of the company's total sales in the most recent fiscal year, industry analysts project Internet sales to grow exponentially over the next seven years.