Bricklyn was founded in 1867, as a result of a wave of Danish emigration to the United States, with Bricklyn Junction following in 1871, and South Bricklyn in 1873. As careful readers will note, the establishment of the three cities preceded the official founding of the LEGO company in 1932 (and the cities were not inhabited by what we would today call “LEGO minifigures” until 1978).

The three cities operated as separate, though adjoining, municipalities until most governmental functions were merged with the formation of the Tripartite Realm of Bricklyn on January 28, 1981 — a holiday celebrated annually as “Founders of the Realm Day,” which also coincides with International LEGO Day.