BRIO dates back to 1884 when basket maker Ivar Bengtsson (picture) started a general trading company in southern Sweden. In 1902 he and his family moved to the village of Osby and in 1908 Ivar passed ownership to his three sons. The following year they renamed the company Brothers Ivarsson Osby - or in short BRIO. The development into an international toy manufacturer came after WWII under the leadership of the children of the three brothers. BRIO is best known for their wooden toy trains, made since 1958. BRIO remained a family owned company until 2004.