LEGO has been voted the top toy for the past 100 years in an online poll. The survey was commissioned by the Museum of Childhood in London and marks the start of its exhibition on toys throughout time.

The plastic building blocks have indeed stood the test of time proving popular with generations of children.

Some 31 per cent of the 2,000 adults questioned named Lego as the must-have toy of the past 100 years.

The traditional toy beat relatively new entrants to the market such as computer games and consoles, which received just 14 per cent of the vote.

Arguably, Lego's popularity is due to the product's versatility, a spokeswoman from the museum said: "With Lego, play is open-ended. You can do so much with it. Lego has evolved over time with many different styles and sizes from Duplo for toddlers to Bionicles for the seven-plus age group."

This view was echoed by Kate Larman, of Toymaster, Poole, who believes that the internationally popular product remains a firm favourite with the nation, exactly because it is constantly evolving.

Kate said: "The good thing is that it's moving towards girls' toys too, such as Clikits - jewellery making kits - which I think is great.

"There's also Belville, a fairytale-style set and a new pirate range. Harry Potter continues to sell like crazy."

While Lego is top of the toys, Teddy bears won third place with nine per cent, with Meccano (eight per cent), train sets (seven per cent) and bicycles (six per cent) close behind.

The remainder of the top 10 included Barbie, Rubik's Cube and Action Man, which will no doubt please Kirsty Tucker, self-confessed Barbie fanatic and manager of Toymaster Bournemouth.

First published: October 23