Capsela

One of my favorite childhood toys was Capsela, which I'm happy to see is alive and well, and even developing.

It was a series of plastic spheres that attached. Some had gears, some had axles, and one bit had a battery. Basically you could design little machines. And the capsules were so neat looking! None of this fake-o robot Technix stuff, or whatever that Lego offshoot is called. (I love Lego, but only the simple kind.)

I always assumed they were Scandinavian -- a logical guess, right? Well, Wikipedia tells me they were made by Mitsubishi Pencil Co of Japan. There's even a fan site! And you can still buy it.