The author graduated university 2006. Assuming this was the beginning of his careeer, then he seems to be looking back fancifully on events he wasn’t party to.
Errr... playfulness at work doesn’t really provide a connection with the sort of Toy market being proposed here. Just because there were toys literally in googles fun style of work doesn’t mean they’re children literally playing with toys.
I never noticed this, but those original lego bricks are the colors of google's logo today.