The lego story how it all started
Обновлено: 22.04.2024
Enter the URL of the YouTube video to download subtitles in many different formats and languages.
You've probably seen one of these. A Lego brick.
But have you ever wondered how it all started, and why it's called Lego?
Actually, the name is much older than this plastic brick.
Are you curious?
Let me tell you how it all began. (BIRDS CHIRPING)
Many years ago, there was a skilled and hard-working carpenter named Ole Kirk Christiansen.
Ole was a respected carpenter with his own company.
But times were hard. So he didn't have much money and had to dismiss his last worker.
(DOOR KNOCKS) OLE: Come on in.
I've closed down the workshop and packed my things.
(SIGHS) Thank you.
I suppose that I better write you a paycheck.
Well, that was the last one.
I just didn't imagine it would come to this.
I know, it's hard to understand.
but at least now it can't get much worse.
But it did get worse. Shortly after Ole lost his wife.
But Ole was a special person.
He wasn't the type that gave up.
And with the responsibility of his four sons.
He had to think of something. (QUACKS)
Ole had got an idea, and for him, it never took long to put an idea into action.
Ole's little invention made his boys so happy but he thought,
"Maybe he should start making toys."
Ole decided to give it a try. Luckily, he had saved up a lot of wood from the carpentry production.
He can now use it to make toys.
Time passed by. And even though Ole was a skilled carpenter and had a good eye for quality and detail, sales were very slow.
Luckily, one of his sons, Godfrey started helping out his dad after school.
Together, they just barely managed to keep up the production.
Eventually, word began to spread that wooden toys of the finest quality were being made in the little workshop in Billund.
One day, a man drove into town. A man who would change Ole's future.
He was a wholesaler from Fredericia.
I've heard that you're making some very nice wooden toys.
Well, one does his best.
The wholesaler was very impressed with all the wooden toys.
And placed out big order before he left.
Now there's finally someone who can see the opportunities in what we're doing.
Look at this. The wholesaler wants to put a lot of our toys into a store for the holidays.
It's going to be a good Christmas this year.
But we'll be busy.
Now, there was a lot to do in the little workshop.
And Ole can rehire his former workers.
Ole only used the highest quality wood, which was handpicked and very carefully prepared.
They work day and night to get the order finished.
So the wholesaler could get the toys out in stores before Christmas.
Is there something wrong, Dad?
I'm afraid that we're in big trouble.
In the middle of their work, Ole recieved a letter, saying that wholesaler had filed for bankruptcy
and couldn't buy the toys that he had ordered.
But what are you gonna do? What about Christmas?
Now we can't even afford food?
What are you gonna do, Dad?
I'll do it myself. I'll drive around selling the toys.
There was no time to lose. Ole packed the car with all the toys and drove off.
Ole was a very good toy maker, but was not a very good salesman.
He didn't like praising himself or talking about how carefully the toys had been made, but he had to keep trying if he was going to sell anything.
This is going to be a blast.
Is there anything you're interested in?
It looks exciting, but I don't have a lot of money right now.
Maybe we could trade and call it even.
Well, I would prefer money, but.
In the end, he succeeded in selling all the toys.
He didn't receive as much money as he had hoped.
But the family managed, and they had plenty of food for Christmas.
But the toys didn't sell as quickly as they had expected.
Ole thought perhaps the company needed a good name.
What should it be?
It has to be a short word.
I wanted to convey "Playing Well."
In Danish, Playing Well is called Leg Godt.
What should it be? What should it be?
Yeah, if only I could get some sort of a sign.
As you can see, Ole himself ended up finding a very suitable name.
But what he didn't know was that in Latin the word Lego means "I put together."
The name Lego was well received, and the company's slowly started to move forward.
We have made three thousand crowns this year.
And we have more orders than usual,
Did you say three thousand crowns? (CHUCKLES)
Then you need to see what I've been looking at.
Even though Godtfred wasn't comfortable spending money on a milling machine, he could see that it was useful and the quality of work of toys improved.
Could you finish the last batch and get it ready for shipping?
Dad, Dad, I see a lot of money for the company today!
I think we could save money in the lacker.
It's like only corporate the ducks twice instead of three times.
Unfortunately, Godtfred's idea didn't go over well with Ole.
Ole made Godtfred unpack all the ducks himself, give him the last layer of lacker, and bring them back to the train station.
Ole believed in high quality and not cheating his customers.
When Godtfred returned, Ole explained that that wasn't the way to create a good brand.
This little lesson opened Godtfred's eyes to the fact that every detail matters.
And only the best is good enough.
In the late 1930's, Lego was making a profit.
Even when the second World War broke out, they tried to make the best out of a difficult time.
It seemed like nothing could go wrong.
But a stormy night in 1942 changed their luck.
[Electrical noises, and wire stretching]
"There's a fire! The workshop is on fire!
[Sirens and bells]
But when the firemen arrived, they were unable to save the workshop.
It burned to the ground, and all the drawings, and models were destroyed.
Ole was beginning to lose hope.
All that he had worked for was gone, and he almost lost his company.
But being responsible for his children and workers inspired him to rebuild Lego.
A new factory was constructed.
Soon, the production of wooden toys started again.
The little company fought its way back into the market.
Gradually, the Lego factory began to run smoothly, and Ole started looking for new challenges.
One day, he went to Copenhagen to look at a new machine that has just arrived at Denmark.
It was a plastic molding machine, and Ole was very excited about it.
"Should we buy it?"
"It sure is a good bargain, and it will give us a lot of opportunities."
"Well? It does sound interesting, but it is a lot of money."
"I'll take that as a yes."
[Phone buzzes out]
When the plastic molding machine finally arrived, Ole started making little plastic teddy bears and rattles.
But, he still had the plastic bricks he had received at the fair.
There was something about them he couldn't stop thinking about.
And even though no one else could see the potential in them, Ole decided to redesign and put them into production.
But it was when Lego first launched the grey Fergus and tractor that the plastic toys became a success.
Unfortunately, the sales were dropping during the summer.
And the company had too many toys in stock.
"This can't be right! Of course our products can be sold the whole year! Not only for Christmas."
Godtfred decided he would go out and sell the toys himself.
Godtfred brought his wife Edith as company and moral support.
[Train bell rings and car honks]
"If you can't get cash, then um, we need b-butter and eggs."
Well, it wasn't that bad.
Godtfred was a success in his trip around the country, which helped Lego get out of it's financial crisis.
They reached in time just in time for Ole's birthday party.
Ole turned 60, and the whole family was gathered to celebrate with him.
"Well, I guess it was a long trip around the country."
"Hey! I got an idea, uh, listen listen! What about picture with the three generations!"
Everyone thought that was a good idea, and we were placed on the sofa with all the presents around us.
On a business trip to England, Godtfred meet the head of a big shopping center on his way home.
They discussed the toy industry, and the conversation would be very important to the future of Lego.
"Darn this industry. I just think toys are no good nowadays."
"What do you mean? I think they're working very well."
"Oh. They work fine, sure, but there's no system in anything."
"Hmm. There isn't any system."
"What in the world are you doing Godtfred?"
"There isn't any system. The toys need an idea and a system built around it."
"I wanna put system into play. Children have only been given ready-made solutions."
"They need something different that will strengthen they're imagination and creativity."
"So you're trying to put Lego into a system? Interesting. "
That same year, Lego started producing the first Lego system of play.
Children could now build houses from the Lego bricks.
The town plan gave play a realistic town setting. And with this, children learned about traffic safety.
My sisters and I could play with the new Lego system for hours.
Some people said we we're the luckiest children in the world, because we grew up in a toy factory.
It was a huge breakthrough, and Godtfred tried to sell it outside of Denmark. The system of play was so popular, that my managed to sell it to of my countries.
"Look what I just built! "
"That is really nice Kell!"
Even though Lego was only meant for building houses, there was still a lot of opportunity. There was just one problem.
"I can't lift it up. It-it keeps falling apart."
That made Godtfred wonder, he wanted to make a way for the Lego bricks stick together.
But that was easier said then done.
Godtfred noticed that the Lego bricks got a better clutch with tubes inside.
Now, it was no longer just bricks, but a whole construction system with endless possibilities. This was ground-breaking for the Lego product.
With a child's imagination, Lego could be anything in the world, over and over again.
The imagination is the limit.
"Look Dad! Now I can build everything."
Unfortunately, Ole never got to see how successful the little brick actually became.
Godtfred was left on his own, and he had to go through another fire at Lego that destroyed most of the wood production.
Just like his father, Godtfred knew that he had to try to get the best out of any situation and never give up.
Godtfred took the hard times with his head held high.
As sales grew, the company also got bigger.
He had to think ahead, and he decided not to resume the production of wooden toys, and to only focus on the Lego system.
It turned out to be a great decision. Many new models were built and Lego got stronger in the toy industry.
"Sir? Which one of these do you think the best?"
Even though it got busier at Lego, Godtfred still had bigger plans.
Now, he wanted to build an airport, so it would be easier to sell his toys to the whole world.
Like father, like son, It didn't take long to put his idea into action.
Only three years later, Billund airport was opened.
The many guests and business connections who visited the company always wanted to see the modeling department.
Gradually, it got so crowded that it was hard for their employees to keep up their work.
". I think we better wait a while."
Godtfred could see that something had to be done.
He needed a bigger place to display the Lego models.
"Uh, I don't want to interrupt, so I'll just put this package of our new Lego train, uh, on the table."
"Just put it there."
"The idea grew quickly from an exhibition room to an amusement park."
"And then, we could have a tower so you could look over the whole park from above! The whole town! "
"It will be a land made out of Lego!"
"Well, it looks interesting, but how many visitors are you actually counting on?"
"Well, I guess, um, 200. 300 thousand?"
[ALL] "300 thousand?!"
Even though it sounded like a lot, my dad was actually pretty far off the mark.
There were 600 thousand guests the very first year.
My family and I were there to greet the guests. We've kept up this tradition ever since.
Now you know how it all began.
Lego wouldn't be what it is today if it hadn't been for my grandfather's sense of quality and search for protection.
My father firmly believed in the endless possibilities of the Lego system. I seek to take the Lego idea even further.
Encouraging children to explore, experience, and express their own world. A world without limits.
And we are still convinced that only the best is good enough. Because children deserve the best.
If all you know about LEGO is that they are plastic brick toys…well, you know nothing, Jon Snow. By far, LEGO is one of the most popular brands, and not just because of the pain you experience when you step on a LEGO brick. The company has come a very long way and its origin is pretty interesting, considering that its owner started out producing wooden toys, not plastic. In fact, it was believed that plastic toys would never be able to fully replace wooden toys because kids generally disliked plastic back then. However, LEGO revolutionized this pattern, and now LEGO toys are amongst the top favorite with kids and even adults.
On the picture above - LEGO wooden toys.
Perhaps, one of the major reasons LEGO is so widespread today is because they cater to kids and adults alike. It is now common to see adults playing with LEGO bricks without any self-consciousness. In fact, it is considered “cool” if you can build LEGO sets creatively and quickly. Plus, some LEGO sets are simply too expensive to be bought for kids and are actually suited for adults, especially since LEGO has a track record of designing sets based on real-life structures and even historical events, for instance, the Apollo 11 Lunar Lander. Also, the LEGO Bugatti Chiron is an excellent and detailed rendition of the actual Bugatti Chiron that costs a whopping £2.5 million.
LEGO has long been a favorite. The LEGO origin, the story behind the company and the toy itself will make fans love LEGO even more.
On the picture above - Ole Kirk Christiansen at his desk, 1934. - founder of the LEGO
LEGO History (The LEGO Group)
The LEGO Group started out as a small company owned by Ole Kirk Christiansen who had been making wooden toys since 1932. Initially, he only made wooden toys and not plastic, but later on, by 1947, the company started producing plastic toys. Now these toys were not the LEGO building bricks as we know them today but simply toys made out of plastic. It was in 1949 that the company starting making interlocking bricks, of course, at the time they were in their simplest forms. Nowadays, LEGO creates more and more complex as well as interesting pieces.
The name “LEGO” was derived from the Danish term leg godt which means “play well.” Funny enough, although only the first two letters of each word were combined to form “LEGO,” the term has its own meaning as well in Latin which is “I put together.” Ole Kirk had no idea this would be the resulting meaning in another language, making it amazing and ironic what LEGO actually turned to – a company that makes bricks you put together!
In accordance with The LEGO Group’s motto, which when translated means “The best is not too good,” Christiansen encouraged his employees to produce top quality at all times. This is why the company has never compromised on quality and keeps looking for new ways to make better, more sustainable brick pieces. With new innovations year after year, by 2015, LEGO was named the “world’s most powerful brand,” taking the place of Ferrari.
LEGO Toy History
While the production of plastic toys started in 1949, it was only in 1978 that the company produced the first mini-figures. Since then, there have been various types of LEGO toys, including spaceships, supercars, and even treehouses. There seems to be no limit to the types of sets LEGO can create. In essence, LEGO toys are so popular that they are used as teaching tools and even just as display pieces in homes and offices.
Top LEGO Facts You Should Know
On the picture above - famous YouTube star MrBeast
1. There are about 20 billion LEGO bricks created each year.
2. According to a professor of Mathematics, any six 2x4 LEGO bricks can be combined in 915 million ways. Well, no one has ever had the time and patience to actually do this, but hey, you could be the first.
3. LEGO is the largest tire manufacturer in the world. This is attributed to the fact that LEGO actually produces about 306 million tires every year.
4. Since 1949 when the company started making plastic toys, there have been about 440 billion LEGO elements produced.
5. Initially, Minifigures were supposed to have only one color (yellow) with a happy facial expression. In recent times, however, we see Minifigures with all kinds of facial expressions and even multiple colors.
6. In total, there have been 4 billion Minifigures ever produced. This makes them the largest population group in the world. That’s right, Minifigures by far outnumber your population group. Imagine if they came to life…
On the picture above - Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen - CEO of The Lego Group
7. The founder, Ole Kirk Christiansen, passed down ownership to his grandson, Kjeld Kirk Christiansen, who now runs the company with his children.
8. If LEGO bricks could be shared amongst all the people in the world, each one would get about 62 bricks. That’s a statistical way of saying there’s a crapload of LEGO bricks in the world!
9. The Minifigure population is over 80% male. Okay, feminists, here’s your chance.
10. Prior to 2018, most LEGO pieces were made entirely from ABS plastics. This means that these pieces can never decompose. In a bid to create more sustainable LEGO pieces, the company started using plastic sourced from sugarcane to produce the pieces we see today.
11. The first LEGO treehouse was made of 3.3 million bricks (talk about attention to detail!) Plus, the house was not just a toy, it actually had a working toilet, and bed…not that you could use it though, after all, it is a much smaller version of a real house.
12. LEGO became the second-largest toymaker in the world in 2014, falling just behind Mattel.
13. The Harry Potter set has the first Minifigure (Quirrell) to be double-sided, featuring both a good side and a bad side. It’s pretty safe to say it was two-faced.
14. There are no LEGO sets based on war because the founder did not want war to become attractive or normal to kids.
15. Initially, LEGO did not make licensed sets, hence it was only in 1999 that Minifigures could feature small toy guns.
16. The first-ever LEGO Minifigure created was a police officer.
17. LEGO is big on consistency, especially in terms of quality. The LEGO bricks made in 1952 can still fit perfectly on LEGO bricks made in 2019.
On the picture above - First LEGO Star Wars set. LEGO X-WING FIGHTER 7140
18. LEGO’s first themed set was Star Wars which it licensed in 1999.
19. There is no such thing as “LEGOs.” The plural of LEGO is still LEGO.
20. There are so many LEGO pieces in the world that if you connect about 40 million LEGO bricks end to end, the column can reach the moon.
Most Expensive LEGO Sets Ever Made
With great value comes great cost. Since its inception, LEGO has created some very expensive sets that could definitely create a dent or two in your bank account. While some of these sets were expensive from the onset, most only became so valuable after they had been taken off the market. You may even have some of these in your attic. So, it probably wouldn’t be wise to throw out all your old LEGO sets because it just might be worth a fortune. Let’s look at some of the highest-priced and most valuable LEGO sets in LEGO history.
1. LEGO First Edition Millennium Falcon
LEGO First Edition Millennium Falcon - This is by far one of the most valuable LEGO sets you can find (that’s if you can still find it today). Its highest sale price was a whopping $15,000! Although there are some factors that caused this huge hike in its price such as it being sold in an airtight case and in Las Vegas, it is still pretty expensive on a normal day. It can be sold for an average of $4500 and its original price was only $450. So, if you happen to have a first edition Millennium Falcon somewhere in your attic, well, you’re sitting on a fortune.
2. LEGO First Edition Taj Mahal
LEGO First Edition Taj Mahal - This LEGO set was considered a masterpiece and its highest sale price was about $3800. It was often in competition with the Millennium Falcon in terms of value but we all know who won that title.
3. LEGO Minifigures Series 10, Mr. Gold
LEGO Minifigures Series 10, Mr. Gold - Well, with a name like “Mr. Gold,” why wouldn’t it cost a lot? This is not actually a LEGO set but a Minifigure and it alone was valued on the average at $1,800. In fact, LEGO Minifigures can be very expensive and can take up to 50% of the total price of a set.
4. LEGO Statue of Liberty
LEGO 3450 Statue of Liberty - This set happens to be as valuable as the Eiffel Tower. While on average it can be sold for $2000, there is one boxed set of the LEGO Statue of Liberty that is priced at a shocking $5000.
Without a doubt, LEGO has come a pretty long way and is still going farther. We can only wait patiently to see what’s in store for us in the coming years. What do you think LEGO should create next?
What’s missing is the fact that LEGO was manufactured and marketed in the U. S. for 5 years in the early ’60’s, by Samsonite (through a licensing agreement with LEGO). I know because my PR firm represented Samsonite and put LEGO on the map with many “firsts”: LEGO/Children’s Fashion Show (in which my son and daughter modeled) at NY’s FAO Schwarz; LEGO play area in the Danish Pavilion at the NY World’s Fair; “city of the future” (model built by Pratt Institute architecture students) featured on the TODAY SHOW (this was its first major TV news segment); LEGO TRAIN (from Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens) in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in 1968); building contests in many department stores throughout the country…and dozens more “firsts.” All that said…just to keep the record straight.
There are now tons of mini figures that have two faces.
The Star Wars themed set really paved the way for Lego to reach the peak of being a business empire. Tapping the Star Wars market was such a smart choice because they pieced together two of the most loyal fanbases in the world. You can read more about how the Star Wars franchise impacted Lego’s business empire from The Toy Report. They have a coverage of Lego’s history, from the foundation story, their owner, and where the company stands today
I played with LEGOs from as long as I could remember and I have always wondered when LEGO came into existence. I know that it predates my existence, but by how much is what I didn't know. This was one reason I embarked on this journey to find the history of LEGO, first lego set and how it all began.
LEGO is said to have started in a Danish carpentry workshop during the early 1930s. From that time to now, it has continued to blossom beyond our expectations. If we are talking about a toy line that has outshone Barbie, LEGO will come up. It is rare to see any kid or adult that hasn't heard of the toy series. You can come across different LEGO products and when services like LEGO MOVIES, LEGO VIDEO GAMES, LEGO RETAIL STORES, LEGO BOARD GAMES, LEGOLAND THEME PARK, as well as LEGO Serious Play.
This company came into existence and has continuously affected different aspects of different cultures. Not minding that the company has grown tremendously, it is still privately held. It is not traded on any stock exchange. It is a wonder how they could expand to almost all corners of the world, and still be traded privately.
LEGO's Marketing Skills - How It Started
Well, LEGO's marketing skills are top-notch and are currently being studied in schools. We can't help but say that one reason the company has succeeded is because of the fact that they have a team of geniuses at their beck and call.
It has been said that this company started out in Denmark, in a carpentry workshop. It was run by Ole Kirk Christiansen. This Carpenter decided to own a workshop and start operating as a carpenter in the 1910s. This carpentry shop had been in existence before he bought it. It is said that the carpentry shop came into being in 1895.
The aim of the shop was to provide woodwork services to clients from around the region. They made different types of furniture. If you were looking for top-notch furniture, you had no choice but to patronize this shop. Apart from that, they were involved in the building comes.
In 1924, it is believed that this precious carpentry workshop was burnt to ashes. The fire started and burnt harder because of the wood shavings that abounded in the shop.
Kirk decided to build another carpentry shop, but this time, it was bigger. He wanted to enlarge his coast and the number of works that he did.
When he did this, the Great Depression came knocking, and this made Kirk lose a lot of his clients. When there were no longer big projects, he decided to take on smaller ones.
What he did was create smaller models of the wooden products that he made, to form as a design aid. He created smaller versions of ironing boards, stepladders and so on. When he saw how cute they were, he decided to veer into the production of toys.
When 1932 came along, Kirk began the creation of wooden toys for kids. Some toys that he made were trucks, cars, pull toys, piggy banks, houses and so on.
Since it was during the Great Depression that he started making these toys, they were not as profitable as he would have wished.
To buy the toys for their kids, some farmers were known to exchange their foods for toys. It was traded by barter exchange. Kirk didn't stop creating normal-sized furniture but he combined them with the creation of toys.
When the yo-yo trend happened in the mid-1930s, Kirk benefited greatly from it, until people lost interest. To ensure that waste was clamped down to the barest minimum, Kirk decided to refurbish those remaining yo-yo components to toy trucks' wheels.
When his son grew older, he started to work in the carpentry shop, and he is seen to be one of those that propelled the existence of this company.
Kirk decided to hold an internal competition for his workers to come up with the perfect name for the company. This occurred in the mid-1930s, and the winner was to take home homemade wine.
Many of the workers went for the name, Legio, which was meant to take the form of "Legion of toys". Some went for 'Lego', which meant "play well" in Danish.
After some time went by, the company realized that the word, "Lego" meant "I put together" in another popular language, Latin. Kirk loved the name, Lego, and decided that all his products would bear that name.
When the Second World War was over, Denmark had a lot of plastics in existence and this made the company decide to buy a plastic injection molding machine. This change was made in the year, 1947.
A truck was created and it is said to be amongst the first modular toys. You could assemble the pieces together and take them apart. You could assemble them again.
Kirk and Godtfred decided to do some research in other companies in existence then, and one of them was Kiddicraft. They bought some plastic bricks that had been made by their competitors and divided to analyze them.
Hilary Fisher Page was the designer of the building blocks for Kiddicraft. He had sought for it to be patented by him. The plastic block was one that had four studs on it to ensure that another one could be placed on top of it effortlessly.
LEGO decided to start creating bricks that were similar to that of its competitors. When they did, they christened the bricks, "Automatic Binding Bricks." Those bricks were created using cellulose acetate. They were fashioned to look like the standard wooden blocks, which were easily placed on top of another one. They were made to fit effortlessly, though they were not held onto one another in a tight manner.
The company decided to call these bricks, 'LEGO Bricks' in 1953.
When plastic products were being sold by the Group, a lot of clients didn't fancy them. They preferred metallic or wooden toys because they felt that they lasted longer. Do you know that most of the shipments sent by the company was sent back because they refused to sell?
During the mid-1950s, Godtfred was already LEGO's junior managing director.
One day, he was talking with a buyer that was not in Denmark and a thought came to him. He could make a string of toys or your series, with a lot of toys that were related been made.
When he analyzed the products that they had on the ground, it dawned on him that using plastic bricks would make the process easier for the system or series go work
This made LEGO churn out the "Town Plan" in 1955.
When he churned out this system, there was an increase in sales for them. People embraced it in a moderate manner, but there was a snag with it. When you look at its technical aspect, you had no choice but to notice its ineffectual "locking" ability. It was not as flexible as many people wanted.
To improve this snag, LEGO decides to make use of hollow tubes underneath the brick. These changes were made in 1958.
With this alteration, it was able to have the needed base support, allowing it to be a lot flexible and bask in awesome locking ability.
LEGO decided to patent this design, and other designs to prevent competitors from using them. In 1958, Kirk died and Godtfred became the new owner of the firm.
Fire decided to visit LEGO's warehouse again and many of the wooden toys that were in existence were fitted by the fire. This made Godtfred make the decision of throwing away the production of wooden toys and go for plastic solely. Then, a lot of clients were embracing the plastic toys.
When this occurred, Godtfred and his brothers, Gerhardt had a serious misunderstanding. They resigned from their father's company and decided to create their own firm, " Bilofix."
When the year had come to an end, LEGO had close to five hundred workers.
When the early 1960s dawned upon the world, the company decided that they wanted to gain a market share in North America. There was an issue with that plan. They didn't have the right logistical capabilities to achieve this feat.
The company decided to strike a deal with another company, Samsonite. The latter was allowed to create LEGO products and sell them to those in North America.
In the early 1960s, the first-ever LEGO wheels were manufactured. The company had decided to increase the capability of the vehicles that it made.
Within that era, the company decided to create toys that were meant for those that we're currently in pre-school.
When 1964 was upon us, the material that was utilized in the creation of the bricks, cellulose acetate was tossed away. The company decided to go for a more stable material, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS plastic). It is even used up to the present day.
This is because ABS is not dangerous and is not easily discolored. Users don't have to worry about it being warped. Apart from that, it is known to be resistant to a lot of chemicals, salt, acids and even heat to a large extent.
The company catering to North America for LEGO, Samsonite, didn't make this alteration during the time that LEGO did. They utilized some amount of cellulose acetate in what they created.
Once the mid-1960s was upon us, LEGO decided to add guidelines to the First LEGO set that it made.
We won't be wrong if we said that the LEGO train system is a very lucrative series made by this company. It was first created in 1966.
When it was made, it had rails, 4.5- volt, battery box, as well as a motor.
To commemorate the success of LEGO, the company decided to create Legoland Park in 1968. This was created in the home town of LEGO, Billund.
This park had a lot of incredible features that depicted LEGO and its products. They were created using solely Lego bricks.
When it opened, it had gotten 625,000 visitors in only one year.
Now, it has millions of visitors annually and expanded to close to ten times its initial size. Who wouldn't want to go to the home town of LEGO?
The Duplo System
LEGO decided to churn out the Duplo system in 1969. They were made to be a lot bigger than the LEGO bricks to ensure that kids could effortlessly play with them. LEGO didn't want kids choking or getting injured by tinier bricks.
The Duplo bricks could easily fit the LEGO ones. They were loved for their compatibility. Both were designed in such a way that smaller kids could easily transition to having LEGO bricks when they were older.
LEGO got the name, Duplo, from Latin. It means double.
As the twentieth century moved, the company continued to improve its creation of toys and how they were marketed.
LEGO decided to create a market for girls by creating dollhouses as well as female furniture.
You could also see ship sets and even boats in 1972. Godtfred's son- Kjeld- became a member of the management circle during that era. This came about after he had earned some business degrees in Denmark and Switzerland.
LEGO has moved on to be the best producers of toys, with state of the art manufacturing and research facilities.
Conclusion
LEGO didn't come into existence today. It has been around for decades and will continue to be in existence. Now, that you know the creation story of this company, you can tell that we are a part of a legacy.
Do you have First LEGO SET that you want to beautify? You can do this with customized lighting bricks. Talk to us today.
Chris, have a look on a site called “brick link” its pretty easy to navigate and has links to pretty much any lego piece you want
I was born in 1950 in England we had some brick blocks that felt a little rubbery. We’re they your bricks.?
I’ve got bucket loads of vintage star wars Lego but over the course of time I’ve lost certain bits, can I replace them from Lego
We kept the Lego sets we bought in the early 1980s for our 2 daughters and now our 2 grandchildren play with them. Thanks Lego
Actually, the name is much older than this plastic brick. Are you curious? Let me tell you how it all began. (BIRDS CHIRPING) Many years ago, there was a skilled and hard-working carpenter named Ole Kirk Christiansen. Ole was a respected carpenter with his own company. But times were hard. So he didn't have much money and had to dismiss his last worker. (DOOR
KNOCKS) OLE: Come on in. I've closed down the workshop and packed my things. (SIGHS) Thank you. I suppose that I better write you a paycheck. (DRAWER CLOSES) Take care. Well, that was the last one. I just didn't imagine it would come to this. I know, it's hard to understand. but at least now it can't get much worse. But it did get worse. Shortly after Ole lost his wife. But Ole was a special person. He wasn't the type that gave up. And with the responsibility of his four
sons. He had to think of something. (QUACKS) Ole had got an idea, and for him, it never took long to put an idea into action. Ole's little invention made his boys so happy but he thought, "Maybe he should start making toys." Ole decided to give it a try. Luckily, he had saved up a lot of wood from the carpentry production. He can now use it to make toys. Time passed by. And even though Ole was a skilled carpenter and had a good eye for quality and detail, sales were very slow.
started
helping out his dad after school. Together, they just barely managed to keep up the production. Eventually, word began to spread that wooden toys of the finest quality were being made in the little workshop in Billund. One day, a man drove into town. A man who would change Ole's future. He was a wholesaler from Fredericia. I've heard that you're making some very nice wooden toys. Well, one does his best. The wholesaler was very impressed with
all the wooden toys. And placed out big order before he left. Now there's finally someone who can see the opportunities in what we're doing. Look at this. The wholesaler wants to put a lot of our toys into a store for the holidays. It's going to be a good Christmas this year. But we'll be busy. Now, there was a lot to do in the little workshop. And Ole can rehire his former workers. Ole only used the highest quality wood, which was handpicked and very carefully prepared. They
work day and night to get the order finished. So the wholesaler could get the toys out in stores before Christmas. Is there something wrong, Dad? I'm afraid that we're in big trouble. In the middle of their work, Ole recieved a letter, saying that wholesaler had filed for bankruptcy and couldn't buy the toys that he had ordered. But what are you gonna do? What about Christmas? Now we can't even afford food? I'll do it. What are you gonna do, Dad? I'll do it myself.
I'll drive around selling the toys. There was no time to lose. Ole packed the car with all the toys and drove off. (HORN HONKS) Ole was a very good toy maker, but was not a very good salesman. He didn't like praising himself or talking about how carefully the toys had been made, but he had to keep trying if he was going to sell anything. This is going to be a blast. Is there anything you're interested in? It looks exciting, but I don't have a lot of money right now. Maybe we
could trade and call it even. Well, I would prefer money, but. In the end, he succeeded in selling all the toys. He didn't receive as much money as he had hoped. But the family managed, and they had plenty of food for Christmas. Time passed by. But the toys didn't sell as quickly as they had expected. Ole thought perhaps the company needed a good name. (OLE SIGHS) What should it be? It has to be a short word. I wanted to convey "Playing Well." In Danish, Playing Well is
called Leg Godt. What should it be? What should it be? Yeah, if only I could get some sort of a sign.
As you can see, Ole himself ended up finding a very suitable name. But what he didn't know was that in Latin the word
started
to move forward. We have made three thousand crowns this year. And we have more orders than usual, Did you say three thousand crowns? (CHUCKLES) Then you need to
see what I've been looking at. Even though Godtfred wasn't comfortable spending money on a milling machine, he could see that it was useful and the quality of work of toys improved. Could you finish the last batch and get it ready for shipping? I will. (TYPEWRITER CLACKING) Dad, Dad, I see a lot of money for the company today! Really? How? I think we could save money in the lacker. It's like only corporate the ducks twice instead of three times. You, what? Unfortunately,
Godtfred's idea didn't go over well with Ole. Ole made Godtfred unpack all the ducks himself, give him the last layer of lacker, and bring them back to the train station. Ole believed in high quality and not cheating his customers. When Godtfred returned, Ole explained that that wasn't the way to create a good brand. This little lesson opened Godtfred's eyes to the fact that every detail matters. And only the best is good enough. In the late 1930's,
Even when the second World War broke out, they tried to make the best out of a difficult time. It seemed like nothing could go wrong. But a stormy night in 1942 changed their luck. "There's a fire! The workshop is on fire! But when the firemen arrived, they were unable to save the workshop. It burned to the ground, and all the drawings, and models were destroyed. Ole was beginning to lose hope. All that he had worked for was gone, and he almost lost his company. But being
started
started
looking for new challenges. One day, he went to Copenhagen to look at a new machine that has just arrived at Denmark. It was a plastic molding machine, and Ole was very excited about it. "Should we buy it?"
"It sure is a good bargain, and it will give us a lot of opportunities." "Well? It does sound interesting, but it is a lot of money." "I'll take that as a yes." When the plastic molding machine finally arrived, Ole
started
making little plastic teddy bears and rattles. But, he still had the plastic bricks he had received at the fair. There was something about them he couldn't stop thinking about. And even though no one else could see the potential in them,
first launched the grey Fergus and tractor that the plastic toys became a success. Unfortunately, the sales were dropping during the summer. And the company had too many toys in stock. "This can't be right! Of course our products can be sold the whole year! Not only for Christmas." Godtfred decided he would go out and sell the toys himself. Godtfred brought his wife Edith as company and moral support.
"If you can't get cash, then um, we need b-butter and eggs." Well, it wasn't that bad. Godtfred was a success in his trip around the country, which helped
get out of it's financial crisis. They reached in time just in time for Ole's birthday party. Ole turned 60, and the whole family was gathered to celebrate with him. "Well, I guess it was a long trip around the country." "Hey! I got an idea, uh, listen listen! What about picture with the three
generations!" Everyone thought that was a good idea, and we were placed on the sofa with all the presents around us. On a business trip to England, Godtfred meet the head of a big shopping center on his way home. They discussed the toy industry, and the conversation would be very important to the future of
"Darn this industry. I just think toys are no good nowadays." "What do you mean? I think they're working very well." "Oh. They work fine, sure, but
there's no system in anything." "System?" ". System?" "Hmm. There isn't any system." "What in the world are you doing Godtfred?" "There isn't any system. The toys need an idea and a system built around it." "I wanna put system into play. Children have only been given ready-made solutions." "They need something different that will strengthen they're imagination and creativity." "So you're trying
started
bricks. The town plan gave play a realistic town setting. And with this, children learned about traffic safety. My sisters and I could play with the new
system for hours. Some people said we we're the luckiest children in the world, because we grew up in a toy factory. It was a huge breakthrough, and Godtfred tried to sell it
outside of Denmark. The system of play was so popular, that my managed to sell it to of my countries. "Look what I just built! " "That is really nice Kell!" Even though
was only meant for building houses, there was still a lot of opportunity. There was just one problem. "I can't lift it up. It-it keeps falling apart." That made Godtfred wonder, he wanted to make a way for the
bricks got a better clutch with tubes inside. Now, it was no longer just bricks, but a whole construction system with endless possibilities. This was ground-breaking for the
could be anything in the world, over and over again. The imagination is the limit. "Look Dad! Now I can build everything." Unfortunately, Ole never got to see how successful the little brick actually became. Godtfred was left on his own, and he had to
that destroyed most of the wood production. Just like his father, Godtfred knew that he had to try to get the best out of any situation and never give up. Godtfred took the hard times with his head held high. As sales grew, the company also got bigger. He had to think ahead, and he decided not to resume the production of wooden toys, and to only focus on the
toy industry. "Sir? Which one of these do you think the best?" "Mm, uh, that one." Even though it got busier at
Godtfred still had bigger plans. Now, he wanted to build an airport, so it would be easier to sell his toys to the whole world. Like father, like son, It didn't take long to put his idea into action. Only three years later, Billund airport was opened. The many guests and business connections who visited the company always wanted to see the modeling
department. Gradually, it got so crowded that it was hard for their employees to keep up their work. ". I think we better wait a while." Godtfred could see that something had to be done. He needed a bigger place to display the
train, uh, on the table." "Just put it there." "Train?" "The idea grew quickly from an exhibition room to an amusement
park." "And then, we could have a tower so you could look over the whole park from above! The whole town! " "It will be a land made out of
-Land!" "Well, it looks interesting, but how many visitors are you actually counting on?" "Well, I guess, um, 200. 300 thousand?" "300 thousand?!" Even though it sounded like a lot, my dad was actually pretty far off the mark. There were 600 thousand guests the very first year. My
family and I were there to greet the guests. We've kept up this tradition ever since. Now you know how it all began.
wouldn't be what it is today if it hadn't been for my grandfather's sense of quality and search for protection. My father firmly believed in the endless possibilities of the
idea even further. Encouraging children to explore, experience, and express their own world. A world without limits. And we are still convinced that
Legos are perhaps the most influential toy in the history of the world. They’ve been the attraction of every kid since the 1900s, and they’re more or less everyone’s favorite toy. However, what's most amazing is the history of how these plastic bricks evolved through time.
The Lego group began in the musty workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen, a carpenter from Denmark who began making wooden toys in 1932. Christiansen was a kind, persistent carpenter with an ever-smiling face and and an identifiable crooked nose. He had extremely high standards for people of that age, as money was running low and he barely earned enough to support the family. However, he didn’t give up, and eventually he decided to begin making toys.
The Ole Kirk Christiansen house
In 1934, he named his company Lego, derived from the Danish phrase leg godt, meaning ‘play well’. Christiansen’s company went through many hardships in his life. In 1924, the workshop burned down, and with it all the models Christiansen had designed in his career. Still, he still didn’t give up. He had a new, bigger workshop rebuilt, though this put his family in debt and he was forced to rent out the house and live in a one-room apartment. However, bad times were not over. In 1932, his wife Kirstine died, leaving Christiansen to raise his four children alone as well as make enough money for the family.
Ole Kirk Christiansen
Being the man he was, Christiansen still didn’t give up hope. He kept making toys, now with the help of his children, and his income slowly increased to allow for the purchases of better equipment. After Christiansen bought a milling machine, the company’s income took a turn for the good, inspiring Christiansen’s search for new ideas.
In 1949, Christiansen went to a fair where an injection molding machine was showcased. The machine was making interlocking plastic bricks. He found these interesting and slipped one in his shirt pocket to look at later. He decided to buy an injection molder, as the Lego Group had earned 3000 crowns that year, which was more than enough to purchase the machine.
An older injection molding machine, similar to the model Christiansen used
When Christiansen returned home, his company began producing plastic toys. Most of these were not accepted by the public, as parents preferred wooden toys for their children to play with. This proved a problem for Christiansen. He needed to think of something to bring his income back up, or his company would not survive. Suddenly he remembered the plastic brick he had in his shirt pocket. He alone realized it’s potential. The company thought it would be of no use, but despite his employee’s unanimous opinion, he put Lego Bricks into production.
The new Lego Bricks took a while to catch on, but their popularity was growing exponentially and by 1951, they accounted for half of the Lego Group's output.They began to be considered an exception to the dislike of plastic in children's toys, mostly because of Christiansen’s high standards. However, Christiansen was growing old and needed someone to take over his business.
Three generations of the Kirk Christiansens
In 1954, Christiansen's son Godtfred had become the junior director of the Lego Group. He saw great potential in Lego bricks, though there were several technical issues he needed to fix; they did not stay together and therefore could not be lifted and they did not snap together seamlessly. In 1958, the modern Lego design was developed, though it took another five years to find the right material for it. Eventually Godtfred decided to use ABS polymer, and the Lego bricks were patented on 28 of January, 1958.
LEGOs have evolved in many ways since the fateful day Christiansen began manufacturing them. They have grown to be centered around an educational system of play, with robotic features such as motors and programmable control bricks. STEM has even endorsed LEGO and remade many of their products for a school- and homeschool-friendly education system, and many third-party brands have been doing the same for several years.
Example of advanced lego builds
However, there was still one overlying problem with the LEGO system: ninety percent of the sets in existence were aimed at the male portion of our population. The other fifty percent of kids weren’t completely satisfied with LEGO. As a solution to this problem, LEGO Friends was launched in January 2012 after a $40 million global marketing push. It contained unconventional pieces and minifigures that were more life-like, yet resembled the original LEGO design. "This is the most significant strategic launch we've done in a decade," said the Lego Chief Executive Officer shortly after the launch of LEGO Friends.
However, LEGO hasn’t stopped progressing. Over time more and more features are being introduced, and dozens of new sets are released every month. Each new set sells better than the last, proving the sheer popularity of LEGOs. They have topped the lists for over 6 years, and the Lego Group is currently the largest company in the world. Remember, this isn’t the end of the LEGO Story. The Lego Group is still in action, producing millions of sets per year, and making sure that Christiansen’s legacy will live on for many years to come.
GTK has some good looks by default. However, it can look better. In the list below are five of my [. ]
Читайте также: