Origins of Top Businesses: The Amazing History Of Lego
This section of our site is called “Origins Of Top Businesses”.
It features interesting facts about the early years of well-known businesses.
These facts are given to you for fun and inspiration.
Fun because the way that many top businesses started out is really surprising.
Inspiring because it will help you as a business owner see that if they can do it, so can you.
Now for today’s facts:
- The name ‘LEGO’ is an abbreviation of the two Danish words “leg godt“, meaning “play well“. It stands for the company’s ideal.
- It was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen a carpenter from Billund, Denmark, who began making wooden toys in 1932.
- He began the business in the village of Billund, Denmark.
- The company has passed from father to son and is now owned by Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, a grandchild of the founder.
- It was in 1949 when they began producing an early version of their now famous bricks, which they called “Automatic Binding Bricks“.
- I didn’t realize this, but their bricks were not completely original. They were based partially on the Kiddicraft Self-Locking Bricks (patented in the United Kingdom in 1939).
- The LEGO brick that we know of these days was launched in 1958.
- How did it happen? Christiansen’s son, Godtfred, had become the junior managing director of the Lego Group and he had a conversation with an overseas buyer. That discussion led to the idea of a “toy system.” It was then that Godtfred saw the immense potential in Lego bricks to become a system for creative play.
- Their main problem was that the bricks still had some problems from a technical standpoint: their locking ability was limited and they were not very versatile.
- In 1963, LEGO Elements are now moulded in ABS, a plastic and this finally improves their clutch power.
- Godfred Kirk Christiansen also presents the company with something he calls “ten product characteristics.” These are:
- Unlimited play potential
- For girls and for boys
- Fun for every age
- Year-round play
- Healthy, quiet play
- Long hours of play
- Development, imagination, creativity
- The more LEGO, the greater the value
- Extra sets available
- Quality in every detail
- In 1974, the Lego figure is born. Now instead of just having blocks to play with kids can now role play. From this moment on, characters become a big part of the whole experience of playing with Legos.
- In 1998, Lego Group makes an amazing move. They win the rights to make Star Wars products.
- Today, Lego continues to grow and expand with an ever-growing line of products that have movie tie-ins. They also are very involved in content marketing in the form of their magazine, TV shows, video games and now even movies.
Sources: Lego.com, Sago.co.uk, & Wikipedia
Related article
- Origins of Top Businesses: How Did Zumba Conquer The World? (baybusinesshelp.com)
