The Lego Company History

The Lego company was founded by Ole Kirk Christiansen, a carpenter from Billund, Denmark. He began making wooden toys in 1932, but his company was not as successful during the Great Depression. Christiansen changed the name of his company “Lego,” a contraction of the Danish words leg godt which translates to “play best data room software to keep business on track well.”

In 1934 Lego introduced plastic bricks to make production sets and the first sets were sold. The company also created a new division, Dakta, that would focus on educational products.

In the second half of the 20th Century, Lego expanded its product range and marketing efforts. In 1971, Lego introduced furniture pieces and dollhouses and in 1974, the first Lego human figures came out. Later, the minifigures evolved into the design we have today. Lego also began to develop more sophisticated building sets targeted for older children. They would eventually grow into Lego Technic.

In 1987, Lego introduced the World Cup Lego building competition for children to compete in. The event took place in Billund where 38 children from 17 countries took part. Lego started creating theme sets in the same year. They were seen as a system within an overall system. These included Lego Space, Lego Castle and Lego Town (later changed to Lego City) as well as Lego FabuLand. Lego also deviated from its standard smiley face for the first time in 1988 by introducing a line of pirate Lego figures with various expressions and facial features.

In 1999, Lego shifted the way it licensed its characters from franchises. It began offering Lego versions of characters such as Spider-Man and Star Wars. Harry Potter, Avatar: The Last Airbender and many more. This was met with mixed reaction from fans and critics alike.