The Lego Company History

Ole Kirk Christiansen is a carpenter from Billund in Denmark. His company was a struggle through the Great Depression, and he began to create wooden toys. Christiansen changed the name of his company “Lego,” a contraction of the Danish words leg godt which translates to “play well.”

In 1934, Lego began using plastic bricks in its production. The first Lego sets were also marketed. The company also launched an entirely new division named Dakta which would concentrate on educational products.

In the last quarter of the 20th century, Lego continued to expand its product range and marketing efforts. In 1971, Lego introduced dollhouses, furniture pieces, and in 1974 first Lego human figures. Later, these minifigures evolved into the style that we use today. Lego also began to make more advanced building sets that were geared toward older children that would develop into Lego Technic.

In 1987, Lego introduced the World Cup Lego building competition for children to compete in. The event took place in Billund and click to find out more 38 children from 17 different countries participated. Lego began creating theme sets in the same year, and were seen as components of an overall system. They included Lego Space, Lego Castle and Lego Town (later renamed Lego City) as well as Lego FabuLand. Lego also departed from its standard smiley face for the first time in 1988 by introducing the release of a line featuring pirate Lego figures with many different expressions and facial features.

In 1999, Lego shifted the way it licensed its characters from franchises. It began offering Lego versions of famous 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.