LEGO history: building the imagination, one brick at a time
Modern Lego has been around for over 50 years. But in fact the story of lego toys dates back many years. The Lego Group was founded in Denmark in 1934 by Ole Kirk Christiansen, a carpenter who had become an expert in making wooden toys. For over a decade, the company has successfully sold a wide range of wooden pull-along toys, from animals to cars and trucks.
In 1947, the company made what was at the time considered a large investment in a plastic injection molding machine. This investment spawned a new line of plastic toys that paid off for the company. Then, in 1949, the Lego Group produced the first of what would become a legend in its own right: “Automatic Binding Bricks.” Although slightly different from the Lego bricks we have today, this development paved the way for what has become modern Lego. Similar in size, shape, and function, the company continued to improve the Automatic Binding Brick. In 1954, the company officially registered the name “LEGO” as a trademark.
As the development of the Lego brick continued, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, Ole’s son, who was now an active executive with the company, came up with the idea of creating a “game system” based on his Lego brick. He attributes the spark for this idea to a conversation he had with an overseas toy buyer who commented that there was no real system in the toy industry. This system gave rise to the first lego games. The modern Lego brick and design was patented in early 1958 and it took another 5 years to perfect the materials. Amazingly, the 1958 bricks are still compatible with today’s modern bricks!
During the 1960s, LEGO became a household name and an international sensation. By the end of that decade, the Lego group had sold Legos in more than 42 countries around the world and had opened a theme park in Denmark that attracted more than half a million visitors in its first year. In the 1970s, Lego branched out to create toys for boys, girls, preschoolers, and advanced builders. This decade brought two important developments for Lego: classic Lego themes and world-famous Lego figures, also known as Minifigs or Minifigures. The company continued its meteoric rise through the 1980s and 1990s with expansion into education, video games, mail-order catalogs, the launch of the official Lego website, and the company’s own-brand retail stores worldwide. world.
It was also in the 1990s that the company took one of its most notable risks that paid huge dividends. In 1999, Lego began using licensed themes to market its products. Star Wars, his first licensed debut, was an unprecedented success for the company. Since then, Lego has strategically partnered with various cartoon and movie icons to create themed sets that include lego batman, Harry Potter Legos, Spongebob Legos, Indiana Jones Legos, Spiderman Legos, Toy Story Legosand many more.
Today the LEGO company continues to grow. In addition to ongoing licensing deals, the company is focusing on developing its own characters and settings. They are also focusing on new media opportunities, through online game development, video games, and the highly successful DesignByMe 3.0, which is an online platform that gives Lego fans the opportunity to customize and build their own game and packaging. of Lego. The only limitation is the imagination of the users! As the company looks to the future, two things will remain certain: the Lego brick will be at the center of its development strategy, and Lego toys will continue to inspire the imagination of builders young and old alike.