To create the most popular toy in the world, it was necessary to combine all the best: a fairy-tale atmosphere (and this in the homeland of Hans-Christian Andersen in abundance), high-quality materials, love for the world of childhood and devotion to the idea. Most of this wealth was owned by any Dane, but only OLE Kirk Christiansen was able to build a company out of these fundamental blocks. It was he who invented and created the # 1 constructor-LEGO. It all started with stairs, stools, and Ironing boards…
The history of LEGO construction: brick by brick
Today, LEGO is positioned as a toy that can be used to build anything from a habitable home to a self-programmable robot. But the path to success of its Creator was quite long and difficult.
OLE kirk Christiansen,the Creator of LEGO
OLE was born in 1891 in the West of Denmark in a poor farming family. He was the tenth child in the family, and he had no prerequisites for a carefree childhood. OLE started to learn carpentry at the age of 14, and by 1916 the young master managed to work as a carpenter abroad (Germany, Norway) and save even a small amount of money, which was enough to purchase the "Billund carpentry shop and forest warehouse". By the way, there was enough money either for the shop or for the house, so after buying the shop, OLE used it as a home, first only for himself, and then for his wife and four sons.
the creation of the first LEGO
In the 30s of the twentieth century, he founded a company that was engaged in the production of wooden everyday items. And in the beginning, things were going very well, but the financial crisis took its toll, and despite the fact that OLE had a great assistant (his son Godfric started working with him from the age of 12), things were getting worse for the company.
He needed an idea, and he spied it from his son, who collected scraps of boards, painted them, and played with the neighborhood kids. Then OLE thought that people buy toys even in the most difficult times and decided to focus on making wooden toys.
the first LEGO toys
Do you know what is surprising: in 1932, OLE kirk Christiansen was left not only with a barely working company, but also with four children on his hands (his wife died), but at the same time found the strength to continue his business, despite all the circumstances.
The company's name came from combining two Danish words "LEg" and" GOdt", which meant"play well". And of course, the first products were not plastic cubes, which we are used to seeing, they were wooden cubes, then there were ducks on wheels, wooden cars and miniature sets of furniture.
Things began to improve, but in 1942 the toy factory completely burned down. The family managed to recover and revive production, with the updated version being more reliable and powerful, and the staff of 7 people was expanded to 40.
old LEGO packaging
By the way, "blocking" plastic cubes were invented not in Denmark, but in the UK. They were made in 1947 by Kiddicraft, based on sketches by the child psychologist Mr. Hilary Harry Fisher Page. However, the fastening of the first samples was quite weak, and it was not easy to combine the cubes into a stable structure. LEGO owners were able to consider the potential of the designer and launched their own line of plastic "bricks", but with a modified mount.
For eleven years, the company expanded its product range, tried to create new elements and introduced plastic cubes, and in 1953 launched the production line"LEGO Mursten"("LEGO bricks").
The first sets were subjected to unprecedented criticism: that it would not be interesting, and the plastic is short-lived and much more, but the Christiansen family did not turn off its course, and developed its capacity to an international company and worldwide popularity and recognition.
the history of LEGO for children
In addition to automatically connecting parts, the company also developed its own game system: a certain set of parts allowed you to create part of a separate story (house, car, ship). Every year the system has become more complex and interesting (new elements, figures, characters, and animals have been added), which is probably why playing with LEGO is still exciting not only for children, but also for adults of all ages.
Simplicity + versatility = endless possibilities
Unlike many other examples, the LEGO company is still a family business, and today its head is the grandson of the founder - Kjeld Kirk Christiansen (Kjeld Kirk Christiansen), who continues to create classics based on fashion trends.
creating a LEGO constructor
So the company has several series of designers in its Arsenal:
"LEGO" or "LEGO System". It has subseries: castles, cities, space travel, and pirates. There are separate models dedicated to popular characters: the Harry Potter film, the Star wars Saga, and many others.
"Primo" line for newborns.
for children of preschool age "LEGO DUPLO". Bright cubes are convenient to hold in your hand, play build and explore the world.
"Znap" is a less well-known line of constructors that differs from the classic version, and is optimally suited for creating bridges and original overlaps.
the most modern versions of "Technic" and "Mindstorms". You can use them to design and program your own robot.
A distinctive feature of designers is the use of a special ultra-precise technology, thanks to which parts of different years of production fit together, and you can build anything from them.
LEGO construction kit
The history of creating LEGO-it was a long and thorny path that the company overcame with success. Today, the company is in the TOP 10 most popular toy manufacturers. Its production facilities are concentrated in several countries, but the largest production is located there, in Billund (Denmark), where it all started. Today alone, this LEGO factory uses more than 60 tons of plastic per day to produce 21 billion high-quality parts annually.
Children's favorite LEGO set
The love for LEGO is so great that LEGO festivals are organized every year in different parts of the world. Outstanding structures are built there from simple blocks. The tallest tower of LEGO bricks is considered to be a 36-meter structure in tel Aviv (Israel). In addition to the designer, 4 Legoland parks have been built in the world (in Denmark, great Britain, USA and Germany), which are visited by millions of people every year.