The fascinating history of Lego

These days, kids all over the world enjoy playing with Lego. Lego is a really awesome toy, I’ve always found building with Lego to be exciting and fun. After a while of playing with Lego, I started to wonder about the creator of Lego and its history. I recently decided I wanted to become a Lego expert, here are my findings so far.

Ole Kirk Christiansen, was a carpenter from Billund, Denmark. He was inspired to begin making toys by ironing boards and stepladders because he was originally a carpenter so he was very used to working with wooden objects and structures. Ole Kirk Christiansen started a wooden toy company in 1932, called it Lego, which is a combination of Danish words that together mean “play well.” The first toy he made was a truck. By 1936, the company had a set of 42 wooden different toys, like trucks that could be taken apart and reassembled.

Then Christiansen bought plastic-making machines. This was a big risk. Toy sellers thought that kids would never want to play with something cheap-looking like plastic. Christiansen took inspiration from another toy, Kiddicraft Self Locking Building Bricks, started making his own interlocking bricks, first in wood, then eventually using he new plastic-injection machine. It was after his son took over the company that Lego finally settled on the plastic brick we all recognize today–that was 1958.

As the years went by, in 1960 the Lego company had made so many toy parts, but the most adored toys were the plastic ones since it had made a great impact on sales which lead to huge success. In 1960, a warehouse fire destroyed all the wooden lego toys. After this incident, his company stopped making wooden toys and focused solely on plastic. In 1974 the first ever Lego figure was made but it took another 4 years before it developed into the iconic minifigure with moveable limbs and painted on faces that we are familiar with.

The famous logo has been roughly the same since it was designed in 1973. It’s attractive red and white colours are eye-catching, and has proven suitable for the internet age as well. The brighter colours and the larger logo ensured that shoppers seeking the toy are attracted by seeing the very colourful and bright Lego Logo. The draw of the Lego logo is in its boldness. The bright colours are sure to attract the eye of young customers who will, in turn, draw their parent’s eyes to it.

In general, Lego has been a huge success; however, in 2003, Lego started to get less popular because of newer technology, like video games and more modern toys. This made a decrease in the Lego company’s sales. Lego CEO, Niels Christiansen, is optimistic saying, “We started 2018 in better shape and during the coming year we will stabilize the business by continuing to invest in great products.”

We can hope that the future history of Lego tells the story of the toy’s resistance to the threat of video games, which can be addictive. As a system of interlocking parts that allows you to create new things, Lego is a very educational type of toy, especially for a younger audience, because it helps build your creativity and develop your imagination. In a world where we have all sorts of entertainment that are immersive but makes us passive, Lego still has a vibrant future.

cover image: (Flicker)