When did Lego become popular in the US?
The History of Lego
- Beginnings. The company that makes these famous interlocking bricks started as a small shop in Billund, Denmark.
- Birth of the Lego Brick. In 1953, the automatic binding bricks were renamed Lego bricks. ...
- Lego Sets. In 1964, for the first time, consumers could buy Lego sets, which included all the parts and instructions to build a particular model.
When did they first make Legos?
The first LEGO toy factory was founded in Billund, Denmark in 1932. The name “LEGO” is derived from the Danish words “leg godt,” which means “play well.” Originally, the LEGO factory made only wooden toys, such as trains. Eventually, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, the son of the factory’s founder, developed “LEGO Mursten” which means “LEGO Bricks.”
When did the first Lego set come out?
The first set was subsequently released on June 1, 2012.The second and third sets, The Village and The Nether, were announced at Comic-Con 2013. The fourth set, The End, was announced through a teaser on March 8, followed by a reveal on March 14 on the LEGO Minecraft Facebook page.
What year did Legos come out in the US?
The LEGO System -- or as most call them, LEGOs -- came to America in the 1970s but has been around in one form or another for over 60 years. And with the release of video games like LEGO Star Wars and movies like The LEGO Movie, the LEGO entertainment empire just continues to build on its American (and global) dominance. But LEGOs didn't come to the United States until 1972, when LEGO USA was established.
Who brought LEGO to the United States?
Although Ole Christensen never lived to see the magnitude of his brand's achievement, it's certain that he would have been proud of its success and (like any father) his son's leadership. LEGO expanded its operations to several other countries during the 1960s, although the U.S. market remained untapped.
When did LEGOs become widely used?
Between 1910 and 1913, commercial logos became a common sight in the US and in Europe. In 1914, logos stretched past the commercial market when Pierre de Coubertin designed the Olympic flag.
Was LEGO invented in America?
LEGO, plastic building-block toys that rose to massive popularity in the mid-20th century. LEGO blocks originated in the Billund, Denmark, workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen, who began making wooden toys in 1932. Two years later he named his company LEGO after the Danish phrase leg godt (“play well”).
How much did LEGOs cost in 1958?
Starting this week, Walmart is selling 60th anniversary LEGO classic building set for $5.65. That's what LEGOs cost back in 1958, according to Walmart. Godtfred Kirk Christiansen invented LEGO brick that year.
When was LEGO invented?
August 10, 1932, Billund, DenmarkThe Lego Group / Founded
Why did LEGO fail in 2004?
One reason that Lego nearly went bankrupt was because they lost sight of who their target audience was. They made unfounded assumptions, hastily innovating and creating without really researching beforehand to find out if that was what their audience actually wanted.
What does LEGO stand for?
play wellThe name 'LEGO' is an abbreviation of the two Danish words “leg godt”, meaning “play well”. It's our name and it's our ideal. The LEGO Group was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen.
What does LEGO mean in slang?
(slang, chiefly imperative) Contraction of let's go.
When was the LEGO brick patent?
Sixty years ago, on January 28, 1958, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen filed an application for a patent in Denmark for a toy building block, the Lego. Thanks to the patent, Lego Group—the Lego block manufacturer—became one of the largest toy manufacturers in the world.
How do you date LEGO bricks?
8:3510:48BAT Special - How can you tell what era Lego Bricks are from? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipI won't tell you necessary specific years but until 1974 all LEGO bricks would have the PIP. AndMoreI won't tell you necessary specific years but until 1974 all LEGO bricks would have the PIP. And then between 1974 and 1979 they could have either and then after that they did.
What is Legoland made of?
A model of St Paul's Cathedral in London can be seen in Legoland Windsor. It is made of thousands of Lego bricks. The rotating model of the London Eye in the background is also made of Lego bricks. In the late 1990s, the Lego Group brought out a series of new and specialized ranges aimed at particular demographics.
How big is a Duplo brick?
The name Duplo comes from the Latin word duplus, which translates literally as double, meaning that a Duplo brick is exactly twice the dimension of a Lego building brick (2× height by 2× width by 2× depth = 8× the volume of a brick).
What happened to Lego in 1960?
Another warehouse fire struck the Lego Group in 1960, consuming most of the company's inventory of wooden toys. Godtfred decided that the plastic line was strong enough to abandon the production of wooden toys. As a result, Godtfred's brothers Gerhardt (then head of wooden toys) and Karl Georg left the Lego company and began a separate company, " Bilofix ." By the end of the year, the Lego Group was employing more than 450 people.
What is Lego's meaning?
Christiansen was considering two names himself, "Legio" (with the implication of a "Legion of toys") and "Lego," a self-made contraction from the Danish phrase leg godt, meaning "play well.". Later the Lego Group discovered that "Lego" could be loosely interpreted as "I put together" or "I assemble" in Latin.
How many people were employed by Lego in 1961?
By the end of the year, the Lego Group was employing more than 450 people. In 1961, Lego wished to expand sales to North America but did not have the logistical capabilities to do so. Lego made an arrangement allowing Samsonite to begin producing and selling Lego products in the United States and Canada.
When was the first Lego train made?
One of the Lego Group's most successful series, the Lego train system, was released in 1966. The original train sets included a 4.5- volt (which was changed to a 12-volt version two years later) motor, battery box, and rails. On 7 June 1968, the first Legoland Park was opened in Billund.
Where did Lego start?
The Lego Group began in the carpentry workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen in Billund, Denmark. In 1916, Kristiansen purchased a woodworking shop in Billund, which had been in business since 1895. The shop mostly helped construct houses and furniture and had a small staff of apprentices.
What toys did Lego make in 1949?
By 1949, Lego was using this machine to produce about 200 different kinds of toys, which included automatic binding bricks, a plastic fish and a plastic sailor. The automatic binding bricks were the predecessors of the Lego toys of today.
How many employees did Lego have in 1948?
From just a handful of employees in the early years, Lego had grown to 50 employees by 1948. The product line had grown as well, with the addition of a Lego duck, clothes hangers, a Numskull Jack on the goat, a plastic ball for babies, and some wooden blocks.
When were Lego bricks invented?
Birth of the Lego Brick. In 1953, the automatic binding bricks were renamed Lego bricks. In 1957, the interlocking principle of Lego bricks was born, and in 1958, the stud-and-coupling system was patented, which added significant stability to built pieces. And this transformed them into the Lego bricks children use today.
Where did Lego come from?
It made wooden toys, stepladders, and ironing boards. It wasn't until two years later that the business took the name of Lego, which came from the Danish words "LEg GOdt," meaning "play well."
Who is Jennifer Rosenberg?
Jennifer Rosenberg is a historian and writer who specializes in 20th-century history. The small, colorful bricks that encourage a child's imagination with their multitude of building possibilities have spawned two movies and Legoland theme parks.
What countries does Lego sell in?
Lego begins selling its products in other countries such as Norway, Germany, Switzerland, and the UK. Lego France, British Lego Ltd., Lego Belgium and Lego Sweden are established.
When was Legoland Park opened?
On June 7, the Legoland Park in Billund is opened, at which 3,000 people visit on the opening day. Lego bricks with magnets are introduced. 1969: The Duplo system, using larger bricks and targeting younger children but also compatible with existing Lego bricks, is released.
When was Lego introduced?
1961: The Lego wheel is introduced. Sales start in the United States and Canada through a license agreement with Samsonite Corp. Lego Italy established. 1961–1962: Lego makes an arrangement allowing Samsonite to begin producing and selling Lego products in Canada, an arrangement that would continue until 1988.
When did Lego train tracks come out?
Lego train tracks are introduced. 1981: The second generation of Lego trains is produced, including a wider variety of accessories.
What are LEGO bricks made of?
When they did, they christened the bricks, "Automatic Binding Bricks.". Those bricks were created using cellulose acetate. They were fashioned to look like the standard wooden blocks, which were easily placed on top of another one.
When did Lego start making Duplo?
LEGO decided to churn out the Duplo system in 1969. They were made to be a lot bigger than the LEGO bricks to ensure that kids could effortlessly play with them. LEGO didn't want kids choking or getting injured by tinier bricks.
How many employees did Lego have?
They resigned from their father's company and decided to create their own firm, " Bilofix.". When the year had come to an end, LEGO had close to five hundred workers. When the early 1960s dawned upon the world, the company decided that they wanted to gain a market share in North America.
When was the first Lego train made?
We won't be wrong if we said that the LEGO train system is a very lucrative series made by this company. It was first created in 1966. When it was made, it had rails, 4.5- volt, battery box, as well as a motor. To commemorate the success of LEGO, the company decided to create Legoland Park in 1968.
Why did plastic toys prefer metallic or wooden toys?
They preferred metallic or wooden toys because they felt that they lasted longer. Do you know that most of the shipments sent by the company was sent back because they refused to sell?
What happened to the carpentry workshop in 1924?
Apart from that, they were involved in the building comes. In 1924, it is believed that this precious carpentry workshop was burnt to ashes.
When did Lego make the town plan?
This made LEGO churn out the "Town Plan" in 1955.
Lego History and its Manufacturing in Denmark
They don’t offer regular tours of the factories in Denmark, but you can arrange a tour as a special guest or as a group.
What Was The First Lego Set Ever Made?
The design of the oldest lego sets was trying to replicate small town features and would come with a basic set of easy-to-follow instructions on how to build specific buildings. Lego started to sell the sets in 1955 representing a huge expansion of their business.
How Are Legos Made?
What started in the small shop of a carpenter is now a multinational operation of production with the highest standards of technology to supply the high demand The Lego Group gets from its customers. Interested in how a Lego brick comes to life? Check out the video below to see the creation of a Lego.
Lego Manufacturing: Mexico
From Lego, Mexico has one of the largest plastic mold manufacturing operations in all of Latin America. The company has taken an ever-increasing liking to manufacture its products in Mexico, and they provide all of the Americas with Lego blocks and toys.
Lego Manufacturing in China
The Lego factory built in China will have the intention of serving a rapidly growing Asian market. Its factory in Jiaxing will include a 120,000 square foot facility that sits just 62 miles from Shanghai, which is where they will have a regional distribution center.
Lego Goes to the Czech Republic
In Kladno, Czech Republic, Lego operates another factory where they build the side products like the packaging. Keep in mind, this manufacturing plant started operating on a much smaller scale than some of its other assets.
Lego Production in Hungary
Hungary is another big producer of Legos, and they have two factories, one in Sárvár and one in Nyíregyháza. Both manufacturing plants opened in 2006. It started with Sárvár at the start of the year and ended with Nyíregyháza.
How many LEGO bricks were sold in 2016?
In 2016 alone, over 75 billion of the colorful plastic bricks were sold, and the 85-year-old company behind them reigns as one of the world’s most iconic toy manufacturers. But if it weren’t for a series of fires—and an ingenious woodworker—LEGOS may never have been built. The LEGO story started in a Danish woodworking shop in ...
What is the foundation of LEGO?
Designed on the principle that all blocks should interlock and be interrelated—and increase both the imaginative potential of kids and sales— the system became the foundation of modern-day LEGO. That means that any LEGO block produced since 1955 can interlock with any other.
What happened to Lego in 1924?
But in 1924, just as he was looking to expand his successful business, his sons accidentally set a pile of wood chips in the shop on fire. The flames it produced destroyed the entire building—and the family’s home. Inside the original Lego workshop when it was producing wooden toys.
When did Ole Kirk die?
Though they were not LEGO’s most popular toys, they became more and more popular as the years passed. Ole Kirk died in 1958, just as his son was on the verge of using the simple Automatic Binding Bricks as the basis of a full-blown “System of Play.”.
Who invented the Lego toy?
The toy was inspired by a set of self-locking bricks invented by a British company, Kiddicraft. (LEGO says Kiddicraft told the company it was fine to use the design, but in 1981 they formally bought the rights to Kiddicraft bricks from their inventor’s descendants.) pinterest-pin-it.
Is Billund a tourist town?
Today, that decision means big business. Billund, Ole Kirk’s unknown town, is a tourist destination, and the LEGO Group has built itself into an industry titan. But it never would have happened without those simple bricks—or the fires that nearly destroyed a family’s dream three times over.
Overview
The history of Lego began in 1932, when Ole Kirk Kristiansen founded the company in a Danish carpentry workshop, and continues into the 21st century as a popular and very profitable line of construction toys and related products and services (including Lego board games, retail stores, Lego video games, Lego films, Legoland theme parks, and Lego Serious Play consultant services), with a significant impact on various areas of popular culture. Despite its expansion, the compan…
Beginnings (1932–1959)
The Lego Group began in the carpentry workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen in Billund, Denmark. In 1916, Kristiansen purchased a woodworking shop in Billund, which had been in business since 1895. The shop mostly helped construct houses and furniture and had a small staff of apprentices. The workshop burned down in 1924 when a fire ignited some wood shavings. Christiansen construct…
Change to plastic bricks (1960–1969)
Another warehouse fire struck the Lego Group in 1960, consuming most of the company's inventory of wooden toys. Godtfred decided that the plastic line was strong enough to abandon the production of wooden toys. As a result, Godtfred's brothers Gerhardt (then head of wooden toys) and Karl Georg left the Lego company and began a separate company called "Bilofix." By the end of th…
Expansion (1970–1991)
During the last three decades of the 20th century, Lego expanded into new areas of toy making and marketing. In 1971, Lego began to target girls by introducing furniture pieces and dollhouses. In 1972, Lego added boat and ship sets, with floating hull pieces and Godtfred Kirk Christiansen's son, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, joined the managerial staff, after earning business degrees in Switzerland and …
Decline (1992–2004)
Lego's profits had declined since 1992. Around 1995 or 1996, according to designer Mark Stafford, the Lego Group retired many LEGO Designers who had created the sets from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s, replacing them with 30 'innovators' who graduated from the European design colleges around Europe who knew "little specifically about toy design and less about LEGO building". At the time, sets could take over a year to progress from the design stage to store shel…
Recovery (2005–present)
The company focused on its core products and reintroduced the Duplo label in late 2004. Since 2004, manufacturing had been moved to Mexico and distribution relocated from Billund to the Czech Republic. By 2007 a global workforce of 9,100 in 1998 was reduced to 4,200 due to outsourcing. In the US alone, Lego sales increased 32 percent because of Star Wars and Indiana Jones-themed games, …
External links
• Mortensen, Tine Froberg (9 January 2012). "LEGO History Timeline". Lego.com. The Lego Group. Archived from the original on 8 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
• Lego City