Ole Kirk Christiansen, who started manufacturing wooden toys, ironing boards, and stepladders in his Billund, Denmark workshop, likely did not think of the fact that his colorful bricks, that he built at his own workshop, would one day become the most loved toy brand in the world.

However, he and his son Godtfred were able to rescue victory from the brink of destruction by taking Lego in a completely new direction.

Ole Kirk Christiansen

Ole Kirk Christiansen, a carpenter who lived in a remote village in rural Denmark, turned his love of whittling into one the most loved toys in the world. The toys for construction, also known as LEGO bricks, are sold in over 130 countries worldwide are loved by kids and adults alike.

In 1924, the woodworking workshop was completely destroyed by fire. The fire was started by two of Ole’s sons who had ignited the fire with shavings of wood. Despite the loss of wood, Ole rebuilt and soon increased his business by offering wooden toys.

During the yoyo craze in the 1930s, the manufacturer produced a lot of yoyos, which weren’t sellable. The company was close to bankruptcy. Luckily, Vejle Bank stepped in by providing a loan, and Ole restored the factory. Ole rebranded the business Leg Godt (Danish for “play well”) to be a reflection of its new direction.

Godtfred Christiansen

Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, who built his father’s wooden toy business into a worldwide toy empire, died at his home in Billund, Denmark. He was 75.

Godtfred decided to concentrate his company on plastic toys following an fire caused the destruction of his family’s wooden warehouse. His brothers, Karl and Gerhardt–who had been the directors of plastic and wood product manufacturing respectively–disagreed.

Godtfred was traveling on a boat from London when he stumbled upon a buyer. He suggested that, instead of making distinctive toys, the manufacturers of toys should develop a system where sets of toys are interconnected. This led to the invention of the current Lego design with tubes and studs, which was patented on 28th January 1958.

The Kiddicraft Brick

In the late 1940s, a company named Kiddicraft released the “Kiddicraft Self-Locking Building Bricks”. These were hollow rectangular plastic blocks that had four studs that were placed on the top. Here is more information on best lego set (airconditionerfixer.com) look into our own web site. Each stud could be inserted into studs of another block and allowed them to be placed in a solid manner.

Kirk Christiansen, Godtfred and Godtfred and a British manufacturer of the first machine for injection molding were shown the bricks by the salesman to show the types of toys they could create. Kirk Christiansen, irrespective of whether was aware or not that they were patentable copied them and renamed them Lego. It was the start of a toy business that is still worth billions of dollars today. Hilary Fisher Page committed suicide in 1957, when she was the founder of Kiddicraft.

Plastic injection molding machine

The Lego bricks are now one of the most recognizable toys in the world. Their popularity is due to the fact that they’re child-friendly, durable, and flexible. Children have created everything from spaceships to cities using these blocks.

Godtfred got the idea of his stud-and-tube design after a discussion with a purchaser of toys. The buyer suggested toy companies develop a system in which sets of toys can be connected and utilized to construct different types of structures. The Lego system was born out of this idea. In 1971, sets with furniture pieces and dollhouses were launched. Lego also widened its transportation options by offering ships and boats that featured hull pieces which floated.

The Town Plan

In the 1980s, Lego set a new standard with its Technic series, which had precise mechanical parts. Then, nine years later the company introduced the cheerful yellow Minifigure citizens that now feature in its play sets with themes. Lego also introduced Duplo that same year to create the larger range of bricks designed specifically for kids who have difficulty handling the original small bricks.

Today, Lego is a global toy empire with 10 theme parks and the movie franchise. Although it has expanded, the brand has managed to keep a loyal base. This loyalty stems from the fact that Lego appears less like a ruthlessly commercial enterprise than an old family friend.

The Ninjago theme

Although Lego is most well-known for its plastic construction blocks but it is now more than toys. In 1998, Lego was named Toy of the Century. It beat out teddy-bears and Barbie. Today, the company is a massive media empire, with books, television shows, and theme parks.

The company also offers a line of programmable robots named Mindstorms, which has helped shape the company’s education strategy. Seymour Papert, the founder of the constructionist movement and the company’s philosophy of education, believes that kids learn best when they construct things.

Ninjago is now the primary theme for Lego conventions, and the movie inspired massive collaborations. The very first LEGO set, Ninjago City, 70620 was a major influencer for other LEGO themes.