Ole Kirk Christiansen, who began manufacturing wooden toys, ironing boards and stepladders in his Billund, Denmark workshop, probably did not imagine that the colorful bricks that he built in his workshop, would later be the most sought-after toy manufacturer in the world.
His son and Godtfred were able to rescue Lego from destruction by moving it in the opposite direction.
Ole Kirk Christiansen is a Danish carpenter who was raised in a tiny village situated on the edge of the countryside. He made his love for whittling, into one of world's favorite toys. The building toys, referred to as LEGO bricks in 130 countries around the world are loved by kids and adults alike.
In 1924, the woodworking workshop was completely destroyed by fire. The cause of the fire was by two of Ole's sons who had started the flame using shavings of wood. Ole rebuilt his business despite the loss of materials. Soon after, he began selling wooden toys.
In the yoyo boom in the 1930s, the factory produced too many yoyos which were not sellable. The business was nearly insolvent. Fortunately, Vejle Bank stepped in with a loan and Ole rebuilt the factory. Leg Godt, which is Danish for "play well" was renamed in order to represent the current direction taken by Ole.
Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, who developed his father's wooden toys business into a global empire, passed away at residence in Billund, Denmark. He was 75.
Following the destruction of a fire in the family's wooden toy store, Godtfred decided the company should focus on toys made of plastic. His brothers, Karl and Gerhardt--who had been the directors of plastic and wood product manufacturing respectively--disagreed.
Godtfred was traveling on a boat to London when he ran into a buyer. He suggested that instead of creating unique toys, toy manufacturers could develop a system in which sets of toys can be interlocked. This led to the creation of the modern Lego Stud-and-tube concept, which was patent-pending on 28 January 1958.
In the 1940s, a firm known as Kiddicraft came out with the "Kiddicraft Self-Locking Building Bricks". These were hollow rectangular plastic blocks that had four studs on top. The studs were inserted into the studs on another block.
Kirk Christiansen, Godtfred and Godtfred and a British manufacturer of the first machine for injection molding were shown the bricks by a salesperson to demonstrate the kind of toys they could make. Kirk Christiansen, whether was aware or not that the bricks were patentable copied them and changed their name to Lego. It was the start of a toy industry that is still worth billions today. Hilary Fisher Page committed suicide in the year 1957. She was the founder of Kiddicraft.
The Lego bricks have become one of the most well-known toys around the globe. The fact that Lego bricks are durable and flexible, as well as being children-friendly is the reason for their popularity. They can be built into everything from cities to spaceships and have inspired countless creations by children worldwide.
Godtfred's thought process for the stud and tube system came from an encounter with a toy buyer. The buyer suggested toy manufacturers develop a system in which sets of toys could be connected and used to build various types of structures. The Lego system was born out of this idea. Sets that contained furniture pieces and dollhouses were launched in the year 1971. Additionally, the Lego's transportation options were expanded by ships and boat sets with hulls that floated.
In the 1980s Lego established a new standard with its Technic series that included precise mechanical parts. Then, nine years later the company introduced its smiling yellow Minifigures that are featured in its themed play sets. The same year Lego introduced Duplo, a line of larger blocks for younger children that can't easily handle the small bricks that were originally used.
Today, Lego is a global toy empire with 10 theme parks and a film franchise. Although it has expanded the company has managed to maintain a loyal customer base. Lego is known by its faithful customers since it's more like a friend rather than a business.
Lego has grown into far more than a simple toy. In 1998 it was named Toy of the Century, overtaking Barbie and teddy bears and has since grown into a media conglomerate with television series, books and theme park experiences.
The company also provides a line called Mindstorms of programmable robotics which has helped shape its education strategies. Seymour Papert, the founder of the constructionist movement and the company's educational philosophy believes that children learn best when they build things.
The Ninjago theme has become a major focus at Lego fan gatherings, and the movie has led to the creation of massive collaborative builds. The first LEGO set, Ninjago City, 70620, has influenced the other LEGO themes.
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