A Look at the Lego Company History

Ole Kirk Christiansen, a carpenter from Billund in Denmark started his business in 1932, with the intention of encouraging creative play and imagination in children. He began by manufacturing stepladders. However the Great Depression forced him into an adaptable business model. He turned his attention to manufacturing toys, and in doing so he developed one of the most adored brands in the history of the world.

Christiansen was a forward-thinking person who was quick to adopt new materials and techniques. In 1947, he became the first company to purchase an injection molding machine made of plastic in the world. This significantly boosted the range of capabilities and options for Lego products. The machine also allowed him to test a design that would eventually become the iconic Lego brick. The bricks were hollow at the bottom and had pegs at the top. They were interlocked to let children create intricate structures that were far more complex than the ones made by wooden blocks of previous generations.

The 1950s were a time of expansion for the company. Kjeld Kirk Christiansen, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen’s daughter joined the management team and began modernizing the company’s manufacturing methods. This expansion included the launch of a dollhouse line and furniture for girls as well as the very first Minifigures, which are individual figurines. In 1979, the company widened its product line to include sets with miniature astronauts and rockets. They also introduced spaceships, lunar rovers and spaceships.

In 1990, the company introduced three Model Team Sets that were important site made for builders who were advanced. The sets introduced small components like gears, axles and levers, and provided the kind of realism and accuracy that was unheard of in the Lego series at the time.