Hands up if you have NEVER, ever played LEGO? You, in the back of the room, with the Mohawk and Elvis sneer, that’s not funny. That’s just plain sad.
Here’s a fun fact: if you lay all the LEGO bricks sold in a year, end-to-end, you’ll go FIVE times around the world. That’s a whole lotta LEGO, and that’s exactly why the two-time toy of the century is in this week’s TBT spotlight.
A brief history
Conceived in 1932 and passed down from father to son ever since, Danish master carpenter and joiner Ole Kirk Kristiansen put his toymaking skills to the test and in 1934, LEGO was officially born. And like its brick counterparts, the name is two Danish words, “LEg” and “GOdt” (meaning “play well”) joined together. Smooth.
At the time, the company had around 7 employees, and Kristiansen’s son, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen got involved with the business.
It was not until 1957 that the trademark interlocking system was invented, and in 1958 the stud-and-tube coupling system was finally patented. By this time, the company had expanded to 140 employees in the village of Billund, and young Godtfred became the head of the company after the unfortunate passing of his father.
The interlocking system has been revolutionary. It has meant that there are over 915 million ways to combine six LEGO bricks, according to a mathematics professor. Wow.
As of 2016, the number of employees was well in excess of 18,000, representing over 70 nationalities. Add feature films, video games, theme parks, the LEGO Foundation, and the fact that the product is now sold in more than 140 countries, and you can say that LEGO is truly a mega multinational franchise.
The legacy
LEGO is easily one of the most recognizable toys in the world today. Little bricks assembled to produce everything from a Death Star replica to various landmarks, this brilliant invention can keep you occupied for hours on end. In fact, it was estimated that children around the world spend around 5 billion hours a year playing LEGO!
And ever since LEGO introduced their first mini figure in 1978, with moveable arms and legs, the line has grown exponentially, and the current population of around 4 billion includes such iconic figures as Spiderman and Steven Spielberg!
Even though many executive positions have been created across the range of offices, the LEGO Group is still privately held with its headquarters in the founding village of Billund in Denmark. It is also still owned by the Kirk Kristiansen family, with Forbes estimating Kjeld’s (the founder’s grandson) net worth to be around $5.3 billion, making him the wealthiest Dane financially speaking.
And it’s not just bricks. The LEGO Group is also the largest tire manufacturer in the world, with a production line of approximately 306 million tires a year. That’s what I call versatility. Their secret? Probably the family’s motto: “Only the best is good enough.” They’ve got that right.
The most important LEGO invention?
We can go on and on about all the unique elements (20 billion bricks made every year!), but on this occasion, I think I’ll go for the underrated piece of tech that may be overlooked especially when you have a LEGO Yoda to look forward to.
I am, of course, referring to the LEGO brick separator! The introduction of this brilliant wedge-shaped tool meant good bye to sore fingers and frustrating brick removal. Originally released in grey, its functionality was simple: the bottom of the wedge was placed over two studs of the brick that was to be removed. The ‘lip’ that’s formed between the brick and the wedge is used as a fulcrum to hopefully pop the brick off. Told you it was brilliant.
In 2011, the brick separator got a redesign and became available in orange (like a face most of us know).
LEGO today
Like wine, LEGO’s only gotten better with age. More sophisticated variations have been released, and you can now build anything from a tactical Batman to model homes. Some kid even used his LEGO set to build a braille printer! Also, the second LEGO movie will be releasing in 2019, and LEGOLAND remains one of the most popular attractions for kids and adults alike.
Yep, it’s safe to say that LEGO is not slowing down, and Ole Kirk Kristiansen will be looking down at his legacy with nothing but pride.
What’s your favourite LEGO adventure?
