History of Lego

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Lego began in 1934 in the carpentry workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen, a Danish furniture maker. During the Great Depression, he began to make miniature versions of his products, which inspired him to produce toys. In 1934 the company was named "Lego", a contraction from the Danish phrase "leg Godt", meaning "play well".

In 1947, after World War II, when injection molding was introduced to Denmark, Christiansen bought an injection molding machine for the company to make toys. That same year, he and his son obtained samples of plastic, interlocking Kiddicraft bricks, which inspired the first Lego bricks created in 1936. The Lego brick in its present form, with hollow tubes in the underside for better interlocking capability, was patented in 1958. Over the decades, the Lego system continued to be modified, with new molds and colors being added and removed.

Today, Lego is a profitable^[1] brand offering construction kits and related products and services, including Lego board games, retail stores, video games, films, theme parks, and consultation services. Despite its expansion, the company remains privately held.^[2] Lego has had a significant impact on various areas of popular culture.