Over the years, Lego has built itself up to be one of the most well-known and iconic toy brands which is loved by both children and adults worldwide. This series will explore how the brand has taken itself from making stools and wooden toys with a grand total of 6 employees to being the beloved worldwide toy making industry it is today.
Way back in 1932, the founder of Lego, Ole Kirk Kristiansen, set up his company in Billund, Denmark which, at the time was focused on wood, not plastic. The company was a very small village business and focused on making stepladders, ironing boards, stools, and wooden toys. His son, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, started working in the company at the very young age of 12.
In 1934, the company took on the name 'Lego' which is comprised of the two Danish words 'Leg' and 'Godt' which means 'play well'. Later, it was discovered that the word 'Lego' means 'I put together' in Latin. Before selecting the name, Ole Kirk Kristiansen ran a competition where whoever came up with the best name for the company would win a bottle of wine. He found that none of the names could beat his own (Lego) and so he kept the wine for himself.
Not much happened though the rest of the 1930's for the Lego company. They start creating clothes hangars, wooden ducks, and market 'Kirk's Sandgame' which is Lego's first construction toy. Ole Kirk's motto 'only the best is good enough' is cut out and hung up in the workshop by Godtfred and he starts creating models once he is 17 years old. By the end of 1939, the company has 10 employees.
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