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Top 5 LEGO Products and 10 Interesting Facts about The LEGO Group

The LEGO Group’s creations transcend the boundaries of mere toys; they are bridges to fantastical worlds, tools for learning, and channels for artistic expression. Whether you’re an aspiring engineer, an architectural enthusiast, a creative dreamer, or just a passionate fan of pop culture, LEGO has something to offer. Let’s see the top 5 products by The LEGO Group.

LEGO Mindstorms

Ever dreamt of building your own robot? The LEGO Mindstorms series makes that dream a reality. Combining cutting-edge technology with the timeless joy of LEGO construction, Mindstorms offers enthusiasts the chance to design, program, and control their robots. With its versatile software, sensors, and motors, the possibilities are limited only by your imagination. From robots that can solve mazes to those that can mimic your movements, LEGO Mindstorms is a portal to the future of robotics and engineering, wrapped up in a playful, colourful package.

LEGO Ideas

Imagine having the power to bring your wildest dreams to life through LEGO bricks. LEGO Ideas is the platform where fan creations become reality. Fans submit their own unique, awe-inspiring creations, and if they garner enough support, they can become official LEGO sets. Recent highlights include the intricate and magnificent “Central Perk” from the TV show Friends and the nostalgic “Stranger Things” set that transports you to the eerie world of Hawkins, Indiana. LEGO Ideas is a testament to the limitless creativity that blooms within the LEGO community.

LEGO Architecture

For those who crave both art and architecture, LEGO Architecture is a revelation. This series pays homage to iconic landmarks and buildings worldwide, allowing you to recreate miniature versions of architectural masterpieces. From the intricate beauty of the Taj Mahal to the towering splendour of the Empire State Building, each set captures the essence of these structures, teaching history and design in the most engaging way possible. LEGO Architecture is not just a set; it explores the world’s cultural and architectural diversity.

LEGO Creator Expert

For the discerning LEGO builder, the Creator Expert series is a treasure trove of sophisticated designs. These sets are more than toys; they are complex, detailed models meant to challenge even the most skilled builders. From the spellbinding “Ghostbusters Ecto-1” to the nostalgic “Vestas Wind Turbine,” Creator Expert sets bring together intricate engineering and a love for storytelling. These creations are not just built; they are crafted with care and precision, offering a sense of accomplishment that few other toys can match.

LEGO Star Wars

In a galaxy far, far away, The LEGO Group joined forces with the Star Wars franchise to create an out-of-this-world experience for fans young and old. The LEGO Star Wars series takes you on an epic journey through the Star Wars universe, allowing you to recreate iconic scenes, spacecraft, and characters with LEGO bricks. From the awe-inspiring Millennium Falcon to the adorable BB-8, these sets capture the essence of the Star Wars saga. They ignite the imaginations of fans, both big and small, as they embark on their galactic adventures.

Top 10 Facts about The LEGO Group

In 1978, when LEGO introduced mini-figures, they had no facial expressions; these were added in 1979.
The company is still owned by the Kirk Kristiansen family, holding 75% of the stakes, and the Lego Foundation holds the remaining 25%.
LEGO bricks can be snapped together and pulled apart about 37,112 times before showing any signs of wear.
The LEGO Group’s name, “LEGO,” is derived from the Danish phrase “leg godt,” meaning “play well.”
The largest sculpture ever created with Lego bricks is a 13-metre-high model of London’s iconic Tower Bridge with an astounding 58,05,846 individual pieces.
LEGO has designed ‘Braille Bricks’ to help blind and visually impaired children learn Braille through play.
In 2011, two LEGO figurines representing Jupiter and Juno were sent into space aboard NASA’s Juno spacecraft.
LEGO has dabbled in mosaic art, producing sets that allowed kids to create mosaics using plastic beads.
LEGO sets went to space before astronauts; they journeyed to Jupiter on the Juno spacecraft.
LEGO is one of the most valuable brands in the world and holds the keys to a staggering array of more than 8,000 unique minifigure designs.

How Big is The LEGO Group? – Building Dreams Brick by Brick

Besides being home to H&M, Ikea, Ericsson, Nokia, and The LEGO Group, the Scandinavian Peninsula is famous for its emphasis on simplicity, beauty, and functionality. Back in the day and even today, when it comes to winning the hearts of children (and adults who are into building things), the best option we have is to buy them a set of “The LEGO Bricks.”

The beloved Danish toymaking brand has achieved iconic status and universal appeal in the field since its inception in 1932. What began as a humble enterprise has evolved into a global phenomenon, captivating the imaginations of children and adults alike. The story of The LEGO Group is a testament to the power of creativity, innovation, and sheer determination.

The Early Days

The story commences in the quaint town of Billund, Denmark, in the early 1930s. It was here that a humble carpenter named Ole Kirk Kristiansen laid the first brick in what would become The LEGO Group. Ole Kirk possessed a relentless passion for woodworking and established his own business in 1932, initially crafting wooden toys and household items. He named his company “LEGO,” derived from the Danish phrase “leg godt,” which means “play well.” Little did he know that he was setting the stage for one of the most beloved toy brands in the world.

Later on, his sons, Godtfred and Karl, joined the family business. Their collective vision and commitment to quality laid the foundation for the LEGO brick as we know it today. The interlocking design of the LEGO brick allowed for endless possibilities, enabling children to construct and deconstruct, fostering creativity and problem-solving skills. The family’s dedication to precision and quality ensured that each brick was consistent, making them compatible across sets and eras.

Today, The LEGO Group is a household name and a symbol of creativity, innovation, and endless possibilities. The LEGO Group’s journey is a remarkable testament to the enduring power of imagination and creativity. It reminds us that even the smallest ideas can grow into something extraordinary when nurtured with dedication and passion. The LEGO Group’s journey is a story of boundless imagination, endless potential, and an enduring reminder that we all have the power to create our incredible worlds, one brick at a time.

The Golden Age of Innovation

The 1950s were a pivotal era for The LEGO Group. In 1958, the modern LEGO brick, with its iconic interlocking studs and tubes, was introduced. This invention was a game-changer, as it offered infinite possibilities for building and rebuilding. The Group also patented the “stud-and-tube coupling system,” ensuring their bricks’ compatibility and cementing their iconic status.

The company continued to innovate, introducing themed sets like the LEGO Town Plan in 1955 and the first LEGO train set in 1966. These sets allowed children to construct entire worlds with their imagination, from bustling cities to sprawling railways. The LEGO sets became a vessel for creativity, storytelling and a formula for success that would prove timeless.

The Rise to Global Prominence

The 1970s and 1980s saw The LEGO Group expand its global presence. They opened their first LEGOland theme park in 1968, providing a real-world manifestation of the imaginative worlds children built with their bricks. These theme parks were an instant hit, and LEGOland has since grown to become a global chain. The company further extended its reach with partnerships featuring beloved franchises like Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Marvel, allowing fans of all ages to bring their favourite characters and scenes to life. LEGO sets became collectors’ items, treasured by enthusiasts and loved by families.

The Digital Revolution

The new millennium brought another chapter in LEGO’s story. The company embraced digital technology and introduced LEGO Mindstorms in 1998, a platform for building programmable robots. It combined the physical and digital worlds, offering a glimpse into the future of interactive play and education. In 2014, “The LEGO Movie” was released, bringing LEGO characters to the big screen and creating a new generation of fans. The film celebrated the universality of the LEGO brand and its ability to spark creativity in all of us.

The Visionaries at The LEGO Group

Ole Kirk Kristiansen started his company as a carpentry workshop, producing wooden toys and household items. Ole Kirk Kristiansen’s vision was to create toys that encouraged imaginative play and learning, values that continue to be at the core of the Lego brand. He faced numerous challenges in the early years of his business. The Great Depression and the Second World War created economic hardships, but his resilience and commitment to quality allowed the company to thrive. In 1947, Lego introduced its first plastic interlocking bricks, a significant innovation that laid the foundation for the global Lego empire we know today.

Ole Kirk Kristiansen’s Family and Successors

Ole Kirk Kristiansen’s children played pivotal roles in the company’s growth and success. His son, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, was particularly influential. Godtfred is credited with developing the modern Lego brick design, featuring the iconic stud-and-tube coupling system, which remains virtually unchanged to this day. The design innovation allowed for greater stability and versatility in building, and it became a defining feature of the Lego experience.

In 1958, Godtfred coined the term “LEGO System of Play,” emphasising the limitless creative potential of Lego bricks, marking a significant shift in the company’s branding and strategy, as it focused on creating a standardised system that encouraged open-ended play and creativity. The Lego Group’s commitment to quality and innovation helped it establish a strong presence in the global toy market.

Ole Kirk Kristiansen’s grandson, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, also played a pivotal role in the company’s development. He served as CEO and later as Chairman of the Lego Group. Under his leadership, Lego expanded its global reach and introduced new product lines, including Lego Technic, Lego Mindstorms, and licensed sets based on popular franchises such as Star Wars and Harry Potter. Kjeld’s tenure saw Lego become one of the world’s most recognisable and beloved toy brands.

The Family’s Commitment to Values

One remarkable aspect of the Kristiansen family’s stewardship of the Lego brand is their unwavering commitment to the company’s core values. Ole Kirk Kristiansen’s original vision of encouraging creativity, learning, and play has been preserved and expanded upon by his descendants. The family has maintained a focus on quality, durability, and innovation, which has earned Lego a reputation for producing timeless and high-quality toys.

As the Lego Group continues to thrive, Ole Kirk Kristiansen’s family remains deeply involved in the business. While the family’s commitment to tradition and core values remains steadfast, they also recognise the importance of staying current with the ever-changing world of technology and entertainment. The Kristiansen family’s dedication to quality, play, and philanthropy underscores the enduring success of Lego and ensures that the magic of building with colourful plastic bricks will continue to inspire generations to come.

Valuation

The Lego Group, renowned for its iconic interlocking plastic bricks, has consistently demonstrated remarkable valuation growth. The Danish company has evolved into a global toy and entertainment powerhouse. As of 2023, its estimated valuation was around $16 billion, including successful licensing agreements with popular franchises like Star Wars and Harry Potter, diversification into video games, movies, and theme parks.

Love Lamborghini and Lego? Here’s Best Of Both Worlds!

In collaboration with the Lego Group, Automobili Lamborghini has built a life-size replica of the Lamborghini Sián FKP 37, using over 400,000 Lego Technic elements. Following the launch of the 1:8 scale Lego Technic Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 last year, this life-size model replicates the limited-edition Italian super sportscar on a much grander scale. Using 154 different types of Lego elements, including 20 moulded specifically for this project, the 2,200 kg model embodies the unmistakable design of the Lamborghini Sián down to the most minute details, perfectly mirroring the car’s dimensions to the millimetre.

“Lamborghini is a dream for people around the world, and Lego products provide creative inspiration for millions,” said Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini. “We’re delighted to have collaborated on this unique edition of the Lamborghini Sián, that will catch the imagination of Lamborghini and Lego fans alike.”

The collaboration between the two companies’ designers, engineers and technicians, took a team of 15 people 8,660 hours of development work. The chassis is identical to the real-life Sián at 4,980 mm long, 2,101 mm wide and 1,133 mm high. The body panels are comprised of an intricate fabric of bespoke interconnecting hexagonal Lego Technic elements, paying homage to the six-sided shape that is integral to Lamborghini’s design language. The Sián’s name, meaning ‘flash’ or ‘lightning’ in Bolognese dialect, is honoured by the Group’s experts who have ensured that the lights, built entirely from Technic elements, and the sleek lightning bolt that flashes along the body, reflect how the real Sián’s epsilon headlights and hexagonal taillights power up and down. Inside the cockpit, the detail continues with a brick-built steering wheel featuring the Lamborghini emblem and Italian flag, Lego built dashboard controls and racing seats.

This is the first large-scale model from the Group to have a paintbrush-effect UV colour coating. The colour is a perfect match to the 1:8 scale Lego Technic model and was applied by Automobili Lamborghini’s paint shop.

Lena Dixen, Senior Vice President of Product and Marketing at the Lego Group, said: “Our designers love a challenge, so you can imagine their delight when we tasked them to think slightly larger than normal with this model. They jumped at the chance of teaming up with our amazing designers and engineers who build these impressive life-sized models at our Kladno factory’s model production workshop in the Czech Republic, and really pushing the boundaries of what can be done with Lego Technic. The creativity that the system allows meant it was possible to really do justice to the exceptional design of the Lamborghini Sián FKP 37.”

In a first-of-its-kind virtual unveiling from the Lego Group, the model has been rebuilt in a virtual Lego workshop to give Lamborghini enthusiasts and Lego lovers the chance to get up close and personal with the full-scale version. Viewers can make their dreams come true by getting behind the wheel of the 1:8 scale edition before being ‘transformed’ along with the model into the full-scale replica revealed today. They can sit virtually in the driver’s seat and hear from the Automobili Lamborghini and Lego Group designers who made this model a reality.

Let’s go Lego! A brief history of the world’s leading toymaker

Lego is a brand synonymous with an almost infinite array of toys and an extensive range of collectables spanning multiple generations. While the Danish toymaker has lots of accolades to its name, it did not succeed overnight. Today, it is known for its wide variety of toys and the immeasurable pain caused if one is unlucky enough to step on a Lego brick! So how did it go from a Danish carpenter’s dream to a global phenomenon?

Our story begins in a small carpentry workshop in Billund, Denmark. Ole Kirk Christiansen, a woodworker who had saved some money, purchased the Billund Woodworking and Carpentry Shop in 1916. The shop itself had been successfully running for a while, which Christiansen saw apt to take over. However, a massive fire burned down the shop and the family home in 1924, forcing Christiansen to a fresh start.

From the ashes, he built an even bigger workshop aimed at expanding his business even further. The American Great Depression acted as a catalyst to his business, as the lack of customers gave him time to diversify his business further. By the early 1930s, Christiansen shrunk his existing wooden furniture products and made miniature versions as design aids. This eventually led to his interest and venture into toy-making.

By 1932, the shop had begun manufacturing toys such as piggy banks, pull toys, cars and trucks, and houses. Christiansen also held a contest among his staff to decide the name of his budding company. In 1934, the company christened Lego, a self-made contraction from the Danish phrase leg godt, meaning “play well.” Later the Lego Group discovered that “Lego” could be loosely interpreted as “I put together” or “I assemble” in Latin. Following that, the name Lego would be inscribed on all the company’s products.

By 1949 the LEGO Group had comfortably adopted plastic and began manufacturing various kinds of toys. This was also when Lego’s now-iconic plastic bricks were introduced that were marketed under the name Automatic Binding Bricks. Giving the toy an English name was a tribute to the Allied forces, which had liberated Europe and ended World War II in 1945. However, it contemporarily sold the bricks only in the Danish market.

The Lego Brick’s modern iteration can be indirectly credited to Hilary Fisher Page and his company Kiddicraft. As he was fondly known, Harry Page had invented the plastic bricks before Ole Kirk and his son Godtfred. However, in the late 1950s, when the LEGO Group contacted Kiddicraft to ask whether they objected to the Lego brick sale, they were utterly cooperative. On the contrary, they wished the company good luck with the bricks, as they have not enjoyed much success with their product.

As is the case with any new technology, The Lego Group faced severe challenges when marketing the new and hitherto unexplored plastic toy industry. Many customers preferred sticking to wooden or metal toys, which led to many shipments being returned due to poor sales. Nevertheless, when Godtfred Christiansen, the son of Ole, took the position of the junior managing director of the Group, he developed the idea of manufacturing a series of toys that were correlated.

This began a modern system of collections that has expanded across multiple topics and age groups. The first toy “system” marketed by Godtfred was the Town Plan, which immediately saw critical acclaim. By the late 20th century, the company had already grown sizeably and began manufacturing toys targeted at specific groups of children. For example, girls were offered mini houses and furniture, while the boys could play with ships and cars.

With the emergence of the internet and the beginning of the digital age, Lego Group found new ways to escalate its reach to a global audience. Launching its official website on March 22, 1996, the company was finally within reach of its founder’s dream. Soon after, the Lego brick was declared the “Toy of the Century”, which immediately made it a must-have in homes worldwide.

The turn of the century was also a turning point for Lego. The company built its factory in the Czech Republic, opened its first retail store in Germany, and humanised its figures by removing the yellow colour and adopting a more natural skin tone. This made its toys more engaging for their customers, adding to their ever-growing popularity. Within a decade, Lego had become a household name worldwide, and its popularity had snowballed to massive standards.

2014 was the year when The Lego Movie was launched, redefining the essence of playing with Lego. Lego Group has collaborated with numerous conglomerates and international favourites, including NASA, Lamborghini, Ferrari and Whatnot. In 2018, The Lego Brick celebrated its 60th anniversary, thereby confirming that Ole Kirk Christiansen’s dream of his small wooden shop was now a reality.