Since I was very young, I have been fascinated with LEGO sets. It was something that came very naturally to me, and I was always playing with LEGO sets meant for much older children. My mom and I have spent so much time bonding over these building projects, and I have a collection of my best creations. I even have a book, Brick City, that sits on my bookshelf! LEGO is truly a phenomenon!
The beginnings of the LEGO company was in 1916 in Denmark, founded by Ole Kirk Christiansen. He started by making wooden toys, and by the 1930s, he named his company LEGO, which means “Play Well” in Danish. In 1947, the company started to use plastic, and in 1949, it started making plastic interlocking bricks. In 1954, Ole Kirk’s son, Godtfred came up with the idea of adding doors and windows to the LEGO bricks, and that gave the possible designs much more potential. The stud-and-tube interlocking system was created in 1958, and bricks from that year are still compatible with the ones sold today. This system allowed the bricks to stay in place after being snapped together. The company sold their bricks both as sets to build a creation as well as in boxes with free pieces meant for creative building.
Ole Kirk died in 1858 and the business passed on to his son Godtfred. In 1960, the company had more than 400 employees
and started to expand to the US, Canada, and Italy. By 1966, the toys were sold in 42 countries and the first LEGOLAND park was opened!
Today’s LEGO sets include many technical elements such as motors, magnets, and sensors. LEGO DUPLO are larger bricks for younger children that were released in 1977. The following year, miniature figures called “Minifigs” were introduced into the LEGO landscapes.
Over the years, there have been many record setting structures made with LEGOS. For example, there is a statue of Sitting Bull at LEGOLAND in Denmark, which stands at about 25 feet tall, and there is also a LEGO tower that is 106 feet tall. These are just a few examples of the projects that people have accomplished over the years. Some LEGO sets that I love are Harry Potter-themed, LEGO City, and other technical sets such as a working grand piano!
LEGO has created not just a successful brand, but also a way for families to spend time together, developing problem-solving skills as well as building relationships with one another. Have you gotten into the LEGO phenomenon? What do you like to build with your LEGO bricks?
Work Cited
Elsmore, Warren. Brick City: Global Icons to Make from Lego. Barron’s, 2013.
