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Lego began in 1932 as a Danish carpenter's workshop making wooden toys. The company was named "Lego" from the Danish "leg godt," or "play well". After acquiring a plastic injection molding machine after World War II, the company began making plastic bricks, with the modern, improved design featuring hollow tubes being patented in 1958 by Godtfred Kirk Christiansen. 1932: Ole Kirk Kristiansen, a Danish carpenter, started making wooden toys in his workshop. 1934: Kristiansen named his company "Lego," derived from the Danish phrase "leg godt" (play well). 1947: The company began producing plastic toys after acquiring an injection molding machine. 1949: Lego produced an early version of the interlocking bricks called "Automatic Binding Bricks," inspired by a sample from a UK toy inventor. 1958: The modern Lego brick design with the hollow tubes for better interlocking was patented. 1960s: Lego expanded internationally and introduced the first LEGOLAND park in 1968. 1969: The DUPLO line of larger bricks for young children was launched. 1977: The LEGO Technic line was introduced. 1978: The iconic Lego minifigure was first introduced. |
