Ole Kirk Christiansen, who began manufacturing wooden toys, ironing boards and stepladders in his Billund, Denmark workshop, probably didn't think that his colorful bricks, made by him in his workshop, would later become the most loved toy brand in the world.

He and his son Godtfred were able to save Lego from disaster by taking the building in the opposite direction.

Ole Kirk Christiansen

Ole Kirk Christiansen, a carpenter from an obscure village in rural Denmark, turned his love of whittling into one the most popular toys. The construction toys, known as LEGO bricks in 130 countries worldwide, are loved by children as well as adults.

The woodworking workshop he owned was destroyed in 1924 due to a fire that was started when two of his sons foolishly ignited wood shavings. Despite the loss of wood, Ole rebuilt and soon expanded his company by offering wooden toys.

In the yoyo boom in the 1930s, the company produced a lot of yoyos, which were unsellable. The business was nearly bankrupt. Vejle Bank provided a loan, and Ole was able rebuild the factory. Leg Godt, which is Danish meaning "play well" was changed to reflect the new direction of the company.

Godtfred Christiansen

Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, who helped his father transform his wooden toy business into a worldwide toy empire, passed away at his home in Billund, Denmark. He was 75 years old.

Godtfred decided to focus his company on plastic toys after an fire destroyed his family's wooden toy warehouse. His brothers, Karl and Gerhardt--who had been the directors of plastic and wood product manufacturing respectively--disagreed.

Godtfred was in a ferry ride to London when he stumbled upon the buyer. He suggested that rather than creating unique toys, toy manufacturers could develop a system in which sets of toys can be interlocked. This led to the invention of the modern Lego design that has studs and tubes, which was patentable on the 28th of January 1958.

The Kiddicraft Brick

In the late 1940s, a firm named Kiddicraft introduced the "Kiddicraft Self-Locking Building Bricks". These were hollow rectangular plastic blocks that had four studs on the top. Each stud fit into the blocks' studs which allowed them to be stacked firmly.

When Kirk Christiansen and Godtfred visited the British supplier of the first injection-molding machine, the salesman showed them these bricks in order to show them the kinds of toys that could be produced by using them. No matter if Kirk knew that these bricks were patented or not, he copied them and named them Lego. The result was a toy business that continues to generate billions of dollars every year. Hilary Fisher Page, the founder of Kiddicraft, committed suicide in the year 1957.

The plastic injection-molding machine

The Lego bricks have become one of the most famous toys in the world. Their popularity is due to the fact that they're safe for children, durable and flexible. Kids have built everything from spaceships to cities with the blocks.

Godtfred got the idea for his stud-and tube system from a conversation with a purchaser of toys. The buyer suggested toy manufacturers create a system where sets of toys could be linked and used to build various kinds of structures. The Lego system was created from the idea. Sets containing furniture pieces and dollhouses were released in 1971. Additionally, the company's transport options grew with boat and ship sets that included hull pieces that floated.

The Town Plan

In the 1980s Lego established a new benchmark with its Technic series, which had detailed mechanical components, and nine years later the company introduced its smiling yellow Minifigures that are featured in its play sets with themes. In the same year Lego introduced Duplo, an assortment of larger blocks for younger children that cannot easily manage the smaller bricks that were originally used.

Lego has developed into a worldwide toy empire that includes 10 theme park and movie franchises. It is also a brand that has a loyal fan base among its customers despite all this expansion. This loyalty is rooted in the fact that Lego feels less like a ruthlessly commercial enterprise rather than a familiar family member.

The Ninjago theme

Lego has evolved into so much more than it's a basic toy. In 1998 Lego was voted Toy of the Century. It was a clear winner over teddy bears and Barbie. Today, the company is a massive media empire that includes books, TV shows, as well as theme parks.

The company also provides an item called Mindstorms of programmable robotics which has shaped its educational strategy. Its underlying educational theory, inspired by Seymour Papert's constructivism, is that kids learn best when they build things.

The Ninjago theme has become an important focus at Lego fan events and the movie has spurred the creation of huge collaborative sets. The style of the original collection, Ninjago City 70620, has also shaped the design of other LEGO themes.

If you adored this information and you would such as to get more facts regarding top lego sets worth buying kindly visit our own web page.