LEGO Company
94+ years and still operating (founded 1932)
About LEGO Company
Founded by Ole Kirk Christiansen, LEGO — from the Danish 'leg godt' (play well) — became one of the world's most beloved toy brands. The iconic interlocking plastic brick system was patented in 1958. LEGO has expanded into licensed themes, video games, and films, consistently ranking as one of the world's most valuable toy brands.
Founding
Ole Kirk Christiansen, a Billund carpenter who turned to wooden toys in 1932 and coined the name from the Danish "leg godt" — play well; his son Godtfred Kirk Christiansen developed the interlocking brick system.
History of LEGO Company
LEGO began in wood. Christiansen was a joiner whose building business failed in the Depression, and he made wooden ducks, trucks and pull-toys to survive. The company bought its first plastic injection-moulding machine in 1947 and began producing "Automatic Binding Bricks" — plastic bricks derived from British Kiddicraft Self-Locking Building Bricks, a design LEGO later acknowledged and settled with Kiddicraft's owner over.
The decisive invention came in 1958: the stud-and-tube coupling system that gives LEGO bricks their clutch power. A brick moulded in 1958 still fits a brick moulded today, which is an extraordinary act of engineering discipline and the single fact that explains the company's longevity. The "System of Play" concept — that every set is compatible with every other — followed from it.
The minifigure arrived in 1978, Technic and later Mindstorms extended the system into mechanics and robotics, and the Star Wars licence in 1999 opened the era of licensed themes that now dominates the range. A near-collapse in the early 2000s, caused by over-diversification, was reversed by a return to the core system; LEGO is now the largest toy manufacturer in the world.
Timeline
- 1932Ole Kirk Christiansen begins making wooden toys in Billund, Denmark
- 1934The LEGO name is adopted from the Danish "leg godt"
- 1949Plastic Automatic Binding Bricks enter production
- 1958The stud-and-tube coupling system is patented, giving bricks their lasting compatibility
- 1978The minifigure is introduced
- 1998Mindstorms brings programmable robotics into the system
- 1999The Star Wars licence begins the era of licensed themes
Notable & Best-Selling Toys
- Classic LEGO bricks
- LEGO Star Wars
- LEGO Technic
- LEGO City
- LEGO Mindstorms
- LEGO Creator
- LEGO Harry Potter
Identifying & Dating LEGO Company Toys
- Bricks are moulded "LEGO" on every stud; the presence and style of patent text inside the brick, and the internal support structure, are used to date them.
- Minifigures are dated by torso printing, arm and hand moulding and the presence or absence of leg printing; the earliest 1978 figures have plain smiling faces and no arm printing.
- Set numbers on boxes and instruction booklets are the standard identification, and the full catalogue is documented online in exhaustive detail.
Collector's Notes
- Sealed sets are a distinct market from used ones, and retired licensed sets — particularly early Star Wars — have appreciated sharply. Box condition matters enormously to sealed value.
- For used sets, completeness against the parts inventory is the whole question, and the inventories are published, so there is no excuse for guessing.
- Old white and grey bricks yellow with UV exposure, and 1960s and 1970s bricks can be brittle. Early wooden LEGO toys are rare, valuable and almost never seen outside Denmark.
Currently for Sale on eBay
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Frequently Asked Questions
When was LEGO Company founded?
LEGO Company was founded in 1932, based in Billund, Denmark.
Is LEGO Company still in business?
Yes. LEGO Company is still operating today, 94+ years after it was founded.
What is LEGO Company best known for?
LEGO Company is best known for Classic LEGO bricks, LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Technic, among other toys.
Where was LEGO Company located?
LEGO Company was based in Billund, Denmark.
What kinds of toys did LEGO Company make?
LEGO Company is categorized under building toys, educational, plastic toys.
Who founded LEGO Company?
Ole Kirk Christiansen, a Billund carpenter who turned to wooden toys in 1932 and coined the name from the Danish "leg godt" — play well; his son Godtfred Kirk Christiansen developed the interlocking brick system.
How can you identify genuine LEGO Company toys?
Bricks are moulded "LEGO" on every stud; the presence and style of patent text inside the brick, and the internal support structure, are used to date them. Minifigures are dated by torso printing, arm and hand moulding and the presence or absence of leg printing; the earliest 1978 figures have plain smiling faces and no arm printing. Set numbers on boxes and instruction booklets are the standard identification, and the full catalogue is documented online in exhaustive detail.
Are LEGO Company toys valuable?
Sealed sets are a distinct market from used ones, and retired licensed sets — particularly early Star Wars — have appreciated sharply. Box condition matters enormously to sealed value. For used sets, completeness against the parts inventory is the whole question, and the inventories are published, so there is no excuse for guessing. Old white and grey bricks yellow with UV exposure, and 1960s and 1970s bricks can be brittle. Early wooden LEGO toys are rare, valuable and almost never seen outside Denmark.