The History of Legos

By ATCPVCS

  • The Company begins

    Ole Kirk Kristiansen, master carpenter and joiner, establishes his business in the village of Billund, Denmark. His firm manufactures stepladders, ironing boards, stools and wooden toys with the aid of his so Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, who first started working in the business at the age of 12.

  • The company gets a new name

    The company and its products now adopt the name LEGO, formed from the Danish words "LEg GOdt" ("play well"). Later, it is realised that in Latin the word means "I put together".

  • The LEGO Duck

    The Lego company manufactures its first LEGO wooden duck and markets “Kirk´s Sandgame” its first construction toy.

  • New management

    Ole Kirk Christiansen steps down from LEGO Group. His son, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, takes over.

  • LEGO System of Play

    LEGO Group introduces the "LEGO System of Play" with the first "play and learn" concept. This promotes the company's goal of emphasizing learning through play.

  • LEGO Building Bricks

    The unique interlocking LEGO Brick Toy system is now being lanched.

  • Ideas on Motorized Lego Bricks

    Godtfred Kirk Christiansen begins to experiment with using motors with LEGO elements.

  • The lego Train

    The LEGO train is introduced. It has its own rails, and a 4.5-volt motor.

  • The First LegoLand Is Built

    LEGOLAND Park opens in Billund, Denmark.

  • Lego Duplo

    LEGO DUPLO is launched. These blocks are created with the small hands of children in mind; each block is much bigger than its regular LEGO Block counterpart.

  • Lego Minifigs

    Role play and personality are added to LEGO with the first appearance of LEGO figures.

  • New CEO

    Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, Godtfred's son, becomes president and CEO of the LEGO Group. The LEGO Space series is also launched.

  • Lego Technic

    LEGO TECHNIC Computer Control is one of the first big results of the partnership with MIT.

  • Lego Technic Supercar

    LEGO TECHNIC Supercar is launched, much to the delight of young fans of motoring. LEGO BELVILLE also begins. This product involves families, horses, and later princesses, fairies, and butterflies

  • Lego Primo

    Products for children in the 0–2 age group are launched under the name LEGO PRIMO.

  • New LegoLand Park

    A new LEGOLAND Park opens in Windsor, Britain.

  • Lego Mindstorms

    The partnership between LEGO Group and MIT produces LEGO MINDSTORMS, which enables the creation and programming of intelligent LEGO models.

  • Another New LegoLand

    A new LEGOLAND Park opens in Carlsbad, California.

  • BIONICLE

    BIONICLE, a combination of story, construction toys, and action figures is launched.

  • Another New LegoLand Park

    A new LEGOLAND Park opens in Günzburg, Germany.

  • Lego Mindstorms NXT

    LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT launches. This updated version allows for the construction and programming of robots in as little as 30 minutes. Robots now have the ability to see, hear, speak, feel, and move.

  • Lego Indiana Jones

    LEGO Group launches minifigures, vehicles, and sets based on the Indiana Jones series of movies

  • New Lego Themes

    LEGO takes children's imaginations underground, into the ocean, and out of this world with new play theme assortments: Power Miners, Pirates and Space Police.

  • Lego buildable games

    LEGO adds a new dimension to Family Game Night with the introduction of ten new buildable games. In the building sets, new themes include Hero Factory, Ben 10 Alien Force, Persia Sands of Time, LEGO Atlantis, and Toy Story 3.

  • Lego Architecture series

    LEGO chooses Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, as the latest eye-catching representative of its LEGO Architecture series, which celebrates the past, present and future of world architecture. Burj Khalifa, designed by Chicago architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, completed in 2010, towers 828 meters (2,716.5 ft) above downtown Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. It is the first model in LEGO Architecture's Landmark series to represent a building outside the United States.

  • Lego Friends

    The LEGO Friends line debuts. It is targeted toward girls ages 5–8.

  • The Lego Movie

    The LEGO Movie opens in February. A critical and commercial hit, the movie grossed $69.1 million in its opening weekend, making it the second largest February debut of all time.