Lego facts for kids
Logo used since 1998
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| Type | Construction set |
|---|---|
| Inventor(s) | Ole Kirk Christiansen |
| Company | The Lego Group |
| Country | Denmark |
| Availability | 1949–present |
| Materials | Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene |
Lego is a super popular line of plastic building toys. They are made by the Lego Group, a company from Billund, Denmark. Lego sets include colorful plastic bricks that snap together. You also get gears, small figures called minifigures, and many other parts.
You can connect Lego pieces in countless ways to build almost anything. Imagine making cool vehicles, tall buildings, or even working robots! Once you build something, you can take it apart. Then, you can use the same pieces to create something completely new.
The Lego Group started making these interlocking bricks in 1949. Today, Lego bricks are made in Denmark, Hungary, Mexico, and China. The company produces about 36 billion bricks each year. That's about 1,140 pieces every second! Lego is one of Europe's biggest companies. It is also the largest toy maker in the world based on sales. By 2015, over 600 billion Lego parts had been made. The Lego brand also includes movies, video games, competitions, and eight Legoland theme parks.
Contents
The Story of Lego: How It All Began
Early Days: From Wood to Plastic
The Lego story began in 1932. Ole Kirk Christiansen (1891–1958) was a carpenter in Billund, Denmark. He started his company by making wooden toys. In 1934, he named his company "Lego." This name comes from the Danish words "leg godt," which mean "play well."
In 1947, Lego started making plastic toys. By 1949, they were producing an early version of the interlocking bricks we know today. They called them "Automatic Binding Bricks." These bricks were inspired by "Kiddicraft Self-Locking Bricks." These were invented by Hilary Page in 1939. Lego got a sample of these bricks from a machine supplier. The first Lego bricks were made from a material called cellulose acetate. They were a new take on traditional wooden blocks.
Quality First: A Strong Motto
Lego's motto, "only the best is good enough," was created in 1936. Ole Kirk Christiansen made this motto. He wanted his employees to always focus on high quality. He believed in this value very strongly. By 1951, plastic toys made up half of the company's products. Some people thought plastic toys could never replace wooden ones. But Lego toys became very popular. This was partly because of Ole Kirk's high standards.
Developing the Modern Lego Brick
In 1954, Ole Kirk's son, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, became a managing director. He talked with a buyer from another country. This talk led to the idea of a "toy system." Godtfred saw that Lego bricks could be used for creative play. However, the early bricks had some issues. They didn't lock together very well. They also weren't as flexible as they could be.
In 1958, the modern Lego brick design was created. Five years later, a stronger plastic called ABS replaced the old material. A patent for the new Lego brick design was filed in Denmark on January 28, 1958.
New Products and Big Achievements
The Duplo line was launched in 1969. These blocks are twice as big as standard Lego bricks. They are made for younger children. In 1978, Lego made its first minifigures. These small figures are now a key part of most Lego sets.
In 2011, the Space Shuttle Endeavour took 13 Lego kits to the International Space Station. Astronauts built models there to see how they worked in space. This was part of the Lego Bricks in Space program. In 2013, the largest Lego model ever was shown in New York City. It was a life-size Star Wars X-wing fighter made from over 5 million bricks. Other huge Lego creations include a 34-meter (111-foot) tower and a 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) railway.
In 2015, Lego was named the "world's most powerful brand." It even passed Ferrari! While Lego is mostly for kids, many adults also love building with it. In 2020, Lego started making sets for ages 18+. These are often more expensive and challenging. They are based on real-world items or famous fictional objects. Many adults bought these sets during the COVID-19 pandemic. Movies like The Lego Movie and TV shows like Lego Masters also made Lego popular with adults. By 2024, nearly 15% of Lego sets in the U.S. were for adults.
How Lego Bricks Are Designed
A Universal Building System
Lego pieces are part of a universal system. This means that all Lego pieces, even old ones, can connect with new ones. Bricks made in 1958 still fit perfectly with bricks made today. Lego sets for young children also work with sets for teenagers. For example, six 2x4 Lego bricks can be combined in over 915 million ways!
Every Lego piece must be made with great accuracy. When two pieces connect, they need to fit tightly. But they also need to be easy to take apart. The machines that make Lego bricks are very precise. They have a tiny error margin of just 10 micrometers.
The Design Process
Most of the main design work happens at Lego's headquarters in Billund. About 120 designers work there. Lego also has smaller design offices in the UK, Spain, Germany, and Japan. These offices create products for their local markets.
It takes about 12 months to develop a new Lego product. This process has three main steps. First, designers look for new trends. They even visit toy shops during holidays and talk to children. Second, they design the product based on what they learned. By 2008, design teams used 3D modeling software. This helps them create computer drawings from early sketches.
Next, they make test models using a special machine. These models are shown to the whole team. Parents and children also test them. Designs might be changed based on this feedback. Instructions for building the sets are written at the same time. The computer models are also used for marketing and packaging.
Lego also has official software called Lego Digital Designer. It lets you create your own Lego designs on a computer. In the past, you could even order your custom designs as real Lego models. This service ended in 2012.
How Lego Bricks Are Made
Manufacturing Process and Materials
Since 1963, Lego pieces have been made from ABS plastic. In 2008, Lego engineers used special software to design the parts. This software helps them make sure the parts are perfect. Sometimes, test molds are made before mass production.
The ABS plastic is heated to 232°C (450°F). It becomes like a thick dough. Then, it is injected into molds with strong pressure. It takes about 15 seconds for the plastic to cool. The molds are very precise. They have a tiny error margin of just 20 micrometers. This ensures the bricks connect well. People check the bricks to make sure colors and thickness are correct. Lego says that only about 18 bricks out of every million do not meet their high standards.
Recycling and Sustainability Efforts
Lego factories recycle almost all their plastic waste. About 99% of plastic waste from manufacturing is reused. If the plastic cannot be used for new Lego bricks, it is sold to other industries. In 2018, Lego set a goal to find an eco-friendly plastic by 2030.
Lego bricks are made in several places around the world. Molding happens in Billund, Denmark; Nyíregyháza, Hungary; Monterrey, Mexico; and Jiaxing, China. Decorating and packaging are done in the first three countries and in Kladno, Czech Republic. Lego estimates it has made 400 billion Lego blocks in five decades.
Did you know Lego is also a huge tire maker? The factory produces about 306 million small rubber tires each year. This makes Lego the world's number-one tire manufacturer!
How Strong Are Lego Bricks?
In 2012, a radio show asked how many Lego bricks it would take to crush the bottom one. Engineers found that a 2x2 Lego brick can hold about 4,240 newtons of force. A 2x2 brick weighs about 1.152 grams. So, it would take a stack of 375,000 bricks to crush the bottom one. This stack would be about 3,591 meters (2.2 miles) tall!
Lego bricks can be assembled and taken apart thousands of times before they start to wear out. In 2018, Lego announced it would use plant-based plastic for parts like leaves and trees. In 2020, Lego said it would stop using single-use plastic bags for packaging. Instead, they will use recyclable paper bags. In 2021, Lego tried to make bricks from recycled plastic bottles. But in 2023, they stopped this plan. They found it did not reduce carbon emissions as much as they hoped.
Awesome Lego Set Themes
Since the 1950s, Lego has released thousands of sets. They have many different themes! Some themes include space, pirates, trains, castles, dinosaurs, and undersea exploration. There are also original themes like Bionicle and Hero Factory. Classic themes that are still popular today include Lego City (city life sets) and Lego Technic (sets that build complex machines).
Over the years, Lego has also made sets based on popular movies, cartoons, and video games. These include Batman, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Marvel, and Minecraft. Some of these, like Lego Star Wars, sold very well. But Lego also wants to focus on its own characters and classic themes.
For the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Lego made special Team GB Minifigures. For the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Lego released a kit with the Olympic mascots.
One of the biggest commercially produced Lego sets was a minifigure-sized Star Wars Millennium Falcon. It came out in 2007 and had 5,195 pieces. Later, a 5,922-piece Taj Mahal set was even bigger. But a redesigned Millennium Falcon took the top spot again in 2017 with 7,541 pieces. Since then, even larger sets have been released. These include the Lego Art World Map (11,695 pieces), the Lego Titanic (9,090 pieces), and the Lego Architect Colosseum (9,036 pieces).
In 2022, Lego introduced its Eiffel Tower set. It has 10,000 parts and is 149 cm (58.7 inches) tall. This makes it the tallest Lego set and tower.
Robotics with Lego Mindstorms
Lego also has a cool robotics line called 'Mindstorms'. It started in 1999 and has been updated many times. The idea for Mindstorms came from a special programmable brick. This brick was developed at the MIT Media Lab. The name "Mindstorms" comes from a paper by Seymour Papert. He was a computer scientist who studied how people learn by building things.
The main part of these robotics sets is a programmable Lego brick. The newest one is called the 'EV3' brick. It is sold as Lego Mindstorms EV3. The set includes sensors that can detect touch, light, sound, and ultrasonic waves. Other sensors can be bought separately.
You can program the intelligent brick using official software on Windows and Mac computers. You download your programs to the brick using Bluetooth or a USB cable. Many unofficial programs and books have also been made for Mindstorms.
There are several robotics competitions that use Lego robotics sets. One of the oldest is Botball. Other competitions include FIRST LEGO League Discover (for ages 4–6), FIRST LEGO League Explore (for ages 6–9), and FIRST Lego League Challenge (for ages 9–16). These programs give kids real-world engineering challenges. FIRST LEGO League Challenge uses Lego robots to complete tasks. FIRST LEGO League Explore uses Lego models. FIRST LEGO League Discover uses Duplo. In 2019–2020, there were over 38,000 FIRST LEGO League Challenge teams worldwide! The international RoboCup Junior competition also uses Lego Mindstorms.
The Mindstorms system is even used in the Iko Creative Prosthetic System. This system helps children with prosthetic limbs. Kids can attach different Lego creations to their prosthetics. They can build anything from mechanical diggers to laser-firing spaceships! This modular system lets children customize their own prosthetics. It uses special sensors that read muscle activity. This sends signals to control the attachments. A processing unit in the prosthetic works with Lego Mindstorms. This lets kids build and program many different custom limbs.
Lego Clones and Trademarks
The main patent for Lego bricks ended in 1978. Since then, other companies have made similar blocks. These blocks can connect with Lego bricks. Lego has sometimes sued these companies for copying their designs.
In 2002, Lego sued the CoCo Toy Company in China. CoCo was making "Coko bricks." The court told CoCo to stop making the products. They also had to apologize and pay damages. Lego also sued the English company Best-Lock Construction Toys in Germany. But the German court said Lego could not trademark the shape of its bricks. In 2005, Lego sued the Canadian company Ritvik Holdings Inc., which makes Mega Bloks. However, Canada's highest court said Ritvik Holdings Inc. could sell its product. In 2010, a European court ruled that the Lego brick's eight-peg design is just a technical function. So, it cannot be a trademark.
In 2020 and 2021, Lego sent letters to small toy stores and YouTubers in Germany. These letters asked them to stop selling or showing Lego clone products. In 2021, a shipment of clone bricks from Qman was stopped in Germany. This was due to concerns about Lego's intellectual property. The toy retailer who ordered them asked for donations. They wanted to import the clone bricks and give them to children's homes. They raised over 350,000 euros in a few weeks!
Remember, LEGO, the LEGO logo, the Minifigure, DUPLO, the DUPLO logo, NINJAGO, the NINJAGO logo, the FRIENDS logo, the HIDDEN SIDE logo, the MINIFIGURES logo, MINDSTORMS and the MINDSTORMS logo are trademarks of the LEGO Group.
Other Cool Lego Stuff
Lego's Official Website
Lego launched its website in 1996. It has grown a lot since then. It's not just an online store and product catalog. It also has moderated message boards that started in 2001. You can even find instruction booklets for all Lego sets made since 2002.
The Lego website also has a social media app called Lego Life. It's made for kids under 13. The app is free and only shows Lego-related content. It's a safe place for kids to share their Lego builds, photos, and videos. It also has Lego ads, images, videos, and competitions. The app has many safety features. It protects personal information and carefully checks all uploaded content and messages.
Fun Lego Theme Parks
Merlin Entertainments runs eight Legoland amusement parks. The first one is in Billund, Denmark. Others are in Windsor, England; Günzburg, Germany; Carlsbad, California; Winter Haven, Florida; Iskandar Puteri, Malaysia; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Nagoya, Japan. New parks are planned for Goshen, New York, and Shanghai, China. In 2005, 70% of the Legoland parks were sold to the Blackstone Group. Lego Group still owns the other 30%.
There are also eight Legoland Discovery Centres. These are smaller indoor attractions. You can find them in Germany, the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
Lego Retail Stores
The very first Lego store opened in Sydney, Australia, in 1984. It was called The LEGO Centre. It had amazing displays of Australian landmarks made from Lego. This store closed in the early 1990s.
As of March 2024, Lego has 1,031 retail shops called Lego Stores around the world. The biggest Lego store is in Leicester Square, London. U.S. stores include those at Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts. There's also one in the Mall of America in Minnesota. When a new store opens, there's a big event. A Master Model Builder creates a huge Lego statue with help from volunteers. This statue is then displayed at the new store.
Lego for Business: Serious Play
Since about 2000, the Lego Group has promoted "Lego Serious Play." This is a type of business consulting. It helps teams think creatively. People build models with Lego bricks to show their ideas and experiences. They use these Lego creations to explore different situations. It's a serious way to play and solve problems.
More Lego Products
Exciting Lego Video Games
Lego entered the video game world in 1997. They started Lego Media International Limited. The first game, Lego Island, came out that year. After that, Lego released games like Lego Creator and Lego Racers.
Later, Lego teamed up with Traveller's Tales. Together, they made many popular games. These include Lego Star Wars, Lego Indiana Jones, and Lego Batman. The Lego Marvel Super Heroes game was also very well-liked. It featured New York City and many Marvel characters. In 2014, Lego made a game based on The Lego Movie because it was so popular.
Fun Lego Board Games
Lego Games started in 2009. This was a series of Lego-themed board games. Players usually build the game board using Lego bricks. Then, they play with Lego-style characters. Some games include "Minotaurus," where players move characters in a brick labyrinth. "Creationary" asks players to build something shown on a card. "Ramses Pyramid" involves collecting gems and climbing a customizable pyramid. Like many board games, they use dice. But in Lego Games, the dice are also made of Lego! The games range from simple to more complex.
Lego Movies and TV Shows
The first official Lego movie was Bionicle: Mask of Light in 2003. It was a computer-animated film released straight to DVD. More Bionicle and Hero Factory movies followed. A computer-animated TV series called Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu started in 2011. Other TV series include Legends of Chima (2013), Nexo Knights (2015), and Lego Elves (2015). In 2019, Lego City Adventures was released. In 2021, Lego Monkie Kid came out.
The Lego Movie, a big feature film, was released in theaters in February 2014. It had famous actors like Chris Pratt and Elizabeth Banks voicing the characters. After the movie, some toy stores had trouble getting enough Lego products.
A spin-off movie, The Lego Batman Movie, came out in 2017. A sequel to The Lego Batman Movie was planned but later canceled. The Lego Ninjago Movie was released in September 2017. In February 2019, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part was released. It was a direct sequel to the first movie.
Lego Books and Magazines
Lego works with the publisher Dorling Kindersley (DK). They have made many illustrated books about Lego. The Ultimate Lego Book was published in 1999. In 2009, The LEGO Book came out. It included a smaller book about the Lego minifigure. DK also published books on Lego Star Wars and sticker books.
Books about the Bionicle story were written by Greg Farshtey. Bionicle comics were also made into graphic novels. The Lego Life Magazine was released in 2017. It replaced the Lego Club Magazine.
Lego Clothing
Kabooki, a Danish company, makes children's clothes called "Lego Wear." They have a license from the Lego Group. In 2020, Lego started working with Adidas and Levi's to make clothes. In 2021, Lego and Adidas made clothes inspired by the Lego Ninjago theme. They also worked together on products inspired by the Lego Vidiyo theme.
Images for kids
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Logo used since 1998
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Hilary Fisher Page's Interlocking Building Cubes by Kiddicraft, 1939
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A boy from the UK playing with Lego in 1957. Lego first sold in Denmark, then expanded across Europe in the 1950s. It began selling outside Europe in the 1960s.
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The main Lego factory in Billund, Denmark (shown in 1973).
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Lego bricks
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Two Lego Duplo bricks with a standard brick for comparison
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Dimensions of some standard Lego bricks and plates
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The Lego factory in Kladno, Czech Republic in 2008
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Lego injection moulding machines, made by the German company Arburg
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Lego sets of the Lego City theme
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A model of Trafalgar Square, London in Legoland Windsor
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A Lego store in Toronto, Canada
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The world's largest Lego store in Leicester Square, London
See also
In Spanish: Lego (juguete) para niños
