As of July 2015, 600 billion Lego parts had been produced. == History == The Lego Group began in the workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen (1891–1958), a carpenter from Billund, Denmark, who began making wooden toys in 1932.
In 1934, his company came to be called "Lego", derived from the Danish phrase leg godt , which means "play well".
The bricks, originally manufactured from cellulose acetate, were a development of the traditional stackable wooden blocks of the time. The Lego Group's motto, "only the best is good enough" (det bedste er ikke for godt, literally "the best isn't excessively good") was created in 1936.
These bricks were based on the Kiddicraft Self-Locking Bricks, which had been patented in the United Kingdom in 1939 and released in 1947.
In 1947, Lego expanded to begin producing plastic toys.
These bricks were based on the Kiddicraft Self-Locking Bricks, which had been patented in the United Kingdom in 1939 and released in 1947.
Anything constructed can be taken apart again, and the pieces reused to make new things. The Lego Group began manufacturing the interlocking toy bricks in 1949.
In 1949 Lego began producing, among other new products, an early version of the now familiar interlocking bricks, calling them "Automatic Binding Bricks".
By 1951 plastic toys accounted for half of the Lego company's output, even though the Danish trade magazine Legetøjs-Tidende ("Toy Times"), visiting the Lego factory in Billund in the early 1950s, felt that plastic would never be able to replace traditional wooden toys.
== Set themes == Since the 1950s, the Lego Group has released thousands of sets with a variety of themes, including space, robots, pirates, trains, Vikings, castle, dinosaurs, undersea exploration, and wild west.
By 1951 plastic toys accounted for half of the Lego company's output, even though the Danish trade magazine Legetøjs-Tidende ("Toy Times"), visiting the Lego factory in Billund in the early 1950s, felt that plastic would never be able to replace traditional wooden toys.
Although a common sentiment, Lego toys seem to have become a significant exception to the dislike of plastic in children's toys, due in part to the high standards set by Ole Kirk. By 1954, Christiansen's son, Godtfred, had become the junior managing director of the Lego Group.
In 1958, the modern brick design was developed; it took five years to find the right material for it, ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) polymer.
Lego bricks from 1958 still interlock with those made in the current time, and Lego sets for young children are compatible with those made for teenagers.
The program once allowed customers to order their custom designs with a service to ship physical models from Digital Designer to consumers; the service ended in 2012. == Manufacturing == Since 1963, Lego pieces have been manufactured from a strong, resilient plastic known as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).
Some of the classic themes that continue to the present day include Lego City (a line of sets depicting city life introduced in 1973) and Lego Technic (a line aimed at emulating complex machinery, introduced in 1977). Over the years, Lego has licensed themes from numerous cartoon and film franchises and even some from video games.
Some of the classic themes that continue to the present day include Lego City (a line of sets depicting city life introduced in 1973) and Lego Technic (a line aimed at emulating complex machinery, introduced in 1977). Over the years, Lego has licensed themes from numerous cartoon and film franchises and even some from video games.
and the educational division of the Lego Group. In 1998, Lego bricks were one of the original inductees into the National Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong in Rochester, New York. == Design == Lego pieces of all varieties constitute a universal system.
A redesigned Millennium Falcon retook the top spot in 2017 with 7,541 pieces. === Robotics themes === Lego also initiated a robotics line of toys called 'Mindstorms' in 1999, and has continued to expand and update this range ever since.
According to an article in BusinessWeek in 2006, Lego could be considered the world's number one tyre manufacturer; the factory produces about 306 million small rubber tyres a year.
Designed by Jens Kronvold Fredericksen, it was released in 2007 and contained 5,195 pieces.
As of September 2008 the design teams use 3D modelling software to generate CAD drawings from initial design sketches.
As of September 2008, Lego engineers use the NX CAD/CAM/CAE PLM software suite to model the elements.
The program once allowed customers to order their custom designs with a service to ship physical models from Digital Designer to consumers; the service ended in 2012. == Manufacturing == Since 1963, Lego pieces have been manufactured from a strong, resilient plastic known as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).
Discontinued sets may become a collectable and command value on the black market. For the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Lego released a special Team GB Minifigures series exclusively in the United Kingdom to mark the opening of the games.
As of July 2015, 600 billion Lego parts had been produced. == History == The Lego Group began in the workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen (1891–1958), a carpenter from Billund, Denmark, who began making wooden toys in 1932.
Other records include a tower and a railway. In February 2015, Lego replaced Ferrari as the "world's most powerful brand." They were at position 378 of Brand Finances global brand ranking. === In popular culture === Lego's popularity is demonstrated by its wide representation and usage in many forms of cultural works, including books, films and art work.
For the 2016 Summer Olympics and 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Lego released a kit with the Olympic and Paralympic mascots Vinicius and Tom. One of the largest Lego sets commercially produced was a minifig-scaled edition of the Star Wars Millennium Falcon.
A redesigned Millennium Falcon retook the top spot in 2017 with 7,541 pieces. === Robotics themes === Lego also initiated a robotics line of toys called 'Mindstorms' in 1999, and has continued to expand and update this range ever since.
In 2020 the company announced that it would cease packaging its products in single-use plastic bags, and would instead be using recyclable paper bags.
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