![]() ![]() The design for the Lego brick was patented in 1958Īfter the ravages of both world wars, natural resources like wood were in shorter supply. In 1944, it was opened, and featured an assembly line. Christiansen was close to giving up: however, owing to a sense of responsibility towards his workforce, he rebuilt the factory. However, in 1942, a short circuit created an electrical fire which once again resulted in the loss of the whole factory, all of its stock and blueprints. Listen Now The business survived another fire and Nazi occupationĭespite periods of hardship, Christiansen maintained his business throughout the Great Depression and Nazi Germany’s occupation of Denmark during World War Two. In 1944, the company was registered.įind out what Play-Doh has to do with sooty walls. By coincidence, it also means ‘put together’ in Latin.Ĭhristiansen drew up toy designs for his employees to follow, and by the mid-1930s the company featured some 42 different product ranges, which were expensive but very popular. The name ‘Lego’ was chosen from the Danish words ‘Leg Godt, meaning ‘play well’. The pull-along duck quickly became a best seller.īy 1934, Christiansen employed staff once more, and held a competition amongst them to decide on a name for the company. In 1932, he founded an unnamed company that specialised in producing wooden toys such as yo-yos, pull-along animals and trucks. ![]() Nonetheless, he kept producing toys, even when his siblings requested that he stop as part of a bailout loan. ‘Lego’ comes from the Danish words for ‘play well’Ĭhristiansen’s business slipped into bankruptcy. In order to keep the business going, Christiansen decided to produce cheap wooden products. However, times eventually got so tough that Christiansen had to dismiss his last worker. Indeed, Christiansen believed in delivering the highest quality only, with a sign on the factory floor reading ‘only the best is worthy’. Toys quickly began to sell above all else.Ĭhristiansen’s son Godtfred joined in his father’s business, and together they produced many toy designs such as ferries, vehicles, aeroplanes and buses in high quality, painted birch wood that was beautifully packaged. His customers could afford little, so he began to create small, affordable wooden household products such as ladders, ironing boards, toys, stools and Christmas tree stands. The Great Depression reached its peak in 1930s Denmark, and Christiansen’s business suffered, and by early 1932, he had laid off all but 7 employees. Image Credit: US Library of Congress His most popular products were toys Toy Makers in the USA, between 1909 to 1919 By 1930, Christiansen employed a small workforce which focused on creating household goods and restoring and developing new buildings. In response, Christiansen drew up plans to rebuild a larger workshop with a family apartment, and moved his family into one room while renting out the others. In 1924, two of his sons, Karl and Godtfred, were playing with wood shavings and accidentally set fire to the workshop, resulting in the whole factory and house burning down. At this time, Christiansen’s business had started focusing on producing household goods for the local community. In the same year that he returned to Denmark, Christiansen bought ‘The Billund Carpentry Shop and Lumberyard’, and started to raise his four young children on his own. His sons accidentally burned down his house and workshop They had four children, but after the birth of their fourth child, Kirstine died. The pair returned to Jutland and married in 1916. While practicing his trade in Norway, Christiansen met daughter of a Norwegian cheese-maker Kirstine Sørensen. In 1905, aged 14, Ole was apprenticed to his older brother to learn carpentry, and in 1911 he left Denmark to work in Germany as a carpenter for five years. While working as a farmhand from the age of six, Christiansen developed a fascination with whittling wood. The tenth child of Jens Niels Christiansen and Kirstine Christiansen, his family were poor but Ole managed to achieve basic schooling. Ole Kirk Christiansen was born in 1891 in the village of Filskovand, Jutland, Denmark. So who was Ole Kirk Christiansen? He was born into a poor family However, today it is estimated that there are a staggering 600 billion Lego pieces in existence, and as of 2021, Lego was the largest toy company in the world. ![]() The brainchild of Danish carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen, the toy nearly didn’t come to fruition, after a series of devastating fires, the Great Depression and Nazi occupation threatened the company’s closure. Perhaps one of the most beloved and well-known toys in history, Lego has entertained children for over 70 years, with the simple interlocking brick inspiring a franchise today which includes movies, games, competitions and eight Legoland amusement parks. ![]()
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