The Lego company was founded by Ole Kirk Christiansen, a carpenter from Billund, Denmark. He began making wooden toys in 1932, but his company was a struggle during the Great Depression. Christiansen changed the company’s name to “Lego,” which is a contraction of the word leg godt (which refers to “play well” in https://lego-x.com/2020/01/16/lego-company-history-production-features/ Danish).
In 1934, Lego began using plastic bricks in its production. The first Lego sets were also sold. The company also launched an entirely new division named Dakta that would focus on educational products.
Through the latter part of the 20th century Lego continued to expand its product range and marketing efforts. In 1971, Lego introduced dollhouses, furniture pieces and, in 1974, the first Lego human figures. Later, these minifigures evolved into the model we use today. Lego began to create more advanced Lego Technic sets for older children.
In 1987, Lego introduced the World Cup Lego building contest for children to participate in. The event was held in Billund and 38 kids from 17 different countries participated. The same year Lego also began to develop themed sets that were viewed as systems within the Lego system, like Lego Space, Lego Castle, Lego Town (later renamed Lego City), and Lego FabuLand. Lego also went beyond its usual smiley faces for the first time in 1988 when it introduced the introduction of a line of pirate Lego figures that featured various facial expressions and expressions.
In 1999, Lego shifted the way it licensed its characters from franchises. It began to offer Lego versions of the most popular characters such as Spider-Man and Star Wars. Harry Potter, Avatar: The Last Airbender and many more. Both critics and fans were averse to this new development.
