The Lego company was founded by Ole Kirk Christiansen, a carpenter from Billund, Denmark. He began making wooden toys in 1932, but his company struggled during the Great Depression. Christiansen renamed his company “Lego,” a contraction of the Danish words leg godt, which translates to “play well.”
In 1934, Lego introduced plastic bricks for production, and the first sets were sold. The company also started a new division called Dakta which would concentrate on educational products.
In the second half of the 20th Century, Lego expanded its product range and marketing efforts. In 1971, Lego introduced dollhouses, furniture pieces, and in 1974 first Lego human figures. They later evolved into the minifigure style that is used today. Lego began to produce more sophisticated Lego Technic sets for older children.
In 1987, Lego introduced the World Cup Lego building contest for children to compete in. The event was held in Billund and 38 children from 17 countries took part. Lego began to create themes in the same year. They were seen as systems inside lego store sets the system. They included Lego Space, Lego Castle and Lego Town (later changed to Lego City) as well as Lego FabuLand. In 1988, Lego released a new line of pirate Legos that featured various facial features and expressions.
In 1999, Lego changed the way it licensed characters from franchises. It began to offer Lego versions of famous characters like Spider-Man, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and numerous others. Both critics and fans were averse to this decision.
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