1. Founded by carpenter Ole Kirk Kristiansen in Billund, Denmark, in 1932, the company started out manufacturing ironing boards, stools, stepladders, and wooden toys.
2. The name LEGO® came about when the founder launched a competition to name the company – and then won it himself. Because of course he did.
3. He merged the two Danish words "leg" and "godt", meaning "play well", and was so chuffed with the result he crowned himself the winner. Legend.
4. It wasn't until 1949 that the company launched plastic Automatic Binding Bricks – or LEGO Bricks, as they're now known.
5. A few years later they developed the "interlocking principle" (aka the tube system on the underside of the bricks) that makes LEGO, well, LEGO.
6. Nowadays, the range is made up of over 3,700 different elements in more than 60 colours. The possibilities are ~literally~ endless.
7. The moulds used in production are so accurate that only 18 out of every million pieces are rejected. They're accurate to within 0.004mm, or less than the width of a single hair.
8. The first LEGO wheel was made in 1962, and LEGO has since become one of the world's biggest tyre manufacturers, producing over 700 million every year.
9. When LEGOLAND opened in Billund, Denmark, in 1968, it attracted 625,000 visitors in its first season – 3,000 on the first day.
10. The first "Minifigures" with movable arms and legs were born in 1978, adding the element of role-play to LEGO play.
11. Up until the release of Star Wars sets in 1999, LEGO had never let another company influence its designs. Regret it they did not.
12. Thousands of different designs have been created since then, and now you can even turn yourself into a Minifigure.
13. Recognising the need to extend play beyond the physical bricks, the company launched LEGO.com in March 1996. It was a simpler time.
14. This sparked the digital push into computer games, movies, and, most recently, LEGO Life, a social media app that lets kids share their IRL LEGO creations.
Join the community of LEGO fans on the LEGO Life app. It's a safe space for kids to share their ideas and explore the world of LEGO creations!
