Lego

"Whatever good things we build end up building us."
-- Jim Rohn (1930-), American entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker.


LEGO creater Ole Kirk Christiansen's company originally sold and made wooden stepladders and ironing boards. In 1932, he started making wooden toys that were so popular he decided to sell them exclusively. The name LEGO means "play well" in Danish.

In 1949, LEGO acquired the design rights to a self-locking building block created by Kiddicraft in the U.K. Originally named Automatic Binding Bricks, there was a name change in 1953 to LEGO Bricks and the name LEGO is imprinted on all the bricks.

In the 1950s LEGO grew to include building sets, vehicles and assorted props to help create buildings and towns. A new patent in 1958 made the brick sturdier and flexible with a tube on the bottom of the LEGO brick.

Lego pieces of all varieties are a part of a universal system. Lego bricks from 1958 still interlock with those made in 2009, and Lego sets for young children are compatible with those made for teenagers.

The Lego Group's motto is "Only the best is good enough", a free translation of the Danish phrase Kun det bedste er godt nok. This motto was created by Ole Kirk to encourage his employees never to skimp on quality, a value he believed in strongly. The motto is still used within the company today.

Four billion LEGO mini-figures have been made since 1978. Four hundred billion bricks have been produced since 1958.