In 1932, carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen founded his company in Billund, Denmark with the aim of encouraging creative games and creativity in children. The company began by manufacturing stepladders. However the Great Depression forced him into a more flexible business model. He shifted his focus to the manufacturing of toys and established one of the most adored brands.
Christiansen was a thinker who was progressive and quick to adapt new materials and technologies. In 1947, he was among the first company in the world to acquire a plastic injection molding machine that greatly expanded the variety why play with lego and capabilities of Lego products. The machine also allowed him to test a design that would eventually become an iconic Lego brick. The bricks featured pegs on top and hollow bottoms that were interlocked with each one another, allowing children to build complex structures that went beyond the possibilities of wooden blocks of previous generations.
The 1950s were a period that saw the business expand. Kjeld Kirk Christiansen, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen’s daughter was a member of the management team and commenced modernizing the companyβs manufacturing methods. This expansion included the launch of a dollhouse line and furnishings for girls, as well as the very first Minifigures as individual figures. In 1979, the company branched out into space by introducing sets of astronaut minifigures, rockets, lunar rovers, and spaceships and into the medieval world with a castle theme.
In 1990, the company released three Model Team sets that were made for advanced builders. The sets comprised small components like levers, axles gears, and other parts. They were the first Lego sets to provide a level of realism and accuracy.