In 1948, toy maker Ole Kirk Christansen invented the LEGO brick. It took him until 1958 - another ten years - to perfect both its design and manufacture, but the die had been cast for one of the most successful toys of all time.
Christansen started his toy company in 1932, making wooden toys. In striving to find a suitable name for the business, he held a competition amongst his employees - but came up with the winner himself. LEGO is a contraction of two Danish words, Leg Godt, meaning, "Play well". Christansen took the first two letters of each word and created the LEGO brand.
LEGO Quality & Durability
The LEGO brand has always been synonymous with high quality. LEGO bricks are manufactured to a tolerance of one thousandth of a millimetre - ensuring that they always lock together 'just right'.
Children all over the world know and love the LEGO brand; the company's LEGO theme parks draw millions of visitors every year. One of the keys to LEGO's success has been that almost every new model and range is compatible with those that have come before it - so old LEGO never becomes unusable or outdated.
Today's LEGO - Something for Everyone
LEGO's product range has expanded over the years and now includes several distinct ranges.
Best-known and most widely used is standard LEGO. The success of this type of LEGO has been greatly helped over the years by the themed kits that the company has created. Particularly popular today is the City range, which includes kits such as the Fire Station, Airport, Police Station and an assortment of cars & trucks.
The standard range has also been extended to include fantasy and science fiction themed kits. Examples of these include Lego Castle sets (featuring castles, knights & dragons) and Mission to Mars. Movie fans have not been neglected either - offerings such as the Star Wars range and Indiana Jones sets have made sure that LEGO remains fashionable and popular.
All of these LEGO ranges retain the quality and universal compatibility of all other LEGO, meaning that your children can combine them with their existing LEGO bricks to create new, larger models when they are finished with the original designs.
LEGO Duplo - LEGO for Tiny Hands
Original LEGO was a little too small to be safe for pre-school age children, so in 1979 LEGO introduced Duplo.
LEGO Duplo is like standard LEGO - but bigger. Its one-piece moulded construction and larger size makes it completely safe for young children to play with. Like standard LEGO, LEGO Duplo comes in themed kits such as the Circus and the LEGO Duplo Town.
LEGO Technic - Learn How Things Work
The LEGO Technic range is designed for older children and includes working models of vehicles such as bulldozers, breakdown trucks and cranes. Some models even have battery-driven electric motors - making it possible to create moving, real-world scenarios with multiple LEGO models.
LEGO Technic is ideal for children who would like to learn more about how things work. Technic kits are far more complex and often larger than standard LEGO - and they also include a much wider range of parts, including mechanical and electrical parts.