Ole Kirk Christiansen, a carpenter from Billund in Denmark established his company in 1932, with the intention of encouraging creative play and imagination in children. The company began by manufacturing stepladders. However the Great Depression forced him into an adaptable business model. He shifted his focus on manufacturing toys, and in the process he developed one of the most popular brands in history.

Christiansen was a progressive thinker and quick to adopt new materials and technologies. In 1947, he became the first company to purchase a plastics injection molding machine in the world. This greatly enhanced the range of capabilities and options for Lego products. The machine also allowed him to create a prototype that would later become the iconic Lego brick. The bricks were equipped with pegs on top and hollow bottoms that were interlocked with each one another, allowing children to create intricate structures that are far greater than those possible with the wooden blocks of previous generations.

The 1950s were a time click to find out more of growth for the business. Godtfred Kirk Christiansen’s daughter Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen joined the management team and began to modernize the company’s manufacturing methods. The expansion included the launch of dollhouses, furniture and Minifigures, individual figures. In 1979, the company branched out into space by introducing sets of astronaut minifigures as well as rockets, lunar rovers and spaceships in addition to the medieval world with a castle theme.

In 1990, Lego released three Model Team Sets that were made for builders who were advanced. These sets introduced tiny parts such as axles, gears and levers, as well as the kind of realism and accuracy that was unprecedented in the Lego series at the time.