The LEGO Story - How it all started

You've probably seen one of these. A Lego brick. But have you ever wondered how it all

started

and why it is called Lego? The name is actually much older than this plastic brick. Are you curious? Let me tell you how it all

started

. (BIRDS CHIRING) Many years ago, there was a skilled and hardworking carpenter named Ole Kirk Christiansen. Ole was a respected carpenter who had his own business. But times were difficult. Then he didn't have much money and he had to fire his last worker. (KNOCKS ON THE DOOR) OLE: Come in. I closed the workshop and packed my things. (Sighs) Thank you.

I guess I'd better write you a paycheck. (DRAWER CLOSES) Take care of yourself. Well, that was the last one. I just didn't imagine it would come to this. I know, it's hard to understand... but at least now it can't get much worse. But it got worse. Shortly after, Ole lost his wife. But Ole was a special person. He wasn't the type to give up. And with the responsibility of his four children. He had to think of something. (QUACKS) Ole came up with an idea and it never took him long to put it into practice. Ole's little invention made his children very happy, but he thought, "Maybe I should start making toys." Ole decided to try it.

Fortunately, he had saved a lot of wood through woodworking production. He can now use it to make toys. Time passed. And although Ole was a skilled carpenter and had a good eye for quality and detail, sales were very slow. Fortunately, one of his sons, Godfrey, began helping his father after school. Together they barely managed to maintain production. Over time, he began to spread the word that the small workshop in Billund made wooden toys of the best quality. One day, a man came to town. A man who would change Ole's future. He was a Fredericia wholesaler. I heard you are making some very nice wooden toys.

Well, you do the best you can. The wholesaler was very impressed with all the wooden toys. And he placed a big request before he left. Now there is finally someone who can see the opportunities in what we are doing. Watch this. The wholesaler wants to put many of our toys in a store for the holidays. This year it's going to be a good Christmas. But we will be busy. Now there was much to do in the small workshop. And Ole can rehire his old workers. Ole only used the highest quality wood, which was hand-selected and prepared with great care.

They work day and night to finish the order. This way, the wholesaler could get the toys out to stores before Christmas. Is something wrong, dad? I'm afraid we're in big trouble. In the middle of his job, Ole received a letter saying that the wholesaler had gone bankrupt and could not buy the toys he had ordered. But what are you going to do? What about Christmas? Now we can't even afford to eat? I will do that. What are you going to do, dad? I'll do it myself. I'll drive around selling the toys. There was no time to lose.

Ole filled the car with all the toys and left. (HONKS) Ole was a very good toy maker, but he was not a very good salesman. He didn't like to praise himself or talk about the care with which the toys had been made, but he had to keep trying if he wanted to sell something. This is going to be a blast. Is there something that interests you? It sounds exciting, but I don't have much money right now. Maybe we could negotiate and be at peace. Well, he would prefer money, but... In the end he managed to sell all the toys.

He did not receive as much money as he expected. But the family managed and had plenty of food for Christmas. Time passed. But the toys did not sell as quickly as they expected. Ole thought maybe the company needed a good name. (OLE SIGH) What should it be? It has to be a short word. He wanted to convey “Play Well.” In Danish, Playing Well is called Leg Godt. That should be? That should be? Yes, if he could get some kind of signal. Lego. As you can see, Ole himself ended up finding a very suitable name. But what he didn't know is that in Latin the word Lego means "I put together." The Lego name was well received and little by little the company began to advance.

This year we have won three thousand crowns. And we have more orders than usual. Did you say three thousand crowns? (LAUGHTER) Then you need to see what I've been looking at. Although Godtfred did not feel comfortable spending money on a milling machine, he could see that it was useful and that the quality of the workmanship of the toys improved. Could you finish the last batch and prepare it for shipping? I will do that. (TYPEWRITER JACKET) Dad, Dad, I see a lot of money for the company today! Actually? As? I think we could save money on the lack.

It's like the ducks were only grouped together twice instead of three. What about you? Unfortunately, Godtfred's idea didn't sit well with Ole. Ole had Godtfred unpack all the ducks himself, give them the final coat of lacquer, and bring them back to the train station. Ole believed in high quality and not misleading his customers. When Godtfred returned, Ole explained that this was not the way to create a good brand. This little lesson opened Godtfred's eyes to the fact that every detail matters. And only the best is good enough. By the late 1930s, Lego was turning a profit.

Even when World War II broke out, they tried to make the best of a difficult time. It seemed like nothing could go wrong. But a stormy night in 1942 changed his luck. "There's a fire! The workshop is on fire! But when the firefighters arrived, they couldn't save the workshop. It burned to the ground and all the drawings and models were destroyed. Ole was starting to lose hope. There was all that disappeared and he was on the verge of losing his company. But being responsible for his children and his workers inspired him to rebuild Lego. Soon a new factory was built and the production of wooden toys slowly resumed.

It started working smoothly and Ole started looking for new challenges. One day, he went to Copenhagen to see a new machine that had just arrived in Denmark and Ole was very excited "Should we buy it?" and it will give us many opportunities. "It sounds interesting, but it is a lot of money." "I'll take that as a yes." When the plastic molding machine finally arrived, Ole began making small plastic teddy bears and rattles. But he still had the plastic. bricks that he had received at the fair. There was something about them that he couldn't stop thinking about and although no one else could see the potential in them, Ole decided to redesign them and put them into production.

He launched the gray Fergus and the tractor which plastic toys became a hit. Unfortunately, sales dropped over the summer and the company had too many toys in stock. Of course our products can be sold all year round! Not just for Christmas." Godtfred decided to go out and sell the toys himself. Godtfred brought his wife Edith for company and moral support. "If you can't get cash, then we need b-butter and eggs." Well, it wasn't so bad. Godtfred was a success on his trip across the country, which helped Lego out of its financial crisis. They arrived just in time for Ole's birthday party and the whole family was gathered to celebrate with him.

Well, I guess it was a long trip across the country. "I have an idea, listen, listen! How about a photo with all three generations!" Everyone thought it was a good idea and placed us on the couch with all the presents around us. On a business trip to England, Godtfred meets the director of a large shopping center along the way. They talked about the toy industry and the conversation would be very important for the future of Lego. I just think toys don't work nowadays." "What do you mean? I think they are working very well." "Oh. They work fine, sure, but there's no system to anything." "System?" "...System?" "Hmm.

There is no system." "What are you doing, Godtfred?" "There is no system. Toys need an idea and a system built around it." "I want to put the system into play. Children have only been given ready-made solutions." "They need something different that strengthens their imagination and creativity." "So you're trying to put Lego into a system? Interesting..." That same year, Lego began producing the first Lego game system. Children could now build houses with Lego bricks. The city plan provided the game with a realistic urban environment. And with this, children They learned about road safety. My My sisters and I could play with the new Lego system for hours.

Some people said we were the luckiest children in the world because we grew up in a toy factory and Godtfred tried to sell it outside of. Denmark. The game system was so popular that I managed to sell it in my countries. " "That's really nice, Kell!" Even though Lego was only designed for building houses, there were still plenty of opportunities. There was just one problem... "I can't lift it. It keeps falling apart." That made Godtfred wonder, he wanted to make a path for the Lego bricks to stick together. But it was easier said than done. Godtfred noticed that the Lego bricks gripped better with the tubes inside Now, it was no longer just bricks, but an entire building system with infinite possibilities.

This was innovative for the Lego product. With a child's imagination, Lego could be anything in the world, over and over again. "Look dad! Now I can build everything." Unfortunately, Ole never got to see the success the little brick had. Godtfred was left alone and had to go through another fire at Lego that destroyed most of the wood production. Just like his own. Father, Godtfred knew that he had to try to make the best of any situation and never give up. Godtfred took the difficult times with his head held high. As sales grew, the company also became larger. production of wooden toys and focusing solely on the Lego system.

It turned out to be a great decision. Many new models were built and Lego became stronger in the toy industry. Which of these do you think is better? "Mm, uh, that one." Even though Lego was busier, Godtfred still had bigger plans. Now, he wanted to build an airport, so it would be easier to sell. He toys it to everyone. Like father, like son, it didn't take him long to put his idea into practice. Only three years later Billund airport was opened. The many guests and business contacts who visited the company always wanted to see her. The modeling department became so full that its employees found it difficult to continue their work. "...I think we'd better wait a bit." place to display Lego models. "Uh, I don't want to interrupt, so I'll just put this package of our new Lego train, uh, on the table." "The idea quickly went from an exhibition hall to an amusement park." "And then we could have a tower so we can see the whole park from above!

The whole city!" "It will be a land made of Lego!" "Lego-Land!" "Well, it seems interesting, but how many visitors do you really have?" "Well, I guess, um, 200... 300 thousand?" "300 thousand?!" Although it seemed like a lot, my father was actually quite far from the truth. There were 600 thousand guests the first year. My family and I were there to receive the guests. We've kept this tradition ever since. Now you know how it all started. Lego would not be what it is today if it had not been for my grandfather's sense of quality and search for protection. My father was a firm believer in infinite possibilities. of the Lego system I am looking to take the idea of ​​Lego even further.

Encourage children to explore, experiment and express their own world. A world without limits. And we are still convinced that only the best is enough. better.