The Story of Lego That Inspires Us To Work Hard
Introduction
It is hard to find a kid in a city who does not know about Lego. Well, we are all aware of the top toy brand in the world with different thinking. This brand offers a set of toys that are not similar to the conventional ones we see around us. It gives us ideas to make an object with blocks and pieces. How did it come to its origin? Here is the inspiring history of Lego that inspires us to the core.
Lego is another name for perseverance, grit, hard work and innovative ideas. Who would have thought that building blocks can be something to play with? Let us see what the story has to tell us.
The Lego Story: A Brief Introduction
This story circles around a carpenter named Ole Kirk Christiansen. He owned a company that manufactured furniture. He was suffering a huge loss in his business. He had to close his business due to economic slowdown and immense competitive pressure in the market.
The days were not bearable as he had four sons and a wife to feed. He spend days in utter despair but kept his sons happy by manufacturing wooden toys. His days started to shine and she saw a ray of hope to survive when he got a new contract. He hired his men again to manufacture toys. This did not end well. The buyer had to file for bankruptcy and the contract was gone.
He invested his remaining resources to hire his people back and procure wood for the contract. He made toys but had to sell them on his own to meet both ends. He faced a lot of difficulties doing so.
His miseries did not end here. When every piece was falling in the wrong place, his workshop caught fire and everything burned down to ashes. His medium of earning bread and butter was ruined forever. Her wife died leaving four sons to take care of. Hell broke loose on him!
He previously named his toys ‘Lego’. It is the short form of ‘Leg Godt’ which means ‘play well’ in Danish. He had nowhere to go or run his business. He had to visit Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, more often due to various reasons. On one of his visits, he found a new machine that can inject plastic into moulds. Ole’s intuitive mind was intrigued by the idea but he was not in a position to take risks.
Despite his drawbacks and history, he bought a plastic injection machine at his home. He wanted to learn how to inject hot plastic into moulds to make things. His son Godtfred was intrigued by the idea. They started experimenting with ducks and teddy bears. Eventually, his idea of toy parts that can bind to each other came up. He made moulds and injected plastic to make such blocks a possibility.
It was the year 1949 when the Lego story took a new turn. He launched his first set named Automatic Binding Bricks. It was an instant hit. Children loved to play with such bricks that can be detached and attached to make new shapes.
The Contribution of Godtfred Christiansen
Godtfred, on the other hand, had other plans. He wanted to scout the possibility where a toy can be built that makes children think intelligently. He wanted to design something that makes children smarter. He wanted something to fuel the imagination power of kids playing with Legos.
In 1950, the company launched Legos for kids with the name LEGO System in Play. This took the world by storm. People were fascinated by the idea of letting their minds play with the blocks and parts to make anything they want.
What are Legos?
The blocks and parts were designed by the company in such a way that Legos can be used to make anything. It can be used to replicate houses, rockets, ships, etc. The blocks gave the power of imagination to the kids and even adults. These building blocks are called Legos.
Lego, the Most Popular Toy in the World
Soon, the audience span of this toy increased. More ages were included in the target audience and the company made a huge fortune. The whole world wanted to play with Legos. It became a multinational brand within a few years and offered the most intuitive set of toys to play with.
What Makes Lego Toys Different From Others?
Now that we know the inspiring story of Lego, let us find out why this concept became an instant hit. Imagine playing with a toy. Can you change it or reassemble it into a new form? If you can do it, you will have another new toy to play with.
This is the unique selling proposition of Lego toys. This is the prime difference that defines what are Lego toys. You will be surprised that its new strategy of Lego is to offer extension packs for toys that the admirers cannot get enough of.
To build something bigger, you will also need more Lego bricks, blocks, and parts. It means you will need more toys to play with. Imagine the brilliance of the multilevel strategy that fascinated admirers of all ages.
The Inspiration From Lego Story
It is hard to believe that Ole stand tall throughout such hardships and managed to keep his mind straight. Even if the world was suffering from a huge economic depression, he kept his thoughts on the right track.
He worked hard, found a brilliant idea that nobody could have thought of and established the most popular toy in the world. This real-life story inspires us to be diligent and determined towards achieving our goals. It explains that your perseverance can make a huge difference.
