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In 1932 carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen founded his company in Billund, Denmark with the goal of promoting inventive 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 on the manufacture of toys and in the process, he developed one of the most loved brands in the history of the world.
Christiansen was a progressive thinker and was quick to adopt new materials and technologies. In 1947, he was the first company to purchase a plastics injection molding machine in the world. This greatly increased the range of capabilities and options for Lego products. The machine also let him test a design that would eventually become the iconic Lego brick. The bricks were hollow at the bottom and had pegs on the top. They were interlocked to let children build intricate structures that were more complex than the ones made by wooden blocks of previous generations.
The 1950s were a time that saw the business expand. Kjeld Kirk Christiansen, Godtfred Kirk Christian’s daughter was a member of the management team and started modernizing the company’s manufacturing methods. The expansion included the introduction of dollhouses, furniture and minifigures as individual pieces. In 1979, the company expanded its product line to include sets featuring astronaut minifigures and rockets. They also introduced spaceships, lunar rovers and spaceships.
In 1990, the company introduced three Model Team Sets that were designed for builders with the best places to buy lego advanced skills. These sets included small parts like axles, levers, gears and other components. They were the first Lego sets that offered an element of realism and accuracy.
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