Fact 1: Lego Wasn't Originally For Kids
Ole Kirk Christiansen, a carpenter from Denmark, created Lego in 1932. It was originally a small workshop for making wooden toys and wasn't specifically targeted at children. The name Lego comes from the Danish phrase 'leg godt', meaning 'play well', and it wasn't until later that they found out in Latin, it means 'I put together'.
Fact 2: Lego Produces More Tires Than Any Other Company
It may come as a surprise, but Lego is officially the world's largest manufacturer of tires. With over 36 billion tires produced each year, Lego surpasses automotive leaders like Bridgestone, Goodyear, and Michelin. However, these are tiny plastic tires, mostly for Lego's diverse range of vehicles.
Fact 3: Diverse Lego People
Since the first release of Lego people in 1978, the company has created a vastly diverse range of characters. There are over 4,000 unique Lego Minifigure characters ranging from knights, astronauts, ninjas, to unique characters like Harry Potter and Star Wars figures.
Fact 4: Plastic Over Wood
Lego originally made wooden toys until a big fire broke out in their wooden toy warehouse in 1960. The fire destroyed the entire stock, forcing the business to make a drastic change and shift its focus significantly on plastic Lego bricks.
Fact 5: Six Bricks = Almost A Billion Combinations
If you take six standard eight-stud Lego bricks of the same color, there are an astounding 915 million ways to combine them. Talk about unlimited possibilities and endless creativity.
Fact 6: Lego has an underground vault.
In its headquarters in Billund, Denmark, Lego has a locked, underground vault that holds almost every set they’ve ever manufactured. This is done to keep a recorded history of Lego products, the vault contains over 7,000 Lego sets.
Fact 7: Lego Pieces Are Precise
Lego bricks are manufactured to an exacting standard of 0.002 mm. Due to this precision, bricks manufactured today can interlock with those manufactured since 1958, maintaining consistent compatibility through generations.
Fact 8: The Lego Group is still owned by its founding family
Even after almost 90 years of enterprise, the Lego Group continues to be owned and run by the Christiansen family, the descendants of Ole Kirk Christiansen. The current CEO is Niels B. Christiansen, not directly related but shares a common surname.
Fact 9: Largest Lego Model Ever Created
The largest Lego model ever created was a full-scale replica of the Star Wars X-Wing fighter. It was constructed from 5.3 million bricks and took over 17,000 hours to build.
Fact 10: Legoland Parks
There are a total of 8 Legoland parks around the world. They can be found in Denmark, Germany, United Kingdom, United States (California and Florida), Malaysia, Dubai, and Japan.
Fact 11: Lego's Contribution to Renewable Energy
Committed to reducing its environmental impact, Lego reached its 100% renewable energy target three years ahead of schedule in 2017. The company uses wind farms to generate power and has invested in buildings made from sustainable materials.
Fact 12: Step on a Lego Brick?
Stepping on a Lego brick is universally acknowledged as a painful experience. This is due to the bricks' strength—originally designed to withstand up to 4,240 Newtons of force, it takes a lot to crack a Lego.
Fact 13: Lego Bricks Production
Lego produces more than 36 billion Lego bricks a year. That’s approximately 1140 elements every second.
Fact 14: More Than Just Toys
Lego bricks are used for more than just toys. They've been used in human and computer sciences, business model visualization, and even urban planning.
Fact 15: Lego's Outreach
Lego has a philanthropy arm, the Lego Foundation, which aids in children's development through play. The foundation believes in learning through play and aims to redefine play and reimagine learning.
Fact 16: Plastic Change
Lego announced in 2015 its plan to invest 1 billion Danish Krone to develop more sustainable sources for its plastic toys. By 2030, it plans to produce its iconic blocks using renewable resources.
Fact 17: The Smallest Lego Set
The smallest Lego set, the First Order Star Destroyer from Star Wars, consists of just 56 pieces.
Fact 18: Most Expensive Lego Set
The most expensive Lego set sold to date is the Star Wars Millennium Falcon, which retails for $800.
Fact 19: Lego Employee Gift
Every Christmas, all Lego employees receive exclusive and often highly desirable custom sets not available to the public. It's a unique Lego perk that the staff eagerly anticipate each year.
Fact 20: Lego Connect
At a rough estimate, if all the Lego bricks produced so far were clipped on top of each other, they could connect the Earth and the Moon - ten times! That's the power of Lego's universal connection system!