| Lego is a line of toys manufactured by | | | | encased in the foundations of buildings |
| Lego Group, a privately held company | | | | to prevent their falling into |
| based in Denmark. Its flagship product, | | | | competitors' hands. According to the |
| also commonly referred to as Lego, | | | | Lego Group, its moulding processes are |
| consists of colourful interlocking | | | | so accurate that only 18 bricks out of |
| plastic bricks and an accompanying array | | | | every million fail to meet its stringent |
| of gears, minifigures (also called | | | | standards. It is thanks to this care in |
| minifigs or "Lego People"), and other | | | | manufacturing that the Lego Group has |
| pieces which can be assembled and | | | | maintained such a high degree of quality |
| connected in myriad combinations, | | | | over the decades. |
| including cars, planes, trains, | | | | Manufacturing of Lego bricks occurs at a |
| buildings, castles, sculptures, ships, | | | | number of locations around the world. |
| spaceships, and even working robots. | | | | Moulding is done at one of two plants in |
| The Lego Group had very humble | | | | Denmark and Switzerland. Brick |
| beginnings in the workshop of Ole Kirk | | | | decorations and packaging is done at |
| Christiansen, a poor carpenter from | | | | plants in Denmark, Switzerland, United |
| Billund, Denmark. Christiansen started | | | | States, South Korea and the Czech |
| creating wooden toys in 1932, however in | | | | Republic. Annual production of Lego |
| 1947, he and his son Godtfred Kirk | | | | bricks averages approximately 20 billion |
| Christiansen obtained samples of | | | | (2 — 1010) per year, or about 600 |
| interlocking plastic bricks produced by | | | | pieces per second. |
| the company Kiddicraft. These | | | | Lego today |
| "Kiddicraft Self-Locking Building | | | | A Lego City.Since it began producing |
| Bricks" were designed and patented in | | | | plastic bricks, the Lego Group has |
| the UK by Hilary Harry Fisher Page, a | | | | released thousands of play sets themed |
| child psychologist. A few years later, | | | | around space, robots, pirates, vikings, |
| in 1949, Lego began producing similar | | | | medieval castles, dinosaurs, cities, |
| bricks, calling them "Automatic Binding | | | | suburbia, holiday locations, wild west, |
| Bricks." The first Lego bricks, | | | | the Arctic, airports, boats, racing |
| manufactured from cellulose acetate, | | | | cars, trains, Star Wars, Harry Potter, |
| were developed in the spirit of | | | | Spider-Man, Batman, SpongeBob |
| traditional wooden blocks that could be | | | | SquarePants, Avatar: The Last Airbender |
| stacked upon one another; however, these | | | | and more. New elements are often |
| plastic bricks could be "locked" | | | | released along with new sets. There are |
| together. They had several round "studs" | | | | also Lego sets designed to appeal to |
| on top, and a hollow rectangular bottom. | | | | young girls such as the Clikits line |
| The blocks snapped together, but not so | | | | which consists of small interlocking |
| tightly that they could not be pulled | | | | parts that are meant to encourage |
| apart. | | | | creativity and arts and crafts, much |
| The company name Lego was coined by | | | | like regular Lego bricks. Clikits do not |
| Christiansen from the Danish phrase leg | | | | interlock with regular Lego elements. |
| godt, which means "play well". (For | | | | Recently, the Lego line has expanded to |
| other translations, see Trivia below) | | | | encompass accessory motors, gears, |
| The use of plastic for toy manufacture | | | | lights, sensors, and cameras designed to |
| was not highly regarded by retailers and | | | | be used with Lego components. There are |
| consumers of the time. Many of the Lego | | | | even special bricks, like the Lego RCX |
| Group's shipments were returned, | | | | that can be programmed with a PC to |
| following poor sales; it was thought | | | | perform very complicated and useful |
| that plastic toys could never replace | | | | tasks. These programmable bricks are |
| wooden ones. | | | | sold under the name Lego Mindstorms. |
| By 1954, Christiansen's son, Godtfred, | | | | There has been a recent update of Lego |
| had become the junior managing director | | | | Mindstorms called Lego Mindstorms NXT. |
| of the Lego Group. It was his | | | | It is more advanced, has a bigger screen |
| conversation with an overseas buyer that | | | | than the RCX, and has a new array of |
| struck the idea of a toy system. | | | | sensors. They include touch, sound, |
| Godtfred saw the immense potential in | | | | light, and a new ultrasonic sensor |
| Lego bricks to become a system for | | | | technology. There is also a Bluetooth |
| creative play, but the bricks still had | | | | compatible hookup that can send and |
| some problems from a technical | | | | receive messages from one's cellphone |
| standpoint: their "locking" ability was | | | | and other Bluetooth compatible devices. |
| limited, and they were not very | | | | There are several which use Lego bricks |
| versatile. It was not until 1958 that | | | | and the RCX, among other |
| the modern-day brick design was | | | | microcontrollers, for robotics. The |
| developed, and it took another five | | | | earliest, and likely the largest, is |
| years to find exactly the right material | | | | Botball, a national US middle- and |
| for it. | | | | high-school competition stemming from |
| Design and manufacture | | | | the MIT 6.270 Lego robotics tournament. |
| Since their introduction in 1949, Lego | | | | A related competition is FIRST Lego |
| pieces of all varieties have been, first | | | | League for elementary and middle |
| and foremost, part of a universal | | | | schools. The international RoboCup |
| "system". Despite tremendous variation | | | | Junior autonomous soccer competition |
| in the design and purpose of individual | | | | involves extensive use of Lego |
| pieces over the years, each remains | | | | Mindstorms equipment which is often |
| compatible in some way with existing | | | | pushed to its limits. |
| pieces. Lego bricks from 1963 still | | | | BIONICLE is a line of toys by the Lego |
| interlock with those made in 2007, and | | | | Group that is marketed towards those in |
| Lego sets for young children are | | | | the 7-16-year-old range. The line was |
| compatible with those made for | | | | launched in January 2001 in Europe and |
| teenagers. | | | | June/July 2001 in the United States. The |
| Bricks, beams, axles, minifigures, and | | | | Bionicle idea originated from the |
| all other elements in the Lego system | | | | earlier toy lines Slizers (also known as |
| are manufactured to an exacting degree | | | | Throwbots) and Roboriders. Both of these |
| of tolerance. When snapped together, | | | | lines had similar throwing disks and |
| pieces must have just the right amount | | | | characters based on classical elements. |
| of "clutch power"; they must stay | | | | Lego Group operates several Legoland |
| together until pulled apart. They cannot | | | | amusement parks in Europe and one in |
| be too easy to pull apart, or the | | | | California. On July 13, 2005 the control |
| resulting constructions would be | | | | of 70% of the Legoland parks was sold |
| unstable; they also cannot be too | | | | for $460 million dollars to the |
| difficult to pull apart, since the | | | | Blackstone Group of New York while the |
| disassembly of one creation in order to | | | | remaining 30% is still held by the Lego |
| build other bricks and another is part | | | | Group. There are also several Lego Brand |
| of the Lego appeal. In order for pieces | | | | retail stores, including at Downtown |
| to have just the right "clutch power", | | | | Disney in both the Disneyland and Walt |
| Lego elements are manufactured within a | | | | Disney World Resorts and in the Mall of |
| tolerance of 2 µm. | | | | America in Bloomington, Minnesota. As of |
| Since 1963, Lego pieces are manufactured | | | | year end 2005, there are 25 LEGO Brand |
| from a strong, resilient plastic known | | | | Retail stores in the USA, a number of |
| as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, or | | | | stores in Europe, and a franchised LEGO |
| ABS. Precision-machined, small-capacity | | | | store in Abu Dhabi. |
| moulds are used, and human inspectors | | | | Lego has also successfully branched into |
| check the output of the moulds, to | | | | video games that appeal to a wide age |
| eliminate significant variations in | | | | range, with titles like Lego Star Wars: |
| colour or thickness. Worn-out moulds are | | | | The Video Game. |