Lego
Though they make toys, they are not just a toy company. Though they are famous for their product, they are defined by their philosophy.
Their name comes from the combination of the Danish "leg godt", which means to "play well." It is both our name and our nature. They believe that play is the essential ingredient in a child's growth and development. It grows the human spirit. It encourages imagination, conceptual thinking and creation.
Ever since the LEGO Company was founded in 1932,
we have always done things a little
differently. Though we make toys, we are not just a toy company. Though we make
money, we
are not driven by profit. Though we are famous for our product, we are defined
by our philosophy.
It was the Company founder, Ole Kirk Christiansen, who decided on the name LEGO
in 1934.
He combined the first letters of the two Danish words “LEG GODT”,
which means “play well”
– unaware that in Latin one meaning of the word LEGO is “I put together”.
The LEGO Values
- Creativity
Having self-expression – empowering the individual in an open-ended way.
- Imagination
Having endless ideas – with the curiosity, discovery and exploration to
bring ideas to life.
- Learning
Playing your way to knowledge all through your life – with room for reflection.
- Fun
Having active fun – and feeling the thrill of creation.
- Quality
Upholding product quality and ethical values – and a consistency in all
our actions that engenders an
ongoing feeling of trust.
The LEGO Company in key figures
The LEGO Company produces LEGO bricks at several sites. Moulding takes place
at our own
plants in Denmark and Switzerland – then the bricks are finished and packed
for retail in the USA,
Denmark, Switzerland, South Korea and the Czech Republic. Annual production
is approx. 20bn
elements – or about 2.3m an hour.
Not counting the many permutations of colours and materials, the LEGO range
comprises about
2,800 different elements.
Concept and product development takes place in London, New York, Enfield, Los
Angeles,
Singapore, Tokyo, Milan, Prague and Billund.