LEGO began in 1932 when a man named Ole Kirk who was a Danish carpenter started making wooden toys in a small workshop in Denmark.
He named it LEGO due to the Danish phrase ‘leg godt’ translating directly to ‘play well’ in English.
Though there were some difficulties at the start, and a few changes, most notably the change from wood to plastic, they’ve always been favorites of children across the world.
They’ve had an undeniable cultural impact on the world as well, but especially on people originating from places like Denmark.
“Being from Denmark, my parents always got me LEGOs growing up,” said senior Liam Denko.
They’ve also collaborated with many different brands such as franchises such as Marvel and Star Wars, which has made them almost synonymous with merchandise of many different brands and characters.
They’re also one of the biggest toy companies on top of their cultural weight, having surpassed Mattel in 2015, and their growth hasn’t stopped, having sold around five billion USD worth of lego in the Americas alone.
Another notable change that they made was the switch from marketing themselves as a toy to marketing themselves as a hobby.
“LEGOs are peaceful and something fun to do when I’m bored. It takes a while but the end product is always worth it,” said junior Naomy Cepero.
This can be evidently seen in the different age ranges that LEGO sets on their sets, with there being LEGO sets that are recommended for adults.
On top of it being a nice hobby, it gives children something fun to do that’s good for them. LEGOs have been proven to improve visual-spatial skills, which young children are still developing, and according to junior Musa Lankford, they give children “something creative to do” and allow them to “use their imagination.”
As such, though LEGOs may have changed a lot from where they started, they’re not going anywhere.