Fun and Interesting Facts About LEGO

January 28th is celebrated as International LEGO Day. It was on the same date in 1958, when businessman Ole Kirk Christiansen filed the patent with the Danish Patent and Trademark Office in Denmark for his toy-manufacturing company LEGO. However, Christiansen had very humble beginnings. He lived in poverty from an early age and became an apprentice to a carpenter after he completed his high school education.

The Birth of LEGO

In 1932, Christiansen set up his own business in Billund Denmark. He manufactured various products, but a popular product in his business was his wooden toys. Two years later, the Danish entrepreneur named his business “LEGO,” which is from the Danish words “Leg Godt,” or “play well.”

By 1949, the company was producing two hundred different kinds of wooden and plastic toys. In 1953, LEGO started marketing complete plastic toy sets. In 1955, the company launched its “LEGO System of Play”, which included 28 different sets and eight toy vehicles. 

In 1958, when LEGO received its patent, Christiansen passed away and his son took over the management of the company and continued Christiansen’s legacy. 

Expansion of LEGO 

The company expanded to other parts of Europe in 1959. In the US, the first LEGO sets were sold in 1961. LEGO also opened a series of theme parks, the first one was in Billund, Denmark in 1968. 

These developments are what have led LEGO to become the fun and immersive pass time we know and love today. Here are some cool and interesting facts about LEGO:

1. LEGO’S First Theme Set was for Star Wars

In 1999, LEGO licensed its first theme set for Star Wars. The company has collaborated with other movie franchises like Harry Potter and Indiana Jones to create their theme sets.

2. LEGO is Also a Tire Manufacturer

In 2012, the Guinness World Records recognized LEGO as the world’s largest tire manufacturer. In that year, the company produced around 381 million tires. In 2022, it produced 700 million tires, which was more than rubber-burning rivals Michelin and Bridgestone.

3. LEGO’s Burj Khalifa was the first LEGO model from the Arab World

Recreate iconic landmarks from the futuristic city of Dubai ?️#LEGOArchitecture #Dubai
? Hasan Jamal pic.twitter.com/cJ1NFrKbww

— LEGO (@LEGO_Group) January 24, 2020

LEGO’s first Burj Khalifa was released in 2011. This was a minimalist piece because the designers used small, circular pieces to recreate the skyscraper’s structure; the model included a 208-piece set. In 2016, a more detailed model set was released of Burj Khalifa; it had 333 pieces and stood 38 centimetres tall, making it the tallest LEGO Architecture model at the time. In 2020, the company released a new model but its Burj Khalifa was five centimetres shorter than its predecessor. Nonetheless, the model features translucent, glass-like circular pieces that make the model the most loyal replica of the skyscraper. The model includes 740 pieces because it includes other Dubai landmarks Jumeirah Emirates Towers, the Burj al Arab and Dubai Frame.

4. The Pyramid of Giza: The Second LEGO Model from the Arab World

The Great Pyramid of Giza Set Revealed pic.twitter.com/IhMCncaHZg

— Lego News Club (@LEGONEWS3) May 12, 2022

Although the Pyramids of Giza are 4, 600 years old, the LEGO company only produced an Architecture model of the original 7 Wonders of the World in 2022.

5. LEGOLAND Dubai is the first LEGO-theme park in the Middle East

Inaugurated in 2016, LEGOLAND Dubai is the first LEGO-theme park in the Middle East and the seventh in the world. It has a Dragon Coaster, a Miniland that features lands from across the city including Burj Khalifa, and a LEGOLAND Water Park. If you cannot have enough of LEGOLAND, you can stay the night at LEGOLAND Hotel.