Lego

By Nicolás Ordax

I'm sure you've all heard of this fantastic construction game: Lego. But, do you know who invented it? How did it start? How did it evolve?

The inventor of Lego was Ole Kirk Christiansen. He was born in Filskov, Denmark, on April 7th 1891.

He was the 13th son in a big family and at a young age he began learning carpentry. In 1932 he started to make wooden toys because he had lost his job. He initially made miniature houses and furniture. In 1947 he began to use plastic. After that he created the Lego company (Lego=Leg godt=Play well).

The next thing he invented was the characteristic block union system, which was an enormous succes all over the world. Nowadays Lego is one of the most important toy firms on the planet.

After his death, his son Godtfred took over the company, and after him his grandson Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen.

The company’s latest inventions are the Lego robots (Lego toys controlled by computer), Lego clothes and many other products.

There are also Lego theme parks, called Legoland. There are many of these: one in Denmark, one in England, one in the USA and one in Germany...

If you're bored with building, why not try to create something artistic? There are some genuine Lego artists, people who make sculptures out of Lego or "paintings" with Lego blocks.

For example, there is a Lego Gioconda, or a Gizeh Sphinx made of yellow, red, white, blocks. etc.

Let us hope that this great company has a good present and an even better future.