Lego

Lego is a portmanteau of the Danish phrase “leg godt”, which means “play well” in English. Although numerous sites claim it also means “I put together” in Latin, we can’t verify that with Google Translate.

Founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Christiansen, Lego initially specialised in wooden toys. It wasn’t until 1949 that it began producing its first plastic “automatic binding brick” with either four or eight studs. This initial design didn’t feature tubes for the studs to fit into, so connected bricks were easy to pull apart or push over.

The stud and tube design for Lego’s bricks didn’t enter production until 1958, and that basic design remains in production until this day. Indeed, if you have a brick from that era, it will work with all modern bricks too.

Fun fact #1: Despite being one of the world’s largest toy manufacturers by revenue, the Lego Group is still family owned.

Source: Lego History on Lego.com
Header image: Lego logo by Tim Moreillon on Flickr.