You probably played with Lego yourself as a child; if not, then your children do. Because Lego is one of the world’s most popular children’s toys. No wonder, because there are so many different things that can be built with Lego and it fascinates children all over the world!
Here are 10 facts about the brand, most of which you probably didn’t know.
1. The name comes (unconsciously) from Latin
The cabinetmaker Ole Kirk Kristiansen founded a company in 1932, which he renamed Lego in 1934. In the beginning, however, it was not the Lego building blocks that were made there, but wooden toys. Kristiansen invented the name Lego from the two Danish words “Leg Godt”. Translated, this means “play well” and thus fits perfectly with a toy manufacturer. But Kristiansen didn’t know himself at the time that the word Lego also existed in Latin. There Lego exists as a conjugation of the verb “Legere”, which translates as “I collect together”. This also happens to fit perfectly with the brand, because after all, you have to collect a lot of matching pants to complete your building in the end.
2. Lego figures as the largest population group
If the Lego figures were real people, they would represent the largest population group in the world. There are said to be more than 4 billion the Lego figures worldwide, the largest human population in China with a number of 1.3 billion people. So Lego would put all other population groups in the shade!
3. Lego bricks have stayed the same
The size of the Lego bricks has not been changed since 1958 and this means that the oldest bricks fit together with the newest ones. So don’t throw away your old Lego bricks and use them to expand your child’s Lego collection!
4. Lego’s largest factory
The brand’s largest factory in the world produces over 23 billion Lego bricks a year! The factory is in Billund, Denmark. Although the place is Lego’s headquarters, it has just 6000 inhabitants. Not only are the building blocks produced here, but the brand’s design team is also based here and is constantly creating new Lego sets!
5. Lego’s tallest structure in Tel Aviv
The world’s largest Lego tower is in Tel Aviv and was built with half a million bricks. The tower is 35.95 meters high, surpassing the previously tallest tower in Milan in 2017. The tower was built in memory of the boy Omer Sayag. He died of cancer as a child and before his death, he loved playing with Legos. After his death, his teachers started an initiative with many volunteers to build the tower.
6. Lego is the world’s largest tire producer
Lego produces around 300 million tires a year; that’s more than the leaders Goodyear and Bridgestone. This makes Lego the brand that produces the most tires per year and was also entered in the Guinness Book of Records in 2012.
7. The Treasury
The treasury is in Denmark and that is where every Lego set that has been produced is located. The room contains over 4700 Lego sets in total. A dream for every Lego collector!
8. Lego bricks reach the moon
If you put 40 million Lego bricks on top of each other, they would reach the moon. All Lego figures manufactured in 2013 lined up together even cover a distance of 12,000 kilometers.
9. The countless Lego memes
Lego is not just synonymous with toy bricks anymore. It has made its way into movies and video games and in the era of the internet, it’s not surprising to see thousands of memes based on Lego. My favorite is “lego piece 26047” and If you don’t know what that lego piece 26047 meme means it’s a reference to how that specific piece looks like the imposter from the famous multiplayer video game “Among Us”. So what is your favorite Lego meme?
10. The most valuable Lego set
The most valuable Lego set is the Star Wars Ultimate Collector’s, Millennium Falcon. In 2007, the set had a value of almost 400 euros; In 2015 the value was already around 3170 euros. The value has increased almost eightfold! According to a Telegraph analysis, even in the last 15 years, it has been worth investing more in Lego than in gold or stocks! So, it’s best to look for your old Lego sets again!