It is fascinating how children indulge in toys, dwell into their whole new world of fantasy built brick by brick, overlaid by layers of imagination. Toys..bricks...as in.. LEGO?
Indeed! The LEGO, over the years has built it's mansion with a strong holding in the toys industry. Their today's triumph is certainly a reward for their past's turbulences.
Rewind to the frame of the LEGO's inception. Ole Kirk Christiansen, a skilled carpenter worked in the field of carpentry for five years after which, he bought the Billund Woodworking and Carpentry using his savings. Back then, times were tough and he had to dismiss his last worker. Seeking to spot some light in his gloomy business, his wife was wholly supportive. Unfortunately, her demise only made his skies cloudier, but the thought of his four sons drove him back to business. With the woods he had saved up from the carpentry production, he began to manufacture wooden toys, stepladder, ironing board and one of his son's Godtfred Kirk Christiansen was a helping hand.
A wholesaler discerned the potency and quality of work hence , he placed a huge order after probing Ole's craft. Unexpectedly, the wholesaler was filed for bankruptcy because of which he withdrew the order . Ole had to find a way out otherwise his family would go hungry, he tried to sell his products himself but not many were willing to pay enough, he traded some for plenty of food too. He thought , perhaps his company needed a name. In 1934, Ole came up with one - LEGO from the word "LEg GOdt" which in Danish means "play well" while in Latin it synonyms" I put together". The name was well heard and the company made money. When they realized their savings summed up to 3000 pounds, they invested in a milling machine for better quality of production. His son tried to save some money by lacquering the toys twice instead of thrice while Ole was very particular to instill his motto- Only the best is good enough and that quality should never be compromised.
First milling machine bought by Ole
1942 was catastrophic in Ole's calendar, his company incurred a huge loss due to fire that burnt all the woods, models, design. He dusted himself and got back on his feet. Gradually, the company was rebuilt and functioned smoothly. He went to Copenhagen to look at a new plastic molding machine. He bought the machine, when installed he used it to make plastic bricks that intrigued him in Copenhagen. The launch of the Great Ferguson Truck scaled the scope of his business. Eventually, they began to trade beyond the borders and overcame the financial crisis. Sadly, Ole didn't live long enough to truly witness the triumph (11 march 1958).
Godtfred, on his way back home from a business meeting met a toy agent who was upset over the toy industry which deemed to lack a system. This triggered Godtfred, after a thoughtful analysis he finally launched LEGO, it's system of play!
A drastic transformation was the implementation of the stud-and-tube coupling system using which the bricks built were now stable.
1960, A fire broke out! For the record, this was the second catastrophic event which again, only led to a stronger foundation in future. As the recruitment of employees rose, the company was back in the game introducing novel toys that served the material, leaving the rest up to one's imagination. Exactly, the sky's the limit !
To make his toys accessible globally, Godtfred decided to build an airport. 3 years later Billund Airport began to function. Many guests, business people were enthralled to see the modelling department which eventually got exceedingly crowded. As a solution to that he came up with the LEGOLAND !
In 1968, the LEGOLAND was opened. Godtfred anticipated to accommodate 200,000 members while the reality gifted him with 625,000 visitors ! It was undoubtedly a brilliant effort grasp a larger market. Toys, trains , stations were all showcased leaving the guests filled with awe. Just the account of 1969, they sold around 18-19 million pieces ! 1999, it was named as one of the " Product Of The Year" by the prestigious Fortune Magazine. 2011, the world' largest Legoland park was constructed in Florida . The Lego movie was released in 2014 directed by Chris Miller and Phil Lord, this certainly captured a remarkable spot in terms of business as well .
Ole, Godtfred, Kjeld [first 3 generations]
Today , the Lego is valued $14.6 billion in the hands of Thomas Kirk Christiansen. This toy company was very well received by the growing children and the grownup children too (adults). The core of the Lego is perhaps the most respected, be it weakness or wealth, calibre and quality shall never be compromised because ONLY THE BEST IS GOOD ENOUGH.
Check out the link attached below for a video on the same (worth the watch, I bet! )
Love the amount of research you have put into this one..
A simple and fantastic article! Kudos Bhavana :)