When Ole Kirk Christiansen founded his workshop in Billund, Denmark in 1932 the workshop was a woodworking facility that made toys and furniture. The business was not profitable and he struggled during the early 1930s. However, in 1934, he decided to focus on building toys — and changed the name of his company to LEGO which is a contraction of the Danish words “leg godt” (play well).

The company expanded into other Nordic countries in the 1960s. The company developed smaller bricks, which were ideal for children with small hands. It was named DUPLO (after the Latin word duplex, which means two-fold). This allowed click for more young children to build more detailed models.

In the 1970s, Lego began to add new features to make their products stand out from the competition. They introduced different faces to the miniature figures. This made the minifigures appear more real and allowed them to show different expressions and emotions. The Lego Group added wheels to their bricks that allowed them to create vehicles and other machines.

The next major step for the company was when it introduced specific themes — a system within the systems that allowed users to design their own world or scenario. The company was able to increase its brand’s recognition and draw an audience that was younger. Additionally the company increased its production by opening factories in South Korea, Malaysia, and Brazil.