Lego

Ole Kirk Christiansen’s company in Billund; wood until 1960, plastic bricks from 1949 and the brick with tubes from 1958.

Ole Kirk Christiansen was a carpenter in Billund who began making wooden toys during the Depression of the 1930s. The name LEGO came from the Danish leg godt, play well.

Plastic bricks came in 1949, and the brick with tubes inside of 1958 gave the clutch power that makes the system work. Godtfred Kirk Christiansen developed the idea of a system of play, and LEGO has become one of the world's largest toy makers.

LEGO moulded on every stud; older bricks in cellulose acetate, newer in ABS.

• Toys
• Lego brick
• Godtfred Kirk Christiansen