Nuts & Bolts – Brick Works

01 Mar 2012

ANATOMY OF A BESTSELLER – LEGO

The world's most popular toy, Lego's iconic multi-hued bricks have provided endless hours of fun and inspiration for generations of children the world over. By NICK WALTON

• Some 36 billion Lego tiles are moulded annually in factories in Denmark, Hungary, the Czech Republic, China and Mexico. The manufacturing process is so precise that only 18 out of 1,000,000 bricks are found to be defective.
• There are about 62 Lego bricks for every person on the planet.
• LEGOLAND THEME PARKS: Denmark, England, Germany and USA. Asia's first Legoland will open in Malaysia end 2012.
• LEGOLAND DISCOVERY CENTRES: Berlin, Chicago, Duisburg, Manchester and Texas
• DID YOU KNOW? Lego is the world’s largest tire maker, producing more than 300,000,000 mini rubber tires each year.
• 1932: Lego’s concept is created by Danish carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen. He names his company Lego after the Danish phrase “leg godt” or “play well”.

  1958: The first modern plastic brick is patented on January 28.

  1978: Lego characters or minifigures are introduced, faceless and armless. Facial expressions were only incorporated in the 1980s with the Lego Pirates series.
  
  1998: Thanks to its enduring popularity, Lego is inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in New York.

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