Play Well

by Geneva Durand
(Chile)

Play Well



Have you ever wondered where LEGOS obtained their name? When Ole Kirk invented the popular construction toy, he offered a prize to whoever came up with the best name. Actually, Ole Kirk himself came up with the name, which he derived from the two Danish words 'leg godt', meaning 'play well'. Ole Kirk's original toy was made of wood, but later he changed as plastic became available. Being little regarded among toy salesmen as high-quality toy material, many plastic toys were sent back, Ole Kirk's LEGOS among them. Ole Kirk wondered sadly. To all appearances, his idea had failed, but the humble seed still remained.

Ole Kirk would not give up. He persevered. In 1958, he and his son developed the modern brick design, though even before that LEGOS were becoming popular. Unfortunately, he died the same year, so his son took over the business. Introducing instructions into LEGO sets in 1964, the LEGO company ended up selling over one million LEGO products in 1968! When the 1970's rolled around, the LEGO company had a bright idea. For the first time, LEGO Minifigures were available! It looked like Ole Kirk's idea had firmly taken root!

Now one of the biggest toy corporations in Europe, the LEGO company has sold about 190 billion LEGO elements, with well over 2000 different kinds! It is estimated that about 36,000 bricks or elements are manufactured per minute! That's enough for everybody on the earth to 'play well'! In fact, that's enough for 52 bricks per person! With about 50 different colors available now, the LEGO company has grown into a truly tremendous tree!