The Lego Story – Never Give Up!
Did you ever wonder where Legos come from? A box? A toy store? A factory? Yes. But where did they first come from? Who invented them? What was that person’s story? How did they do it? When you learn about the Lego Story, you will be surprised!
The Lego Story
Like many great inventions, the story is not just one of a great idea, but of a ton of hard work, perseverance and grit.
The story starts off in the country of Denmark. Ole Kirk Christiansen was a carpenter who was struggling with his business. Then, his wife and the mother of his 4 boys died. This was very hard on everyone. He was looking for new ways to make money and to make his kids happy.
So, he started making wood toys. They were of great quality. His 4 sons helped him with his business and, soon, word of spread and big orders started coming in. But then the toys did not sell very fast. He decided his toys needed a new name. He chose the name “Lego”, which in Danish means “play well”.
Then, a few years later, his workshop burned to the ground. Everything was detroyed. Ole almost gave up. But he decided it was too important to support his employees and kids.
Not long after, he started to make a few plastic toys. He then got the idea to create a ‘system’ of toys that would build kids imagination and creativity. The built a village to test the idea. And the idea caught on quick! Soon sales were pouring in. Then they figured out how to connect the pieces to each other. Soon they decided to stop making wood toys and focus only on the connected plastic toys.
Then they started to build more and more kinds of models. Each one had to be of the highest quality. Lego’s motto in Danish is “det bedste er ikke for godt” which means “only the best is good enough.”
The rest is history! Now, thanks the persistence of Ole and his sons, kids around the world enjoy Lego toys, movies, amusement parks, clothing and much more. But not of this would exist if Ole and his sons had given up when times got hard.
Check out this awesome video that tells the real story beind Lego!
Additional Resources:
- Here is the full history of Lego, thanks to Lego.com
- Here are other great IMK stories about inventors and entrepreneurs
Topics for Discussion:
- Why Ole successful with his business?
- What character traits did Ole and his sons show?
- How can inventions and business make the world a better place? Can you name some that have?
- Do you have any ideas for products or inventions that could solve a problem or make the world a better place?
Take Action:
- Find a Camp Invention or Club Invention in your area to have fun, learn about inventing and make your own inventions!
- Get inspired by the many great kids inventions at Inventnow.org and learn how to make your idea a reality
- Join the Lego Planet Crew to help protect the planet!
