Ole Kirk Christiansen, who started his business in Billund in Denmark in 1932 made wooden furniture and toys. The business was not very profitable and he struggled through the beginning of the 30s. In 1934, he shifted his focus on building toys and changed the name of his company to LEGO, a contraction of the Danish words “leg godt” (play well).

The company grew into other Nordic countries in the 1960s. The company also invented smaller bricks that were ideal for small hands, and named it DUPLO in honor of the Latin word duplex (two-fold). This allowed children to create more detailed models.

In the 1970s, Lego began to introduce new features to make their products stand out from competitors. For instance, they added an array of faces to their minifigures. This made the characters appear more real-looking and allowed them to express different expressions and emotions. The Lego Group added wheels to their bricks that allowed them to construct vehicles and other machines.

The next big step was to introduce themes system within systems that allowed users to create a specific world or scenario. This allowed the company to establish its brand as more recognizable important site and helped them attract a younger audience. Additionally the company increased its production, opening factories in South Korea, Malaysia, and Brazil.