In it’s early days, the Lego company was a small family owned buisness run by at very little 10 employees at 1939. some of their major products included step ladders, ironing boards, and their infamous “wooden duck”, pictured below.
By the end of the 40’s, the company has 50 employees, and has reccently purchased a plastic injection-moulding machine.
The foreruner of the Lego brick, the automatic binding brick is released in 1950. this early version of the brick did not feature the stud-and-tube system, as featured in all other bricks.
In 1955, the Lego “system of play” is released, including 1:48 scale houses mad of bricks and plastic cars are released. Lego is also exported to Sweden
Town Plan, as show with it’s 2008 counterpart whic is yet to be released (The boy in the first picture is actually the man in the picture of the new set)
The improved brick design is released, with the stud-and-tube system is released, and is patened in 1958
by the end of the 50’s, the company has grown to 140, and naow exports to France, England, and Belgium. at 1960, wooden products are discontinued, and the company focuses on the plastic brick. In 1966, one of Lego’s best selling themes, Trains, is introduced(These are actual facts guys, I’m not making this up). By 1969 Duplo, a larger form of the bricks designed for younger children is released. Also, The first Legoland is opened to the public, gathering 3000 people on opening day. Lego is now exported to America, Canada, Japan, Signapore, and other countries totaling up to 42 countries.
In 1970, the company gains it 1000th employee. Lego of America is in it’s present location of Enfield, Connecticut. Town, Boats, and Technic themes are released in 1977, with Space and castle next year. Also that year, Mini-figures, or Mini-figs, are released in sets, eventually becoming the companies second most important design, after the brick itself. Lego now exports to Signapore, Spain, and Portugal.
More to come next week or so!
Links:
http://www.lego.com/en-US/default.aspx <- the actual website
http://www.peeron.com/ <- a website that provides inventories and instructions of sets from the beginning up to about 3 or 4 years and lists what parts come in each set.