At one time LEGO may have been just a toy for children to enjoy and keep them occupied for long periods of time building things. But that was then and this is now and it is a totally different scope. Today LEGO is much more than just a “toy”. There are competitions all over the world, there are all kinds of merchandise associated with the product, their are sites on social media, LEGOLAND theme parks and also the very popular TV Show “Lego Masters” that airs every Wednesday night on Fox (it’s new season just started). It is a fantastic show with some of the best Lego builders from around the country.
So here are some fun facts about LEGO. Trust us when we say some of these will make you do a double take.
Ole Kirk Christiansen (1891-1958) created the LEGO Group in 1932 as a way to use old wood from his failed carpentry business. He patented the now famous interlocking LEGO blocks in 1949.
If laid end to end, the number of LEGO bricks sold in one year would reach over 5 times around the globe.
LEGO sells over 400 million tires each year, which makes LEGO the largest tire manufacturer in the world
LEGO bricks are part of a universal system, which means that a piece made in 1958 would fit with a piece made today.
There are more than 3,700 different types of elements and over 70 different colors of LEGO
LEGO is one of the few commercial toys that are not manufactured in China. There are LEGO plants in Denmark, Hungary and the Czech Republic.
In 1999, LEGO licensed its first-themed LEGO set, Star Wars
In 2009, James May in Surrey, Great Britain, created the first full-sized LEGO house with 3.3 million bricks. It included a working toilet, shower, and a bed, which were all made out of LEGOs.
Most LEGO pieces are made of ABS plastic, which means they will never decompose.
LEGO created the first minifigure in 1978. Since then, LEGO has created over 4 billion minifigures, making it the world’s largest population group.
The largest LEGO set ever sold is the Taj Mahal, with 5,922 pieces.
The first LEGO figures in 1978 had yellow skin, two black dots for eyes, and a wide smile to represent people from anywhere in the world. In 2003, the LEGO group gave minifigures realistic skin tones, facial expressions, and modeled hair.
The LEGO molding process is so accurate that just 18 elements in every million do not pass the company’s high quality standard
At 5,805,846 pieces, Lego’s 42-foot-tall replica of London’s Tower Bridge holds the Guinness World Record for the largest Lego statue.
Six 2×4 LEGO bricks can be combined in more than 915 million ways.
There are over 500 billion LEGO bricks in the world. Stacked together, they are 2,386,075 miles tall, which is ten times higher than the moon.
Every second, 7 LEGO sets are sold by retailers around the world.
A single LEGO brick can support 375,000 other LEGO bricks before buckling. In other words, you can build a LEGO tower 2.17 miles high before the bottom LEGO brick breaks.
Because LEGO blocks offer a repetitive and structured form of play, they help autistic children develop several skills, such as nonverbal and verbal communication, sharing and teamwork.
There are LEGOLAND theme parks in Denmark, Germany, England, Dubai, Malaysia, Japan, Florida, California and New York.
Those are just a few fun facts. There are a lot more and some will blow your mind. Check them out at: https://mamainthenow.com/fun-lego-facts/ and also https://www.factretriever.com/lego-facts
