The LEGO Story: How a Little Toy Sparked the World's Imagination

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What treasures can be discovered under the sea? Kids can flex their creativity and role-play skills as they explore the beach or swim around with Disney’s Ariel, Flounder and Sebastian as they imagine familiar stories in new ways. Any fan of Disney’s Frozen 2 will adore this awesome set. The clever, opening book reveals a complete micro-world that will thrill any child as a great Christmas, birthday or anytime gift for boys and girls aged 5+. These beloved micro-characters are great to play with in this set orwith other models. Kids can adventure with Disney’s Elsa, Anna and Kristoff, hang outside with Olaf or come up with something completely new! These beloved micro-characters are great to play with in this set or will make a fun addition to other models. Kids can adventure with Disney Princess Ariel, Prince Eric, Sebastian and Flounder in completely new ways! LEGO is a translation of Danish words leg godt, which means “play well” and despite the various challenges the company has faced over the last several years, it does a great job keeping kids, imagination and creativity at the forefront of its purpose.

The Lego Story breaks down the history of Lego with each chapter covering a decade of the business. It is a business history book so if you are looking for more info on the actual product of Lego, this is not the book. This book covers the Kristenson family in depth, starting with the grandfather, Ole Kirk, passing down to the dad, Goedfrt, and then passing down to the son, Kjeld, who is stepping away in March 2023 to hand off to his son Thomas. Covers how to build a business from 1 employee to 10,000+ and also how to build something you can leave your family for generations. The last chapter, Inheritance, was a lot less compelling than the rest of the book. Of course, that is in part because it is recent history, and it remains to be seen if Lego can continue the current run. The LEGO Story: How a Little Toy Sparked the World’s Imagination is an inside look at the origins of one of the coolest companies. LEGO was originally founded in 1932, by Ole Kirk Kristiansen as a wooden toy company in Denmark. Savings from Ole Kirk’s wife, Sofie, allowed the company to continue, saving it from bankruptcy twice. The company faced challenges with fires, debts, minimal credit resources and limited supplies at times as a result of war. This book tells the extraordinary story of a global company and a Danish family who for ninety years have defended children’s right to play—and who believe grown-ups, too, should make the time to nurture their inner child. The LEGO Story is built on Jens Andersen’s unique access to LEGO’s own archives, as well as on Andersen’s extensive conversations with Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, former president and CEO of the LEGO group and grandson of its founder, Ole Kirk Christiansen. Give children detailed characters and recognizable scenes to play out with LEGO® ǀ Disney sets. This imaginative Disney’s Frozen 2 playset offers cute story starters plus open creative play that helps build important skills.

This book is an interesting mix of family history and business history behind Lego. I found the early history of how Ole Christiansen evolved from a carpenter to toy maker, living in rural Denmark in the 1930s, the most fascinating part. During the Depression making buildings became very difficult, but toys for children was still a growing business. They had their business destroyed by fire three times, but each time they went "all in" and successfully emerged as an even larger organization. Ole Kirk started making toys out of left over wood chips since their family couldn't afford toys. Even though they were just for his 4 boys initially, he still made them immaculately, modeling do everything to your best ability. As an AFOL, I am happy to have read this book. Everytime I now build my Lego, I give thanks to those early pioneers for their sacrifices, patience and endurance. LEGO has evolved a lot in its 90 years of existence, with this book detailing the major changes across each decade. LEGO first launched its mini figure line in the 1970s and broke into the American toy market in the 1980s through a Happy meal collaboration deal with McDonalds. I loved playing with LEGOs as a kid in the 90s and the company has continued to evolve drastically since then, expanding to premiere The LEGO Movie in 2014 and creating additional product lines targeted to girls, to grow its market and customer base. Open the toy book and the play begins. Easy-to-follow instructions help make building a snap, giving kids the joy of imagining new scenarios and lots of creative excitement with the well-known ones in the book.

Work hard and pray - the initial slogan for Ole Kirk as he was building the early company in the 20s / 3os. This book tells the extraordinary story of a global company and a Danish family who for ninety years have defended children’s right to play—and who believe grown-ups, too, should make the time to nurture their inner child. The LEGO Story is built on Jens Andersen’s unique access to LEGO’s own archives, as well as on Andersen’s extensive conversations with Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, former president and CEO of the LEGO group and grandson of its founder, Ole Kirk Christiansen. He was so in debt initially that the first owner of Lego was a woman (Sophie his wife) as she was the only one the bank would give a loan to. Despite this, Lego has battled with having women in leadership over the years. The Lego Story is amazing, and it was fun to see how the company has evolved over the last 100 years. Some takeaways - What secrets lie behind the door? Kids can flex their role-play and creative skills as they uncover the mysteries of the castle. The magical rose, a place for Disney’s Belle to sleep, even a dance floor await discovery inside.Give children detailed characters and places to play with in LEGO® ǀ Disney sets. This imaginative Disney’s Little Mermaid playset offers cute story starters and encourages open creative play to build important skills.

Like others I was a bit disappointed. I had hoped a little bit more about the product itself, such as how it is decided to engage with pop culture such as Harry Potter or Star Wars, the evolution of these sets, more about the cultural impact LEGO has had on generations of people, maybe even more about the adults who have come to love LEGO. This is very much the history behind the brand, which may or may not be your cup of tea.

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This book tells the story of how my family built the LEGO brand." —Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, former President/CEO of the LEGO Group and 3rd generation owner Spark exciting movie-based role play or creative play with this imaginative LEGO® ǀ Disney (43175) set, featuring Disney’s Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and Olaf. Perfect for kids and fans. Play starts with opening the book! Still, there is definitely value here for those who are into these types of stories. Just be warned that it can be a bit dry and it's probably more for people who are hardcore into LEGO and want to know more about the family behind it, perhaps business-types who are curious to see how a brand can change and adapt and evolve with the times, etc. If you're someone who is casually interested, this might not be for you. As this is an authorised biography though, Kjeld’s voice is present throughout. Direct, lengthy quotes from the man who shaped the modern LEGO company reveal his reflections on the events that Jens Andersen is presenting. These are absolutely fascinating, sometimes providing an amusing bit of colour, sometimes giving his perspective from the time and sometimes – in the book’s most interesting passages – giving his reflections now on what occurred decades prior. Encourage role play with this LEGO® ǀ Disney (43177) set, featuring Disney Princess Belle, Beast, Mrs. Potts, Chip, Cogsworth and Wardrobe. Makes a great gift for kids and fans. Play starts when the book opens!