Section 1.1
Who Founded Lego, and Why
The Great Depression pushed Ole Kirk Christiansen toward toys: as it hit Denmark in the early 1930s, falling farm prices left many of his customers unable to afford his products, and to sell more he decided to produce cheap wooden products, including wooden toys.Ole Kirk Christiansen - WikipediaDuring the early 1930s, Christiansen's business was impacted by the onset of the Great Depression in Denmark. The drop in farming prices resulted in many of his customers being unable to afford his products.
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A shop built for other work
Christiansen had bought a woodworking shop in Billund in 1916.LEGO history timelineIn 1916, carpenter Ole Christiansen bought a woodworking shop in Billund, Denmark
Open source As the slump deepened, he laid off staff in early 1932 until only seven employees remained. Looking for something that would sell, he decided to produce cheap wooden products, including toys.
Small models, small toys
One collector's account adds a practical detail: he made miniature versions of his designs as proofs of concept, and these miniatures inspired him to produce wooden toys.The beginner's guide to collecting LEGO wooden toys, the original LEGO Originals [Feature] - The Brothers Brick | The Brothers BrickTo avoid wasting wood, Ole would make miniature versions of his designs as proof-of-concept. It was these miniatures that inspired him to begin producing wooden toys.
Open source The small size also let him put leftover scraps of wood to use. Other sources differ on the details, so this should be read as one telling rather than the settled story.
Because he struggled to sell his toys to a poor local community, he continued to produce them, sometimes exchanging them for food. His company moved primarily to wooden toys, such as yo-yos, pull-along animals and trucks. A mid-1930s yo-yo fad briefly boosted business before collapsing, and he reused leftover yo-yo parts as wheels for toy trucks.Lego Group began in the carpentry workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen | It Is What It IsIn the mid-1930s, the yo-yo toy fad gave him a brief period of increased activity until it suddenly collapsed. To reduce waste, Ole Kirk used the leftover yo-yo parts as wheels for toy trucks.
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