LEGO

The LEGO Group is a privately held toy company based in Billund, Denmark. Ole Kirk Kristiansen founded it in 1932, and the Kirk Kristiansen family still owns it through the holding company KIRKBI A/S (75 percent) and the LEGO Foundation (25 percent). The name LEGO is an abbreviation of the Danish words leg godt, meaning play well.

Range

• LEGO System bricks and themed sets for children and adults
• Younger-age lines such as DUPLO
• Technical and robotics sets
• Licensed themes alongside own series such as LEGO City, Friends and Ninjago

Good to know

The brick in its present form was launched in 1958, and its interlocking tube principle is what makes it unique. LEGO sells through toy retailers, its own LEGO Stores and its web shop. It is the best-known name in construction toys, and some competitors make bricks that are compatible with LEGO to a certain extent. For readers who look for an alternative to US toy groups such as Mattel or Hasbro, LEGO is the most obvious European answer.