In what year was the Lego company founded?

The Lego company was founded in 1932.

Danish carpenter Ole Kirk Kristiansen began the business in Billund, Denmark, making wooden furniture and toys during the economic difficulties of the early 1930s. The company initially had no connection with the modern plastic brick system. Its name, LEGO, appeared in 1934 and comes from the Danish phrase “leg godt,” meaning “play well.”

Plastic construction toys arrived later. LEGO began producing its Automatic Binding Bricks in 1949, and the modern brick design—with internal tubes that improve the grip between pieces—was introduced in 1958. That distinction causes a common mix-up: 1932 is the company’s founding year, while 1949 marks the start of LEGO’s interlocking plastic bricks and 1958 marks the modern brick’s design.

The LEGO Group remains a family-controlled company headquartered in Billund. Ole Kirk’s son, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, helped guide the shift from wooden toys to the System in Play that made LEGO globally famous.