Which Danish company introduced the modern LEGO minifigure in 1978?

The LEGO Group introduced the modern LEGO minifigure in 1978.

The original standard minifigure had a yellow head and hands, a simple printed face, movable arms and legs, and a height of four LEGO bricks without headgear. Its design made small figures stable enough to stand on LEGO studs while remaining compatible with the company’s building system.

LEGO had produced earlier small figures, including figures for LEGO Homemaker sets, but the 1978 version became the recognizable character used in themed play. The first major character groups included a police officer, a firefighter, and a space figure. Their neutral facial design allowed children to use the same figure in many stories.

The company name comes from the Danish phrase “leg godt,” meaning “play well.” A common mistake is to credit Playmobil, whose figures were introduced in the 1970s but are a separate German toy system.