When you say “toys” you think about 5-10 year-olds playing with figurines in the backyard, but when you say Lego, another image pops up alongside kids with building blocks, which is that of a 20-30 year-old trying to put together a Death Star.
That’s right, Lego is not only targeted at kids, but at almost every age segment, and that is one of the reasons it has been so successful.
And Lego haters, if you even exist, you should know that the company is having hundreds of millions of dollars in profit, so you will have to put up with it for many, many more years.
Just the revenue figures alone qualify the company to stand on top of the toy industry’s giants.
And it is not just a fluke, a stroke of luck – this situation goes back for decades.
Some Facts on the History of Lego
Lego is a company that was established in 1932 in Denmark. The man with the idea was Ole Kirk Christiansen, who came up with the name after taking the first parts of the words “leg godt”, which mean “play well” in Danish. Other meanings exists too; Lego can be interpreted as “I gather together” in Latin, as well as “I connect” in Italian. So many meanings in just one word!
Everything seems fine so far, but that still doesn’t explain the success enjoyed by Lego. We were getting to that. In fact, one reason was already mentioned. The company has appealed to everyone, young, old and in-between alike. The Death Star example is not the only one, as any Lego fan will tell you. He will also tell you that a kid will have a very hard time putting together a Lego set made of thousands of bricks. Theoretically, it is possible indeed, but practically a lot of dedication and effort go into the final result. The technical sets are especially addressed to mature audiences, and those audiences absolutely love them. How else can you explain what happens when someone pays thousands of dollars on a Lego set?
The Reasons Behind Lego’s Success
Lego bricks are also extremely versatile. You can make whatever goes through your mind with them. There are sets that overtly encourage that, but even those dedicated creation sets can be combined in numerous ways. Again with the Death Star: instead of combining the bricks to give you the spherical space station, you can join them to make a rectangular space ship, a castle, or a Japanese Mecha. It is amazing how a bunch (the same bunch!) of rectangular and sloped bricks of various sizes can give birth to all those things.
Versatility is not the only thing Legos have. Their durability and long lifespan are aspects that should be emulated by other toy makers. Just toy makers? Other industries should follow the example set by Lego. It is in no way an exaggeration when people say they still use the Lego sets bought in the early 70s. Whatever recipe Lego uses for its plastics, they made a fantastic job. The only marks that can be found on those sets may be some teeth marks “acquired” when two pieces got stuck, for various reasons – a kid either spilled juice on them or he didn’t have enough strength to set the peaces apart with his hands.
Speaking of the 70s, the bricks of 4 decades ago fit perfectly with bricks bought this year, since the overall system has remained unchanged (why change something perfect?). That only furthers the advantages a Lego set has, but in this case another benefit, even more important can be felt. Money. The world economy is still struggling to find its way, and until it does, every penny saved represents a fine business opportunity. Take good care of your Lego sets and your grandchildren will get to play with the same set you played with as a kid. Not many items on the market can brag about having that long a life.
Lego – The Perfect Blend of Fun and Brain Exercise
Fun is good, but brain exercise and development is much more important. Lego can help you in that field too. Do you think anyone can put together an aircraft carrier which comprises 2-4000 bricks? How about making the planes too? In order to put that carrier together, you have to go though simpler sets that train your skills, including patience, observation skills and logical thinking. Kids, teenagers and adults all learn a lot from playing with Lego. Plus, working on complicated projects is a good opportunity to bring the gang together for a session of bonding – or yelling at each other, depending on temper.
Conclusion
So, we saw the reasons why Lego is a top dog in the toy industry. If you ever had any doubt about that, hopefully everything above will have convinced you otherwise.
