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LEGO Facts and Figures (A repost from Pause archive, by Jeff Crites, 1995)
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lugnet.faq, lugnet.general
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Return-Path: <crites@staff.cc.purdue.edu>
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 1995 18:16:53 -0500
From: "Jeffrey T. Crites" <crites@staff.cc.purdue.edu>
from LEGO's own publications:
LEGO `FACTS AND FIGURES'
=======================
Here's some great information from `LEGO Facts & Figures', Jan
94 by LEGO Group (Puveyor to Her Majesty The Queen of Denmark). The
following information was taken without permission from the above
mentioned source; 18th edition. The first edition of Facts and
figures was published in March 1981.
* 4.9152 cm3(cubed) is the volume of an 8-stud LEGO brick. It
measures 9.6x32x16 mm.
* 5 thousandths of a mm is the tolerance of accuracy at the LEGO
mould factories.
* 102,981,500 is how many different ways there are to combine six
8-stud bricks of the same color. If you haven't that much
time, you can take three 8-stud bricks - same color - and fit
them together in 1,060 ways. Two 8-stud bricks -still the
same color - can be put together in 24 ways.
* 94 per cent of all households in Belgium with children up to the
age of 14 years own LEGO products. In Denmark, the percentage
is 91, in Austria 89.
* 110,000,000,000 (110 billion) LEGO elements - or thereabouts -
have been moulded during the period 1949-1990.
* 200,000,000 and probably closer to 300m children and adults all
over the world play or have played with LEGO bricks. A
statistician has reckoned that, every year, children spend
almost 5,000,000,000 hours playing with LEGO bricks.
* 98 per cent of total LEGO production is sold outside Denmark.
* 1,400 Danish kroner (or the national equivalent) is the approx.
cost of the toys an average child in Western Europe receives
each year.
* 436 sets made up the 1993 international LEGO range - of which
98 were DUPLO sets, 196 LEGO SYSTEM sets, 28 LEGO TECHNIC sets
and 114 LEGO DACTA sets for the pre-school and school market.
* 1,574 is the current total of different moulded elements. There
are 497 DUPLO elements, 833 LEGO SYSTEM elements. 168 LEGO
TECHNIC elements and 76 LEGO DACTA elements - and that's not
counting the many color variations.
* 2,363,090 fire-breathing dragons were moulded and assembled in
1993.
* 27,894,000 skis in 10 different sizes were moulded in 1993.
* 8,715,00 elements were spot-checked for moulding faults by quality
inspectors in Billund.
* 800,000 km was the total distance flown by the LEGO Group's four
company aircraft (LEGO Airways) in 1993 - equivalent to a trip
to the moon and back.
* 55 degrees, 44 min. 6 sec. north - 9.7 min. 56 sec. east.
Guess where that is?...
* 1,284,831 people visited LEGOLAND Park during the 1993 outdoor
season, between 1st May and 20th September. This made 1993 the
third record year in a row, beating the record set in 1992 by
97,516. More than 55% of the visitors were from abroad.
* 27,648 visitors is the largest single-day attendance at LEGOLAND
Park. The record was set on 28th July, 1992.
* 22,500,000 people have visisted LEGOLAND Park since it opened in
1968.
* 150 employees, including 30 designers and model builders, two
gardeners and 15 assistant gardeners have their hands full
thoughout the year with existing and planned LEGOLAND Park
projects. During the high season, the Park has 750 employees.
* 120,000 m(squared) is the area covered by LEGOLAND Park.
* 6,000 cars is the capacity of the parking site at LEGOLAND Park.
* 42,000,000 bricks (give or take a few) have gone into building the
various models at LEGOLAND Park. Here are a few examples of the
number of LEGO bricks which have been used for some of the more
famous models and settings:
Hans Christian Andersen statue............... 210,000
Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany............... 236,000
Capitol, Washington.......................... 253,000
St. Stephan's Cathedral, Vienna.............. 275,000
Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Berlin....... 780,000
Amalienborg Royal Palace, Copenhagen, Denmark 900,000
Big Chief Sitting Bull....................... 1,400,000
Statue of Liberty, New York, USA............. 1,400,000
Mount Rushmore Monument, USA................. 1,500,000
LEGO Canoe................................... 1,500,000
Amsterdam, the Netherlands................... 2,100,000
Great Bison Hunt relief...................... 2,400,000
The Port of Copenhagen....................... 3,500,000
Pirateland................................... 3,500,000
* 589,038 people went on safari in the zebra-striped cars in the
summer of 1993.
* 707,605 children whirled round on the LEGO carousel in 1993.
* 3,000 individual items and objects are displayed in Titania's
Palace, home of the Fairy Queen.
* 2 mm is the diameter of Queen Titania's smallest ring.
* 1,158,467.52 kroner have been dropped into the glass box at
Titania's Palace by visitor since 1980 - in many different
currencies, The money is donated to charities such as
international refugee aid.
* 413 years is the age of the oldest doll in the Dolls Museum at
LEGOLAND Park, which has around 400 antique dolls and 50 dolls'
houses.
* 66 of the old, highly-esteemed Lehman toys from Nuremberg are in
the Helme Collection of more than 1,000 toys dating from 1850
up to about 1950.
* 121 years old is the age of the oldest scrap album on display.
* 1,031 was the number of inhabitants in the parish of Grene, to
which the village of Billund then belonged, in 1930. Billund
did not become an independent municipality until 1970, when it
got its own coat of arms, described by heralds as: `Divided by
a fir sprig as a fesse, in the upper field an ascending green
woodlark.'
* 5,669 people live in the town of Billund. The municipality as a
whole has close to 8,300 inhabitants - a figure which is expected
to increase by approx. 15% of its population.
* 41 per cent -almost - of all LEGO employees in Denmark live within
a 10-km radius of Billund.
* The Billund Center was built with financial assistance from Ole
Kirk's Foundation, which was established in 1964 to provide support
to the arts and other cultural activities. The center was
inaugurated on Palm Sunday 1973. Its facilities include a church,
a theater, a library, and a kindergarten.
* Billund Airport: The need for contact with the many LEGO sales
companies has resulted in steadily increasing travel activity.
The first LEGO Group aircraft was bought in 1962. Godtfred
Kirk Christiansen later offered to transfer the private LEGO
airfield to the municipalities of Vejle, Fredericia, and Kolding
free of charge, provided that a public airport was built on the
site. The airport was opened in 1964. Today, Billund is Denmark's
second largest airport. There are many international charter
flights and daily direct connections with Copenhagen, and cities
in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Great
Britain.
I. MARKETING: First sale Established
=========---------------------------------------------------------
Sales companies and representative offices(*)
---------------------------------------------
Australia LEGO Australia
Pty. Limited 1962 1962
Austria LEGO Handelsgesell-
schaft mbH 1957 1963
Belgium LEGO Belgium n.v./s.a. 1957 1958
Brazil LEGO do Amazonas
Brinquedos Ltda. 1986 1986
Canada LEGO Canada Inc. 1961 1988
The Czech Republic LEGO Trading A/S* 1972 1992
Denmark Salgsselskabet
LEGO Danmark A/S 1949 1973
LEGO Trading A/S 1980
Finland Oy Suomen LEGO Ab 1959 1960
France LEGO S.A. 1959 1959
Germany LEGO GmbH 1956 1956
Great Britain LEGO U.K. Limited 1959 1959
Hungary LEGO Hungaria Kft. 1973 1992
Italy LEGO S.p.A. 1958 1961
Japan LEGO Japan Ltd. 1962 1978
Netherlands LEGO Nederland B.V. 1957 1960
Norway LEGO Norge AS 1953 1962
Poland LEGO Trading A/S* 1973 1991
Portugal LEGO, LDA. 1957 1975
Singapore LEGO Singapore,
Private Limited 1960 1979
Slovakia LEGO Trading A/S* 1972 1992
South Africa LEGO South Africa
(Pty.) Ltd. 1962 1993
South Korea LEGO Korea Co., Ltd. 1985 1984
Spain LEGO, S.A. 1965 1974
Sweden Svenska LEGO AB 1955 1959
Switzerland LEGO Vertrieb AG 1957 1957
USA LEGO Systems, Inc. 1961 1973
---------------------------------------------------------------
Note: Sales and marketing activities in other central and east
European countries, the Balkans and the former Soviet republics
are undertaken by LEGO Trading A/S. Distributor in Iceland.
LEGO Overseas A/S undertakes the coordination of sales and
marketing in approx. 80 markets via distributors in Africa, the
Middle East, Asia, the Pacific Basin, and South and Central America.
II. Manufacturing Companies Established
=======================-----------------------------------------
Factories
---------
Brazil LEGO do Amazonas 1986
Brinquedos Ltda.
Denmark LEGO System A/S 1932
Switzerland LEGO Produktion AG 1974
South Korea LEGO Korea Co., Ltd. 1985
USA LEGO Systems, Inc. 1975
Mould Factories
---------------
Switzerland LEGO Werkzeugbau, Steinhausen 1974
LEGO Werkzeugbau AG, Au 1985
Germany LEGO Werkzeugbau GmbH 1958
Micromotor factory
------------------
Hungary LMM Kft. 1992
Product Development
===================
Denmark LEGO Futura ApS 1959
Japan LEGO Futura ApS,
Tokyo Development Centre 1991
USA LEGO Futura ApS, Boston Branch 1989
III. Functional Structure of the LEGO Group
======================================
[The LEGO Group consists of 41 companies in six continents. There]
[are 8,560 employees, of whom approx 4,120 work in Denmark. ]
{1st tier}
LEGO A/S
Corporate Management:
Marketing Planning
-Marketing strategies, product and assortment planning.
Marketing Coordination
-Sales planning, market research and coordination of strategic
planning.
Marketing Service
-Merchandising, packaging development and graphical design.
Contact Japan
Quality Control, Product Safety and environment Manufacturing
Planning
-Manufacturing strategies and capacity planning.
Purchasing
Human Resources Management
Legal Affairs
Finance and Accounting
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Denmark 220 employees
----------------------------------------------------------------------
LEGO Futura ApS
Product development
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Denmark, Japan, and USA 240 employees
----------------------------------------------------------------------
LEGO Engineering
Technical research and development, element design, production
engineering, design and proceurement of manufacturing equipment.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Denmark and Switzerland 415 employees
----------------------------------------------------------------------
LEGO Form
Manufacture of moulds at three mould factories.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Switzerland and Germany 275 employees
----------------------------------------------------------------------
LMM Kft.
Manufacture of micromotors.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Hungary 135 employees
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Other Related Business Areas:
LEGO Dacta
Manufacture, sales and marketing of products for pre-school
and school use.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Denmark and Germany 75 employees
---------------------------------------------------------------------
LEGO World
Family entertainment facilities outside Denmark - and licensed
products.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Denmark and Great Britian 60 employees
---------------------------------------------------------------------
LEGOLAND A/S
LEGOLAND Park and Hotel LEGOLAND
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Denmark 170 employees
---------------------------------------------------------------------
{2nd tier}
LEGO System A/S
Area Company
-Manufacturing, sales, and marketing.
-Service Functions.
-Also handle: Sales and marketing in Europe via LEGO companies in:
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great
Britain, Switzerland, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway,
Portugal, Spain, and Sweden.
-Sales and marketing activities in other central and east European
countries, the Balkans, and the former Soviet republics are under-
taken by LEGO Trading A/S.
Distributor in Iceland (Total = 1,020 employees)
Billund
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Denmark 2,890 employees
---------------------------------------------------------------------
LEGO Systems, Inc.
Area Company
-Manufacturing, sales, and marketing.
-Sales and marketing in Canada via LEGO company
(Total = 110 employees)
Enfield, Connecticut
---------------------------------------------------------------------
USA 1,435 employees
---------------------------------------------------------------------
LEGO Overseas A/S
Area Company
-Sales and marketing.
-Sales and marketing via LEGO companies in:
Australia, Singapore, and South Africa
-And Manufacuring, sales, and marketing in:
Brazil and South Korea
-And coordination of sales and marketing by some 80 distributors
in Africa, Asia, Central and South America, the Middle East,
and the Pacific Basin.
(Total = 570 employees)
Billund
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Denmark 75 employees
----------------------------------------------------------------------
LEGO Produktion AG
Manufacturing
Baar, Zug
Willisau, Lucerne
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Switzerland 800 employees
----------------------------------------------------------------------
LEGO company
Sales and marketing in Japan.
(Total = 70 employees)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
IV. Year by Year Breakdown
======================
1932 Ole Kirk Christiansen sets up business. The firm manufactures
stepladders, ironing boards - and wooden toys. His son Godtfred
Kirk Christiansen (12 years old) works in the workshop from the
start.
1934 The worked LEGO is formed from the Danish words `LEg GOdt'
(`play well'). The company and its products now take on the name
LEGO. Later, it is realised that in Latin the words mean `I study',
`I put together'. The firm has a staff of 6-7 people. A few years
Ole Kirk's motto hangs on the wall of the workshop: `Only the best
is good enough'.
1936 The price list contains 49 designs. The most expensive is a
goods wagon, for which the price is DKK 36 a dozen.
1942 The LEGO factory burns to the ground - but production of wooden
toys is quickly resumed. The factory has an area of 180m(squared)
on two floors + a 40m(squared) cellar.
1943 The company in Bullund now has approx. 40 employees.
1944 The company is converted into a family-owned limited company with
the name `Legetojsfabrikken LEGO Billund A/S'. (`The LEGO Billund
Toy Factory Ltd.')
1947 The LEGO company is Denmark's first to buy a plastics injection-
moulding machine (price approx. DKK 30,000) for toy production.
1949 The company produces about 200 different plastic and wooden toys,
including Automatic Binding Bricks, a forerunner of the LEGO bricks
we know today. They are sold only in Denmark. The factory has a
total area of 2,300m(squared) and approx. 50 employees.
1950 Godtfred Kirk Christiansen is appointed junior director.
1952 The company now employs approx. 140 people.
1953 The bricks are now called `LEGO Mursten' (`LEGO Bricks') rather
`Automatic Binding Bricks'.
1954 The word LEGO is officially registered in Denmark on 1st May.
1955 The company has further developed LEGO Bricks and launches the
revolutionary `LEGO System of Play': 28 sets and eight vehicles.
It also sells loose elements. Export to Sweden of plastics products
and the LEGO System of Play.
1956 The first foreign sales company is established at Hohenwestedt in
Germany.
1957 The company celebrates its Silver Jubilee. Godtfred Kirk Christiansen
is appointed Managing Director.
1958 The final LEGO stud-and-tube coupling system is invented and patented.
The new coupling principle ensures that models are more stable and that
possible combinations run into astronomical figures. It is the year
sloping (roof-tile) bricks come on the market. Mould manufacture begins
in Germany. Ole Kirk Christiansen dies and Godtfred Kirk Christiansen
becomes head of the company.
1960 The wooden-toy warehouse is destroyed by fire. It is decided to
cease production of wooden toys and concentrate exclusively on plastics.
Danish LEGO companies now employ 450 people and factory/office premises
to 6,000 m(squared).
1961 The LEGO Group invents the wheel! And puts it on the market the
following year. A pre-school range is launched in Denmark - Therapy
I, II, and III. The total range comprises 50 sets, 15 vehicles and
various loose elements.
1962 LEGO Airways takes delivery of its first aeroplane in the USA and
the private LEGO airstrip is inaugurated at Billund.
1963 Cellulose acetate, hitherto the most important raw material in LEGO
production, is replaced by ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene). The
new material results in bricks which are more stable and have better
color quality.
1964 Model Sets complete with building instructions are launched as a
natural supplement to existing Basic Sets and extra sets. An
innovation is the launching of LEGO products which have been
consumer tested. Establishment of the LEGO Werkzeugbau GmbH mould
factory at Hohenwestedf, Germany.
1965 There are now more than 600 people employed at Billund - and the
primises cover more than 10,000 m(squared).
1966 The first LEGO train arrives. With rails and much more besides.
And a 4.5-volt motor is launched at the same time. The product range
comprises 57 sets and 25 vehicles. A total of 706 million LEGO
elements are produced during the year.
1967 The first DUPLO brick is invented and a patent is applied for.
There are a total of 218 LEGO elements and between 18 and 19 million
LEGO sets are sold during the year.
1968 LEGOLAND Park opens its gates on 7th June - attracting 625,000
visitors in its first season. The LEGO company is awarded first
prize in a `best toy' competition in Luxemburg.
1969 Big bricks for tiny fingers are launched internationally: the DUPLO
series, eight times bigger than basic LEGO bricks, twice as long,
twice as wide, twice as high. The 12-volt motor joins the train series.
1970 Little LEGOLAND vehicles in the pocket-money category are launched -
e.g. break-down trucks, police cares and fire engines. Brightly
colored cogwheels are launched in various sizes. Later, they are a
major source of inspiration for the LEGO TECHNIC program introduced
in 1977. New factory and new production organization in Billund,
Hojmarken, is presented. During the next two years the production
area is expanded by 18,000m(squared), with new facilities which include
raw-material warehousing, moulding shop, assembly and packing department.
There are 975 employees at LEGO headquarters in Billund, excluding
LEGOLAND Park, and close to 30,000m(squared) under cover.
1971 Doll's house units on the market - together with furniture components.
1973 The first LEGO ship is launched. The current LEGO logo is introduced.
1974 LEGO figures - representing a new concept, the LEGO family - enter
the market. The set becomes the biggest-selling product so far in
our range, equally popular with boys and girls. Inauguration of
mould factory and moulding shop LEGO AG in Baar, Zug, Switzerland.
For the first time there is production outside Denmark. In 1992 the
company's name is changed to LEGO Produktion AG. The LEGO Group buys
the Esso Motor Hotel across the road from LEGOLAND Park and renames it
Hotel vis-a-vis. On 1st May, 1991, its name is again changed - this
time to Hotel LEGOLAND. LEGO System A/S has 1,325 employees - 982
hourly-paid staff and 343 salaried staff.
1975 `Expert series' for building models such as veteran cars is launched.
Packing begins in the United states at LEGO Systems, Inc., Enfield,
Connecticut, and the production area is about 5,000m(squared).
1976 New production site is developed at Klovermarken, Billund, for DUPLO
finishing. Area: 6,000m(squared).
1977 The Technix range is marketed - advanced, complex model sets for the
older child to build. `As technical as the real thing'. New DUPLO
sets are launched in the same year. They have door and window elements
and new `symbol' figures without arms or legs. Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen -
third generation - joins the LEGO Group's management.
1978 LEGOLAND mini figures with movable arms and legs come on the market -
together with base plates with road markings, so that entire towns can
be built.
1979 Introduction of FABULAND series, including figures with animal heads
and large building elements. Ten years later, the series is withdrawn
from the range. LEGOLAND Space is launched. It quickly becomes a
universal success. The SCALA jewellary series - a brand-new product -
is launched for girls in the 507 age group. However, the series is
withdrawn in 1981 because of a lack of consumer interest. Another
part of the Klovermarken production site at Billund in inaugurated.
The total area of the Klovermarken factory is now 13,600m(squared).
Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen is appointed president of INTERLAGO A/S (renamed
LEGO A/S in January 1987).
1980 New additions to the DUPLO program: pull-along/rocking toys for
toddlers. And the DUPLO rabbit logo is introduced. Eductional Products
Department - LEGO Dacta since 1989 - is established. Expansion of
production area in Switzerland to a total of 24,000m(squared). Also
expansion in Enfield, USA, to approx. 24,000m(squared). The world's
tallest LEGO tower - 13.1 m - is built in Great Britain and is later
included in the Guinness Book of Records. The record has since been
broken many times - most recently in Sweden, where a 21.63 m - LEGO
tower was built in 1993.
1981 Launch of Basic Sets for Children in age groups from three, five and
seven years. Klovermarken factory expanded (by 3,000m(squared)),
including a new moulding shop. Inauguration of 1,500m(squared) moulding
shop at LEGO Systems, Inc., USA. Inauguration of the Neuhof factory -
part of LEGO Produktion AG, Baar - in Switzerland (12,000m(squared))
for decorating, assembly, packing, and storage.
1982 DUPLO Mosaic and `Technic I' are introduced as the first examples of
special product development for the pre-school and schools market. On
Friday 13th August, the LEGO Group celebrates its Golden Anniversary
at Billund. Events include the publication of the book `50 Years of
Play'. Another manufacturing facility, System Plast A/S, is opened in
Denmark (at Kolding in Jutland). All LEGO tyres are manufactured here,
in a 2,300m(squared) moulding shop.
1983 Introduction of DUPLO Baby series, which includes six rattles. And
there are new, large figures in the bigger DUPLO sets, with adjustable
arms and legs. Office accommodation at Billund is expanded by 1,000m
(squared). The Neuhof factory is Switzerland is expanded by 8,000m
(squared) - and the tooling factory in Hohenwestedt, Germany, is
increased to 1,500m(squared).
1984 A new LEGOLAND Castle series is introduced, with knights, horses
and many other new elements. Another extension (1,295m*2) to the
office premises at Billund.
1985 The LEGO Prize - an international, annual award of DKK 750,000
(increased in 1989 to DKK 1,000,000) for exceptional efforts on behalf
of children - is founded in April. Inauguration of LEGO Korea Co. Ltd.,
a joint-venture company in Seoul, with just under 100 employees and a
3,700m*2 moulding factory. Manufacturing Engineering at Billund -
LEGO Engineering since 1991 - grows by 5,000m*2 in a new modular
building. LEGO Technic Control (a product for schools) has its world
premiere at the Didacta Fair in Stuttgart. There are approx. 5,000
employees, of whom 3,000 work in Denmark.
1986 Light & Sound sets are launched, bringing a new electronic touch to
the LEGOLAND themes of Town and Space. The big news of the year in the
Educational Products range is TECHNIC Computer Control: LEGO robots can
now be controlled via a computer. Launched initially in Great Britain
and Denmark, but only for schools - and for different types of computers.
Nine new books and 19 short films for children are developed and
coordinated by LEGO Publishing, a department of LEGO Futura ApS (LEGO
Licensing since 1990). The products are marketed in the autumn in a
number of European countries.
On 16th April (H.M. Queen Margrethe's birthday) the LEGO Group is
granted the title `Purveyor to Her Majesty the Queen'.
The first LEGO bricks to be moulded at the Group's new factory in
Manaus, Brazil come off the production line on 4th April. The packing
department at the same factory starts operations on 5th May. The
factory's total area is 4,400m*2.
1987 Buckets containing DUPLO or LEGO Basic components can now be bought
in the USA and some European countries.
1988 The big news in the DUPLO range is a travelling circus, with a
ringmaster, an elephant - and a human cannonball who can be transformed
into a clown. `Robin Hood' comes to the market in the LEGOLAND Castle
series - and `Black Star' control center reports for action in LEGOLAND
Space. Kornmarken - a new moulding factory - is officially opened on
24th June. It has taken 18 months to build. In its first phase, the
factory occupies 20,000m*2 and comprises four modules. The first
official LEGO World Cup building championships are held at Billund in
August - with 38 children participating from 14 different countries.
LEGO Canada Inc. is set up after termination of an agreement under
which Samsonite, the luggage company, has made and sold LEGO products
in Canada since 1961.
1989 The Pirate line is launched: 11 sets with plenty of opportunity for
imaginative play with ships, forts, tough pirates, etc. At the beginning
of the year, the old Educational Products Department changes its name to
LEGO Dacta. The word `dacta' deprives from the Greek word `didactic',
meaning `the study of the purpose, means and substance of learning and
the learning process'. On 21st February, an American professor - Dr.
Seymour Papert, of MIT's development laboratory of computer learning -
is named `LEGO Professor of Learning Research'. Since 1984, Seymour
Papert has worked with LEGO Group development staff to link the Logo
programming language to LEGO bricks.
Official European postage stamps featuring the theme `Toys and games
for children' include LEGO bricks on stamps and first-day covers from
both the Isle of Man and Denmark. Work on a 10,674m*2 extension to the
Kornmarken moulding shop begins in August.
1990 The LEGO Model Team series is launched. The models - which include
a truck, a jeep and a transport helicopter - a designed to have a
special appeal for children who want toys which are close to reality.
The latest DUPLO product is a zoo, with giraffes, crocodiles, bears
and other animals. The LEGO Basic series gets new packaging. There
are both rectangular plastic buckets with lids and cases with compart-
ments and base plates as lids. In the TECHNIC product program, the
year's new product is the TECHNIC Control Center. It is an electronic
control unit with double memory and can be used to program and control
all motorized TECHNIC models.
The LEGO Group is now one of the world's 10 largest toy manufacturers,
the only one in Europe (the others are American and Japanese). On
31st October, Xavier Gilbert becomes `LEGO Professor of Business
Dynamics' at one of the world's leading management schools, IMD
(International Institute for Management Developemtn), Lausanne,
Switzerland. The LEGO Group has cooperated with IMD for many years
and many of its international senior managers and specialists attend
courses there.
In the autumn, 22 giant LEGO bricks are strewn in the field next to
the Kornmarken moulding shops. The glass-fiber bricks are 100 times
the size of normal LEGO bricks. Their purpose is to brighten up the
landscape and to entertain the many passers-by at Billund's busiest
crossroads. The LEGO Idea House - 4,200m*2 - is opened unofficially on
14th June. The aim of the LEGO Idea House is to tell existing and
future employees about the past and the present - the LEGO Group's
product ideas, philosophy, attitudes and cultural values.
LEGO Werkzeugbau Steinhausen (the former Baar mould factory) is
inaugurated on 27th November in spacious new premises: 5,000m*2.
The `Auto 2000' exhibition opens at LEGOLAND Park - 17 cars of the
future, built from LEGO bricks by European design students. The
magic barrier - one million visitors in a single year - is broken
for the first time by LEGOLAND Park on 4th September.
1991 There are now big elements with human and animal heads in some of
the DUPLO sets. There are five new Harbour sets, containing ships
with many different functions. Three seaworthy vessels are also
launched: a fire ship, a police boat, and a yacht. The 4.5V and 12V
train series are replaced by a 9V system with a control panel which
makes the trains go backwards as well as forwards. The Kornmarken
moulding factory, which has been expanded several times since its
inauguration in 1988, now has 12 modules adn covers an area of approx.
45,000m*2. The Hotel vis-a-vis changes its name to Hotel LEGOLAND
and undergoes a major rebuilding program.
1992 Young craftsmen from between the ages of three and six years can now
try out their skills with the Toolo line, which has been added to the
DUPLO product program. Models drawn from everyday life, such as cars
and cranes, can be built with the help of a screwdriver. The most
noteworthy new product in LEGO Town is the Paradisa theme, designed to
appeal to girls aged six or seven. The theme centers on a subtropical
island and pastel colors. The new LEGO SYSTEM logo is introduced after
a design project lasting several years. In August, the LEGO company
celebrates its Diamond Jubilee.
A new 3,000m*3 building for Technical Research and Developemtn (TFU)
is inaugurated at Fumentikon in the Swiss canton of Zug in September.
In December it is announced that the first LEGO Park outside Denmark -
with an area of around 100,000 - is to be opened in April 1996 in
Windsor, just under 20 miles from central London. A Guiness record in
rail-way-line construction is set - 545 meters of LEGO rails with
three locomotives. The record was set during an activity weekend in
Billund. The world's largest LEGO Castle is built on Swedish television.
Over 400,000 LEGO Bricks are transformed into a castle measuring 4.45m
x 5.22m - and measured for the Guinness Book of Records.
The Second LEGO World Cup Final is held in Billund in August, with
32 children taking part from 11 countries. `The Gate of the Present' -
a new LEGO travelling exhibition - has its premiere at the Deutsches
Architektur-Museum in Frankfurt, German. The 25 `gates', made from
1.25 million LEGO elements and glued together by the Model Production
Department in Billund, have been designed by young architects from
22 countries.
1993 The new DUPLO Train range is the big product news of the year. There
are both push-along trians and a trains powered by three 1.5V batteries.
The LEGO SYSTEM's Basic series now includes a `Brickvac'. A `vacuum
cleaner' that looks like a parrot, it's used to collect up elements
after a play session. In the LEGO Castle series, the Dragon Knight's
Castle gets a dragon's cave, complete with a fire-breathing dragon and
a wizard. For LEGO TECHNIC enthusiasts there is now a Universal set
which includes elements for a vehicle chassis controlled with the help
of a new Control Center and a micromotor.
On 1st April, the LEGO Group receives the Danish financial newspaper
Borsen's Image Prize - for the third time since 1985. LEGO Kids' Mix
& Match Wear is launched in September, under a licensing agreement
between LEGO Licensing and the clothing company Kabooki A/S, of Ikast,
Jutland. The great new children's clothes can be bought in around 100
shops split between Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands. A
new 60,000m*2 DUPLO factory is opened in Willisau, in the Swiss canton
of Lucerne, on 18th March. The ground is broken in Billund at the
beginning of June for the Rugmarken factory and a new Training Center
with floor areas of 100,000m*2 and 8,000m*2 respectively.
July sees the inauguration, at Enfield in the USA, of a 20,000m*2
distribution center and associated administrative accommodation of
1,500m*2. The 6,000m*2 fully automated high-bay warehouse at
Kornmarken, Billund, is inaugurated in 8th October. At the end of July,
work begins on a new 20,000m*2 Administration Building in Enfield, USA.
The plan is for the building to be ready in September 1994. For the 19th
time since 1980, a new LEGO tower record is set. This time, the honor
is Sweden's, with a tower of 21.63 m. It's the fourth record within a
year, following others in Great Britain, Hungary, and Belgium.
In November, the town of Carlsbad near San Diego in southern California
was selected as the preferred location for the first LEGO Park in the USA.
The Park, which will have an area approx. 100,000m*2, is expected to open
in 1999. In Billund, a 40-year jubilee is celebrated by one employee,
silver jubilees are celbrated by 23 and another 74 mark 10 years with the
company. There are now approx. 231,000m*2 of office and factory space
in Billund alone. The total LEGO manufacturing area in Denmark,
Switzerland, the USA, Brazil and South Korea is now close to 290,000m*2.
On 1st January 1994, a total of 8,560 people are employed in the LEGO
Group's 41 companies. Of this total 4,120 are employed in Denmark and
4,440 in the companies abroad.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
** Again, the following information was taken without permission from
the January 1994 `Facts & Figures', 18th Edition, LEGO Group, Puveyor
to Her Majesty The Queen of Denmark. This booklet was produced by
Information & Public Relation, LEGO Group, as part of a series on the
LEGO Group and LEGO products. Other titles in the series: `Developing
a product',`A product - an idea',`Toy safety', and `The LEGO product
and the environment'.
The names LEGO, LEGOLAND, FABULAND, DUPLO, and SCALA are registered
trademarks of the LEGO Group.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
For any of the informational booklets mentioned directly above you may
contact LEGO System A/S, DK-7190 Billund, DENMARK; Telephone: (+45) 75
33 11 88; Telex: 60 787 lego dk; Fax: (+45) 75 35 33 60.
__<>__ Jeffrey T. Crites __<>__
(______) crites@cc.purdue.edu (______)
| |_______________________________________________________________| |
| // | | // |
| | "Too low they build, who build beneath the stars." | |
| // | Edward Young / Night Thoughts | // |
| | "Particularly they who do not build with LEGO." | |
| // | Jeff Crites / Synopsis of Oneself | // |
| |_______________________________________________________________| |
|____| |____|
(__ __) (__ __)
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