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The LEGO Group a family business
The LEGO Group has been a family-owned business for three generations, and its primary goal has always been to provide topquality toys to children around the world. Ole Kirk Christiansen began as a carpenter in Billund, Denmark. At 41 years of age, he switched his focus from large construction to much smaller scale projects. He didnt know it at the time, but when he began making wooden toys in 1932, he laid the foundation for one of the worlds most successful toy companies. One of the rst toys Ole Kirk Christiansen made was a wooden yo-yo. It was very popular among the children of the day, but interest eventually waned, and the toy manufacturer was left with a problem: What to do with a warehouse full of yo-yos that no-one wanted to buy? The solution he found was to separate the yo-yos into two halves and use these as wheels on the next toy. This indomitable and creative approach characterises the LEGO family: There are no problems only challenges.

LEGO is born

The LEGO name came into being in 1934. Ole Kirk Christiansen had oered a bottle of wine to the employee who came up with the best name for the company. In the end, he was able to claim the prize himself. By combining the Danish words leg godt (play well), he created a name which was later to become globally renowned. What Ole Kirk Christiansen did not know was that Lego, translated from Latin, means I put together, which is a precise description of the function of LEGO bricks.

Enduring quality

The best isnt good enough has been the LEGO Group motto since 1936, and the philosophy behind the toy loved by children around the world. The motto also underscores the quality of the LEGO brick, which has proven its durability over 51 years. The rst modern LEGO bricks from 1958 can still be easily combined with bricks produced today. The only dierence is that a new and better plastic material began to be used in 1963.

Fairytale growth

The wooden toys Ole Kirk Christiansen began making in the 1930s were popular among Danish children. When he took a chance in 1947 and purchased a plastic injection moulding machine from England for 30,000 Danish kroner, a fth of the companys annual earnings, he laid the foundation for a toy producer fairytale that has not been equalled since. The new toys quickly became popular. After four years of production, half of the toys being produced were made of plastic. 1:58 pm on 28 January 1958 was a
watershed moment in the history of the LEGO Group. This is when the patent application for the LEGO brick we know today was submitted to the patent oce in the Danish capital of Copenhagen. The company has seen rapid development since that time. A factory re in 1960 resulted in the decision to abandon wooden toys and focus exclusively on plastic toys. Godtfred Kirk Christiansen had taken over responsibility for the LEGO Group from his late father a few years previously. He continued development of the LEGO Group for the next 20 years, and ensured that LEGO products spread far beyond Denmarks borders. Godtfreds son, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, took over the leadership in 1979. During the 25 years in which he led the company, the LEGO Group developed into a global brand. Minigures were invented under his tenure, and well-known LEGO themes such as LEGO City, Castle and Pirates saw the light of day.

New millennium new challenges
Following the original decision to focus on the LEGO brick, the company marched relentlessly forward. The LEGO Group exceeded all expectations over the next 40 years, and continually grew in size. It was only in the beginning of the new millennium that a wall was hit. The company was making losses, and had to navigate through an economic storm unlike anything it had seen before. In 2004, the leadership (headed by Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen) initiated a comprehensive plan which brought the LEGO Group out of the crisis over the next two years. Jrgen Vig Knudstorp, one of the key architects of the plan, was appointed as the new CEO in late 2004. The LEGO Group presented its best ever annual accounts in 2008, and while the rest of the world is experiencing a global nancial crisis, the LEGO Group is seeing excellent performance and advancing on all its markets. The LEGO Group is owned today by Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, his three adult children (one of whom, Thomas Kirk Kristiansen, sits on the board), and the LEGO Foundation, which owns one quarter of the company.
Interview with the Maersk Ship designer
Henrik Andersen is the man behind the LEGO Maersk Ship. He designed the original model in his spare time, without realising it would later become a serious LEGO model.
What has been the most dicult thing about making the LEGO Maersk Ship?
The colour, without a doubt. The light blue Maersk colour is not one of the traditional LEGO colours. I therefore had to go down to a hobby shop and have paint mixed in the right colour, which I then used to hand-paint the rst model of the ship. Fortunately we still had nine tonnes of plastic granulate with the correct light blue colour in storage at the time, so there was enough to produce the rst limitededition version of the ship. The light blue colour has since been added back into the LEGO range but only for use in LEGO Maersk models.
How did the LEGO Maersk Ship come into being?
It all started when we received some elements for LEGO World City in 2002-2003, which gave me the idea of building a ship. It was mostly for fun initially, and I put the completed model on my shelf at work. I received a lot of positive comments about it, and one day some of these people contacted Maersk to ask if they might be interested in a LEGO Maersk ship, and they were! So I was given the task of making a LEGO Maersk ship, based on a real ship. It was a lot of fun to start with a real ship, and convert it into a LEGO ship.

What has it been like to work on the project?
It has been fantastic! The ship was very dierent to the LEGO City models I design every day. I normally have one special project each year, and it was the LEGO Maersk Ship that year, which I really enjoyed.
Which aspect of the LEGO Maersk Ship are you most satised with?
The number of containers. We succeeded in squeezing 40 containers onto the ship, despite the fact that people from other departments kept saying, do you really need to have so many?. Fortunately the ship was allowed to keep all these containers even though it is a big job assembling them all.

69 cm / 27

The A. P. M o l l er - Maersk G ro up
i s a w o rl d w i d e o rga n i s a t i o n w i t h m o re t h a n 0 , 0 e m p l oye e s an d offices in ar ound 130 c ount r ies wit h g lob a l he a d q u a rt e rs i n Co p e n h a g e n , De n m a rk. I n a d d i t i o n t o o w n i n g on e of t h e w or lds largest s hip p ing c om p a nie s , we a re a lso i nvo l ve d i n a w i d e ra n g e o f a c t i vi t i e s w i t h i n t h e e n e rgy s e ct or, t e rmi n al operation, retail and ind us t r y.
What is container shipping?
World trade would not be the same without the modern container, invented in 1956. Before then, transporting cargo by sea was both time consuming and expensive. Containers can be sealed and loaded intact onto container ships, railroad cars, planes and trucks - this has fundamentally changed the way we move freight. Today, more than 90 percent of all goods in world trade are carried by container.

Did you know that?

A single 20-foot container can hold about 48,000 bananas. So, in theory, a vessel such as EMMA MRSK can transport more than 525 million bananas in a single voyage - enough to give every person in the European Union a banana for breakfast.
If all Maersk Line containers were placed one after the other, they would reach about 19,000 km. This is more than the distance from Copenhagen, Denmark to Perth, Australia, via Cape Town, South Africa - or almost half of the earths circumference.

If all the Maersk Line containers were stacked on top of each other they would reach approximately 2,500 km high. The same as stacking 8,550 Eiffel Towers on top of each other.
Carrying the worlds goods
Maersk Line is the worlds leading container shipping company. More than 500 vessels carry almost 2 million containers around the globe. Moving goods by sea is the most energy efcient and environmentally friendly way to transport cargo. In fact, driving 15 km from your house to the electronics store will produce more CO2 than it took to transport a at screen TV produced half-way across the world to the store.

EMMA MRSK

EMMA MRSK can carry more than 12,000 20-foot containers. If put on a train, it would be 71 kilometres long. The anchor weighs 29 tonnes or the same as ve adult African elephants. The main engine produces 109,000 horsepower, equal to that of 1,156 family cars. Combined, the accommodation and bridge of EMMA MRSK are as high as a 12-storey building. EMMA MRSK is ONE of the largest containerships in the world.

LEGO TECHNIC

Technic is a line of Lego made up of interconnecting plastic rods and parts. The purpose of this series is to create more advanced models with more complex movable arms, such as machines with wheels, in addition to the simpler brick-building properties of normal Lego. The concept was introduced as the Expert Builder series originally in 1977 and was renamed Technic in 1984.
Technic sets are often characterized by the presence of special pieces, such as gears, axles, pins, and beams. Some sets also come with pneumatic pieces or electric motors. In recent years, Technic pieces have begun filtering down into other Lego sets as well, most notably the Bionicle sets. The construction of Technic sets has evolved over time. Technic sets produced since the year 2000 use a different construction method, described as studless construction (Studs are the small circular knobs which appear on traditional Lego bricks). This method utilizes beams and pins rather than Technic bricks.

Subject: Technic

Sub-theme Availability Total sets Pneumatics 1977 present 100+

LEGO CITY

Lego City was first released in 1978 as Lego Town, it was then renamed LegoLand, then World City, and now City. With the Lego City range, you can purchase parts of the city separately and then combine the parts you have to build your own City. Some sets include: Town Square, Police station, Fire Station, Airport, Petrol Station and separate sets to connect these parts of the city.The great thing about Lego City is giving the builder the ability to create their own city and as a result familiarizing them with the city lifestyle.

Subject: City

Sub-themes Traffic Farm Fire Town Coast guard Police Wharf Contraction Transport Train 1978 present 100+

Availability Total sets

LEGO RACERS
Lego Racers were first introduced in 1975 with a Formula 1 car model. However, the brand only really started to become a core theme in 2001, with the release of a series of mini racecars (Power Racer, Speed Racer). Made from only a small number of large bricks, these toys were designed more as racing car toys than a construction toy, and included a launcher element (which doubled up as a storage container) that could be used to propel the vehicles.
Over time, the theme has developed, bringing it more in line with the style of other Lego products, whilst still encouraging a racing form of game play. The theme has also included licensed models of real-life high-speed cars, such as a Lamborghini Gallardo and a Ferrari FXX.

Subject: Racers

Sub-themes Ferrari Power Racers Power Slammers Speed Racer Tiny Turbos 1975/2001 - present 56

LEGO TOWER BRIDGE

Tower Bridge is one of the most recognizable bridges in the world, situated on the river Thames in London, England. Construction started in 1886 and took eight years to complete. Tower Bridge was officially opened by The Prince of Wales on 30th of June 1894.Tower Bridge is sometimes mistakenly referred to as London Bridge, which is actually the next bridge upstream.The Lego Tower Bridge model comes complete with a functioning drawbridge, a London black cab, a traditional red double-decker bus, a yellow truck and a green car. The set solidly locks together but can be taken apart for easy transportation.

LEGO ARCHITECTURE

Lego Architecture is a sub-brand and product range of Lego, which aims to celebrate the past, present and future of architecture through the Lego Brick. The brand includes a series of Lego sets designed by Architectural Artist Adam Reed Tucker, and each contain the pieces and instructions to build a model of a famous architectural building in micro-scale.
Adam Reed Tucker earned a degree in Architecture at Kansas State University in 1996. Whilst there, he sought a method to join his two passions of art and architecture, and hit upon the idea of using Lego bricks. From this, he founded Brickstructures, Inc., and began to design and build models of famous landmarks. The Lego Group noticed his work, and together they formed a partnership to release some of his models as commercially available Lego sets under the Lego Architecture brand. By the beginning of 2010, six sets had been released in the range, under two series. Within the Landmark Series are models of the Sears Tower (21000), John Hancock Center (21001), the Empire State Building (21002), and the Seattle Space Needle (21003). Within the Architect Series are models of the Guggenheim Museum (21004) and Fallingwater (21005). In the beginning of July 2010, a seventh set, the White House (21006), was released. An eighth set (21007) was released in November 2010: New Yorks Rockefeller Center. In 2011 The Farnsworth House will be released as the third set of Architect Series.

Subject: Buildings

Sub-themes Architect series Discovery series Landmark series 2008 present 8

LEGO MODULAR HOUSES

Modular Houses is a series of Lego building toy sets introduced in 2007. Created in response to feedback and suggestions from the Adult Fans of Lego (AFOL) community, the sets in this series are generally intended for more advanced builders with most sets containing more than 2,000 total pieces and making use of unorthodox building techniques which have not been tried before in official Lego sets. Each of the sets in the Modular Houses series contain instructions to build a townhouse style building standing at least 2 stories high. They are built in modules where the roof and each floor can be lifted off to reveal the contents of the room or floor below.

Subject: Modular houses

Availability Total sets 2007 - present 9

LEGO CASTLE

Lego Castle is a Lego theme featuring knights and castles. It was introduced in 1978 and continues to the present. Lego Castle sets were marketed under the Legoland banner until 1991. Lego decided to change and add Lego System in 1992, but was dropped after 1999. The year 2008 marked 30 years since the introduction of the Lego Castle theme.

Subject: Castle

Sub-themes Black Falcons Crusaders Forestmen Black Knights Wolfpack Renegades Dragon Masters Royal Knights Dark Forest Fright Knights Knights Kingdom Castle 1987 - present 100+

LEGO PIRATES

The Lego Pirates theme was launched in 1989 featuring pirates, soldiers, islanders and sailing ships. The theme has been seen in minifigure scale, Duplo and the 4+ product lines.The original Pirates set included the first Lego minifigures without the traditional head with simply two eyes and a smile; they had a variety of different printed features including hair, eye patches and facial hair.
A sub-theme loosely based on a Polynesian concept, the Islanders, was released in 1994. For 1996 Lego changed the entire feel of the Pirates line and made it Spanish-influenced. This meant that the Imperial Guards were replaced by the Imperial Armada, which were based on the Spanish Armada. Along with this change, the pirates were also given new faces. Two 1996 Pirate sets, Red Beard Runner and Armada Flagship, and one 1994 Islanders set, Enchanted Island, were re-released for 2001. The 1989 Pirates set Black Seas Barracuda was updated and re-released for 2002 for the Lego Legends series. The Pirates theme was brought to 4+ for 2004 and Duplo for 2006.

Subject: Pirates

Sub-themes Imperial Soldiers Imperial Guards Imperial Armada Islanders 1989 present 71

LEGO ATLANTIS

Lego Atlantis is a product range of Lego, themed around the underwater world of Atlantis. The range was launched in early 2010.The product range underwent extensive development, with the design team using focus groups of mostly comprising boys aged between 6 and 12, but also child psychologists. Designer William Thorogood commented on these focus groups that it emerged that there were certain key icons the product simply had to include: propellers, dome cockpits, big lights, helmets, harpoons, torpedo-like weapons, tridents, giant squid and, of course, evil sharks.

Subject: Atlantis

Availability Total sets 2010 - present 19

LEGO TAJ MAHAL

The Taj Mahal in Agra, India is perhaps one of the most beautiful and stunning pieces of architecture in the world. It was built as a mausoleum where the Mughal Emperor known as Shah Jahan was to bury his wife Mumtaz Mahal. The construction began around 1632 and was completed around 1653, employing thousands of artisans and craftsmen.
In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in 2007 was recognized as one of the 7 manmade wonders of the world. The Lego Taj Mahal is designed with the experienced Lego builder in mind. Comprising of over 5900 pieces while using advanced construction techniques, rare elements and colours to add more realistic architectural detail to the piece.

LEGO INDIANA JONES

Lego Indiana Jones is based on the Indiana Jones film franchise, licensed from Lucasfilm. The first set of products, were launched in 2008, based upon two of the three earlier films (Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade). Sets featuring scenes from the fourth film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, were released alongside the film, later in 2008.

Subject: Indiana Jones

Sub-themes Raiders of the Lost Ark Temple of Doom The Last Crusade Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 15

LEGO BELVILLE

Belville is a product range of Lego designed to appeal primarily to girls. First introduced in 1994, the theme included multi-jointed doll-like characters, much larger in scale than the traditional Lego minifig. Although larger in scale their feet can still attach to traditional Lego pieces. Some sets include clothing and other fabric accessories for the figures. The sets include larger pieces, often in a pink and purple colour scheme, which also have unique features such as embedded glitter.
These sets depict scenes from fairy tales and fantasy as well as everyday life. Other Lego product ranges designed for girls have included Paradisa (19911997) and Lego Scala (19972001).

Subject: Belville

Sub-theme Availability Total sets Hans Christian Andersen 1994 present 82

LEGO GAMES

The first Lego Games sets were released in July 2009 in the United Kingdom.Lego Games focuses on a series of playable games of different types, all of which use Lego bricks, and use the Lego concept of building to encourage players to change and adapt the rules of the game.
The Lego Games sets are board games created by designer Cephas Howard, with consultants Bernie DeKoven and Reiner Knizia. Most use original themes and settings, though a small number have been based on existing Lego themes, such as Harry Potter and NinjaGo.

Subject: Lego games

Availability Total sets 2009 - present 18

LEGO HARRY POTTER

Lego Harry Potter is the Lego theme based on the film series. Models of important scenes, vehicles and characters were made for the first six films and all the books released. The first sets appeared in 2001, to coincide with the release of the first film Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. Subsequent sets were released alongside the new films, up until Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Then the line went dormant for 3 years.Warner Brothers and Lego announced that 6 sets will be released in October 2010. They also announced a Lego Harry Potter board game.

Subject: Harry Potter

Sub-themes Philosophers Stone Chamber of Secrets Prisoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire Order of the Phoenix Half-Blood Prince 2001/- present 40

LEGO SPACE

The Lego Space theme was introduced in 1978 and features astronauts and spaceships. Space was one of the most expansive themes in Lego history, and contained over 200 individual sets. It was registered under the Legoland banner until 1991. The banners name was changed to Lego System in 1992.
The Lego Space theme was dropped to make way for Lego Star Wars in 1999, but it made various appearances in 2001 and 20072008 before returning in 2009 with Space Police III and will be replaced with Lego Alien Conquest, in 2011.

Subject: Space

Sub-themes Blacktron Futuron Mars Mission Space Police Alien Conquest 1978 - present 200+

LEGO STAR WARS

Lego Star Wars is a Lego theme that incorporates the Star Wars saga. The first Lego Star Wars was released in 1999 and became the first intellectual property to be licensed in Lego Group history. The first few sets based on the original trilogy were released in 1999, coinciding with the release of The Phantom Menace. Sets based on the prequel trilogy (Episodes I to III) of Star Wars would follow, starting with Episode I.
As each new film in the prequel trilogy neared its release date, Lego issued new models of ships and scenes in those films, as well as additional sets from the original trilogy. Originally it was only licensed from 1999 2008, but the Lego Group recently extended the license with Lucasfilm until 2011.

Subject: Star Wars

Sub-themes The Phantom Menace Attack Of The Clones Revenge Of The Sith A New Hope The Empire Strikes Back Return of the Jedi The Clone Wars 1999 - spresent 200+

EIFFEL TOWER

The Eiffel Tower is located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The tower is the tallest building in Paris and the most visited paid monument in the world, with millions of people ascending it every year. Named after its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel, the tower was built as the entrance arch to the 1889 Worlds Fair.
In 2007 Lego released a 1:300 scale model of the Eiffel tower designed and built from the real towers original blueprints. It contains 3428 pieces and stands at 108 cm tall and 50 cm wide. The model features realistic details from the flag at the top to the elevator shafts

LEGO DUPLO

Duplo is a product range of Lego, designed for children aged 1 to 6 years old. Duplo bricks are twice the length, height and width of traditional Lego bricks (eight times the size in volume.) Their size makes them easier for younger hands to work with, while also making them safer for younger children to play with by reducing the risk of a child swallowing them. Despite their size, they are still compatible with traditional Lego bricks. Initially launched in 1969, the Duplo range has gone on to include sets with figures, cars, houses and trains. The most common of all Duplo bricks is the 2x2 brick.

History LEGO Duplo

When Duplo was launched in 1969, bricks were available in four colors: red, yellow, blue, and white. In 1972, the Duplo brick with 2 rows of 2 studs was introduced. In 1975 Duplo became its own individual brand, with five sets made up exclusively of Duplo bricks. New additions included a round-topped 2 by 2 stud brick and a small 4-wheel wagon with two rows of 6 studs. With these new Duplo sets, Lego was targeting younger children with the idea that when the child moved onto more advanced Lego, the Duplo bricks could be used together with regular Lego bricks. In 1977 the Duplo name was dropped in favor of Lego Preschool. Small figures were introduced as well. They included a cylindrical head and a tapered body without any limbs (similar in design to Fisher-Prices Little People). Another new brick was a half arch. The new sets included figures, doors, and 2 by 6 knob wagons that could act as a car or train. The name Duplo was brought back in 1979, along with a new reworked logo. The brick sets often came inside a plush version of the rabbit that zipped closed. In 1983, other Duplo figures appeared, often called Duplo people. These figures have a moveable head, arms, and legs and look like large Lego minifigures. Duplo people cannot be disassembled, which increases the safety of the figures for young children. 1983 was also the year a model of a steam engine and two carriges were introduced to the Duplo range. (set 2700) 1986 saw the Duplo dollhouse with sliding doors added to the collection. This included a Duplo people Mother, Father, and young child. In 1992, Duplo Toolo took Lego in a new direction. This set used internal screws to connect pieces together. 1993 brought the rail train set with a stop and start track. Later, two more train systems arrived. In 2005, Lego started selling Duplo trains themed as Thomas the Tank Engine. In 2002 the name Duplo was dropped, this time in favor of Explore. In the autumn of 2004 the well known Duplo name was back yet again with a new rabbit logo designed to match the new elephant logo for the Lego Quatro range. Lego currently makes Duplo sets licensed with Bob the Builder and Thomas & Friends characters. Duplo sets now include farm, zoo, town, castle, and pirate themes. In 2008 Lego Duplo released a dollhouse and also a princess castle. Duplo is manufactured in Nyregyhza, Hungary.

Subject: Duplo

Sub-themes Bob the Builder Traffic Farm Airport Town Thomas & Friends Police & Fire Construction Trains Zoo 1969 - present 100+