How LEGO Survived Three Devastating Fires
Sep 2, 2026 ·
23m 17s
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Description
LEGO’s journey from a small Danish workshop to one of the world’s most successful toy companies is a story of persistence, innovation, family conflict, and dramatic reinvention.The company was founded...
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LEGO’s journey from a small Danish workshop to one of the world’s most successful toy companies is a story of persistence, innovation, family conflict, and dramatic reinvention.The company was founded by Ole Kirk Christiansen, a Danish carpenter who turned to making toys after facing devastating personal and professional setbacks. His workshop burned down multiple times, while the Great Depression made survival even more difficult. Despite these challenges, he continued experimenting and eventually shifted from wooden toys to plastic bricks, creating the foundation for LEGO’s future success.Over the following generations, the family business expanded into a global phenomenon, but its growth came with serious internal struggles, including family feuds, disputes over designs, and major strategic mistakes. By the late 1990s, excessive expansion and an overwhelming number of new products pushed LEGO dangerously close to collapse.The company was eventually rescued through a dramatic change in strategy. Instead of trying to create everything itself, LEGO embraced strategic licensing, partnering with major entertainment franchises and expanding successfully into movies, video games, and other forms of entertainment.LEGO’s story ultimately proves that even the most successful brands can come dangerously close to failure—and that the ability to adapt, simplify, and reinvent yourself can turn a family business on the verge of collapse into a global toy empire.
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