Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
The extraordinary inside story of the LEGO company--producer of the most beloved and popular toy on the planet--based on unprecedented access to the founding family that still owns the company, chronicling the brand's improbable journey to become the empire that it is today.
This book tells the story of how my family built the LEGO brand. --Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, former President/CEO of the LEGO Group and 3rd generation owner
From bare-bones wooden toys to plastic interlocking bricks, from a single rectangle on which a child could build a simple house to the ability to recreate the worlds of Harry Potter, Star Wars, Batman, and more, hundreds of millions of people around the world have played with LEGOs, driven around in toy cars at LEGOLAND, and flocked to theaters to watch The LEGO Movie and its sequels. Some have taken their passion into adulthood, building in the late hours when the younger generation has been tucked into bed. Though LEGO has existed for nearly a century, the product has not always been the one we know and adore today. The toy has undergone big changes in both material and design due to a combination of cultural and historical circumstances as well as industrial advancements.
Yet as ubiquitous as the LEGO company is, the family behind the brand is an enigma. Now, for the first time, the Kirk Kristiansen family has agreed to tell the story of LEGO and their life's work to Jens Andersen, one of Denmark's most acclaimed writers and beloved biographers. Through interviews with Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen--who represents the third generation of the family business--and with access to the vast LEGO archive, Andersen takes the reader back to the very beginning of LEGO and chronicles its improbable journey to become the iconic company that it is today.
The LEGO Story is the definitive story behind one of the most beloved brands on the planet, shown through the deeply personal lens of one singular family. Excellently written with ease and verve, it's also a riveting cultural history of changing generations' view of childhood and the importance of play. Richly illustrated with never-before-seen photos from the family's private archive, this is the ultimate book for fans of LEGO, revealing everything you ever wanted to know about the brand.
Synopsis
The extraordinary inside story of LEGO, based on unprecedented access to the company's archives and rare interviews with the founding family that still owns the company
This book tells the story of how my family built the LEGO brand. --Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, former President/CEO of the LEGO Group and 3rd generation owner
It's estimated that each year between eighty and ninety million children around the globe are given a box of LEGO, while up to ten million adults buy sets for themselves. Yet LEGO is much more than a dizzying number of plastic bricks that can be put together and combined in countless ways. LEGO is also a vision of the significance of what play can mean for humanity.
This book tells the extraordinary story of a global company and a Danish family who for ninety years have defended children's right to play--and who believe grown-ups, too, should make the time to nurture their inner child. The LEGO Story is built on Jens Andersen's unique access to LEGO's own archives, as well as on Andersen's extensive conversations with Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, former president and CEO of the LEGO group and grandson of its founder, Ole Kirk Christiansen.
A riveting cultural history of changing generations' views of childhood and the importance of play, The LEGO Story also a fascinating case study of how innovation and creativity helped leaders transform LEGO from a small carpentry business into the world's largest producer of play materials and one of the most beloved brands in the world. Richly illustrated with never-before-seen photos from the family's private archive, this is the ultimate book for fans of LEGO, revealing everything you ever wanted to know about the brand.
Synopsis
"Absolutely essential reading for every LEGO fan." --Blocks
The definitive history of LEGO, based on unprecedented access to the company's archives and rare interviews with the founding family that still owns the company
This book tells the story of how my family built the LEGO brand. --Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, former President/CEO of the LEGO Group and 3rd generation owner
It's estimated that each year between eighty and ninety million children around the globe are given a box of LEGO, while up to ten million adults buy sets for themselves. Yet LEGO is much more than a dizzying number of plastic bricks that can be put together and combined in countless ways. LEGO is also a vision of the significance of what play can mean for humanity.
This book tells the extraordinary story of a global company and a Danish family who for ninety years have defended children's right to play--and who believe grown-ups, too, should make the time to nurture their inner child. The LEGO Story is built on Jens Andersen's unique access to LEGO's own archives, as well as on Andersen's extensive conversations with Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, former president and CEO of the LEGO group and grandson of its founder, Ole Kirk Christiansen.
A riveting cultural history of changing generations' views of childhood and the importance of play, The LEGO Story also a fascinating case study of how innovation and creativity helped leaders transform LEGO from a small carpentry business into the world's largest producer of play materials and one of the most beloved brands in the world. Richly illustrated with never-before-seen photos from the family's private archive, this is the ultimate book for fans of LEGO, revealing everything you ever wanted to know about the brand.