LEg GOdt

by April Everett  Rowan Public Librar

LEGOs, twice-named “Toy of the Century”, are undeniably one of the most iconic toys on the market.   The name “LEGO” is a conjunction of two Danish words, “leg godt”, meaning “play well”.  Aptly enough in Latin, the word means “I put together”.

The LEGO Group was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, master carpenter and joiner.  In the early years, the business manufactured stepladders, ironing boards, stools, and wooden toys.  It was not until 1934 that Kristiansen and his products adopted the name LEGO.  About a decade later, the LEGO Group was the first in Denmark to buy a plastic injection-moulding machine, which allowed for the production of Automatic Binding Bricks, a forerunner to the LEGO bricks we know today.

LEGOs are such ageless, timeless, and universal toys in large part due to the product characteristics the company established in the mid-1960s.  They wanted LEGO products to provide: unlimited play potential; appeal for girls and boys; fun for every age; year-round play; healthy, quiet play; long hours of play; development, imagination, creativity; and quality in every detail.  With no batteries required, limitless construction possibilities, and exceptional durability, the LEGO Group clearly exceeded their expectations with the modern LEGO brick, patented in 1958.

Today, LEGO products are sold in more than 140 countries.  In 2015, Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, current President and Chief Executive Officer, estimates that approximately 100 million children “had a LEGO® experience – be it through playing with great LEGO products, in schools via LEGO® Education materials or by participating in local community activities or receiving product donations driven by the LEGO Foundation across the world” (www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus). 

Locally, hundreds of children have participated in LEGO Saturdays at Rowan Public Library, monthly programs where children of all ages are invited to free play time with the library’s LEGOs.  Our next round of LEGO Saturdays are scheduled for April 9, 2016, at RPL East Branch (Rockwell) and April 16, 2016, at RPL Headquarters (Salisbury) and South Rowan Regional (China Grove).  Free play begins at 10:00 AM, and all ages are welcome.

In addition to creative programs offered in the Spring and Fall, Rowan Public Library has more than 50 LEGO books, ebooks, and DVDs in our collection including LEGO Adventure books (step-by-step breakdowns of how to build anything from cars to dragons), the LEGO  Mindstorms EV3 Idea Book (how to build mechanical gadgets), and The LEGO Movie.  Stop by your local library or visit www.rowanpubliclibrary.org and “LEg GOdt”.