If you have no clue what LEGO actually means, prepare to be shocked at what this four-letter word really stands for.
A crucial part of most people’s childhood (and adulthood as well, with their range of collectibles inspired by film and TV), the sometimes dangerous brick-building game may be so ingrained in our pop culture that very few have stopped to think what LEGO really means.
As it turns out, the Danish brand funded by carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen wasn’t all about building toys. Not originally, anyway.
It all dates back to the Great Depression, as in the global financial crisis of 1929, which forced Kristiansen to think outside the box and come up with new ways to keep his business afloat.
The LEGO founder came up with a new name for his business in 1935. (JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images)
He set out to make new easy saleable products’ such as producing ladders, ironing boards and other everyday items. To maximise profits, the entrepreneur expanded into wooden toys production in 1932.
By 1935, the toys branch of his business had become so profitable that Christiansen decided to come up with a new name for it.
According to LEGO’s website, “Kristiansen allegedly holds a competition among his employees to find a good name for the business. The competition winner (who can claim the prize of a bottle of Ole Kirk Christiansen’s homemade wine) is … Ole Kirk Christiansen himself.”
Brace yourself for the revelation of what LEGO means, and that’s in fact two words, not one.
Christiansen’s winning entry in the competition was a blend of the Danish words ‘LEG GODT’ which means ‘Play Well’ and the new name is ‘officially used’ from January 1936.
“The intention of the name is to reflect quality and children’s right to enjoyable play,” LEGO’s site explains.
And reflecting on his decision to focus on toy production, Christiansen reportedly wrote in a letter: “It wasn’t until the day I told myself, ‘You’ll either have to drop your old craft or put toys out of your head’ that I began to see the long-term consequences.
We could’ve not guessed this one. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
“And the decision turned out to be the right one.”
And it’s not taken long for people to flock to social media to weigh in on the historical background and meaning behind the LEGO company’s name.
One Twitter/X user said: “That is interesting,” while another added: “Fun with linguistics.”
A third joked: “I thought it meant foot killer.”
“I thought it meant ‘painful at 2am,” a fourth said.
And a final commented: “Synonym: floor weapon. Painful when stepped on.”
