Did You Know That Lego Was a Product of the Great Depression?

Kids these days need to play more. When we become adults we have responsibilities, studies and jobs to uphold. Kids should be kids. Kids should be allowed time to explore, learn, build and discover.  Discovery comes by doing, not just tapping on an electronic device. As adults there are some days where we wish we could unplug and take a break from electronics, e-mails, Blackberry cellphones and iPhones, and just take time out to discover the world right in front of us. With demands and stress, sometimes this is hard to do. Kids, though, kids shouldn’t be spending as much time as they do plugged in. Again, let kids be kids, let them play. What better way to let kids play, explore, discover, build and learn than with Lego?
Lego is one of the best inventions of the 20th century. Lego began in 1932 as a Danish carpentry workshop of a man named Ole Kirk Christiansen in Billund, Denmark. Mr. Christiansen owned a woodworking shop. In his shop he helped build homes and furniture. In 1924 the shop burned down, then the Great Depression hit. As a result of the turmoil and economic collapse of the 1930’s Mr. Christiansen’s income took a dive, he had less customers and less to focus on. So, what did he do? He innovated. Maybe he didn’t know it at the time, or even believe that out of trial and tribulation he would create something that would leave such a profound mark on the 20th century.
Since he had fewer customers in those days he began focusing on smaller projects, and with that he began producing mini versions of his products, items like stepladders and ironing boards, as design aids. These miniatures inspired him to begin producing toys. He started making wooden toys, but due to the troublesome times his business was not very profitable, except – people did see value in his products. Farmers were trading food in exchange for his toys, so he continued to construct toys and was able to eat. Then, after World War II, plastics became available in Denmark and Mr. Christiansen purchased a plastic injection molding machine in 1947. With that he found out about interlocking plastic blocks and developed them into what we now know as Lego. At first they weren’t well received and many customers returned the Lego bricks, but something happened and Lego took off and became the popular brand that we’ve grown to love. Today Lego is worth over $14 billion dollars. Some prized Lego sets, such as the Statue of Liberty set has been said to be valued at over $10,000.
Lego sets aren’t very cheap in stores either. Some playsets retail for $24 for a small set, to $122 for a Lego Pirates set, to around $250 for the Simpson’s Lego house playset.
There are so many different types of Lego playsets now, from Marvel Superhero Lego sets to Minecraft sets, Disney’s Frozen Lego, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Legos and so many more. LEGO SETS
However, if you’re looking for  deals on Lego you may be able to score a great one on DealDash.com.
Recently ended auctions for Lego items include the Lego Simpson’s House playset for just $7.20 and Lego themed video games for $0.82. Check out DealDash, and read these tips to learn how to bid and win!