Historic Highlights: Jan. 28 is International Lego Day

Few toys capture the imagination like Lego bricks. There’s even a day on the calendar to celebrate them.

Tuesday, Jan. 28, is International Lego Day, designed to honor the anniversary of the patent submission for Lego bricks in 1958. Since then, Legos have become a part of global culture, a favorite toy of children and adults alike.

Today, many public libraries offer Lego Clubs for creative youngsters, including in Carlinville, a town of 5,400 located 60 miles northeast of St. Louis.

“Our Lego Club has some devoted members,” Carlinville library director Hannah Miller said. “They take it very seriously. It’s a lot of fun for everyone involved, of course. But some of the youngsters in Lego Club are really into it.”

Anyone wanting to find a nearby LEGO Club is encouraged to contact their local public library.

The name “Lego” is derived from the abbreviation of two Danish words, “leg godt,” which means “play well.” It was aptly named. The Franklin Institute of Philadelphia, which hosts some of the most complex Lego creations on the planet, estimates that 400 million people worldwide have played with Lego bricks at some point in their lives.

The company that gives its name to the toys, the Lego Group, is headquartered in Denmark, which is home to one of its three global factories, with others in Hungary and Mexico. The fourth-largest toy manufacturer in the world, the company has produced an estimated 400 billion Lego pieces or 62 for every person on Earth.

That many pieces, stacked on top of one another with the toy’s famous interlocking pegs, could build 10 towers that reach from the Earth to the moon. About 36,000 Lego pieces are produced every minute, and seven Lego sets are sold every second worldwide. The volume of Lego bricks sold in a single year would circle the globe five times.

The Lego Group was founded in 1932, and its unique product developed into the bricks we know today. The patent for those bricks was first filed on Jan. 28, 1958, eventually giving rise to the international day in their honor. Lego was first introduced in the United States in 1962.

The company prides itself on quality, as only 18 out of every million Lego bricks are defective. Legos are also among the sturdiest of toys, as anyone who has stepped on one while barefoot will tell you.

For millions in past decades, Legos were simply a beloved childhood toy. Today, however, Legos have evolved into a worthwhile educational tool. Many teachers, scientists and builders point to the value of Legos in promoting creativity and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) in young people, as well as problem-solving skills and team building.

Lego has also become a tourist destination, as children and their parents may journey to one of 27 Legoland Discovery Centers around the world. Thirteen of those centers are in the United States, including in Schaumburg and Kansas City. There are also Legoland theme parks and resorts in California, Florida and New York.

Today, International Lego Day is celebrated in various corners of the globe. Major American public libraries in Chicago, Detroit, Austin and Salt Lake City have all hosted Lego Day celebrations in recent years, as well as the public libraries of Christchurch, New Zealand.

On the other side of the globe in 2023, enthusiasts at the 12th-century Portsmouth Cathedral in the United Kingdom celebrated the day by walking “a fun and interactive Lego-themed trail.”

Back in Illinois, Miller marvels at the creations of the Carlinville library’s Lego lovers. “It’s amazing to see what the kids come up with,” she said. “For us adults, it’s so rewarding to watch them learn. To see the looks on their faces when they’ve created something new is just wonderful to see.”

• Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville, Illinois. He may be reached at 217-710-8392 or ilcivilwar@yahoo.com.