Well, I just want to congratulate Team Henderson (primarily Jules and Joel) for making this guy's life all that it can be. How good is Kjeld's life? Pretty good - at least financially.
So, how did we help? Did you help too? Keep reading!
If you liked building things as a child, there's a good chance you'll recognize Kjeld's family's business.
Kristiansen's grandfather founded the Danish company Lego in 1932. At first, his grandfather crafted wood toys in a carpentry shop but in 1949 the company invented what would become its most famous product.Yes, that's right folks.... 1949 not only brought us Tim Logan.. it brought us Legos. What a year! Ummmm... and I think that makes Tim, like 60 years old next month. Whoa!
Oops... back to Legos. Did you know that at the time, the stackable plastic pieces with studs on top were called the Automatic Binding Brick? Not too catchy a name for 3 year olds!
Instead, today, they simply call them Legos. The name 'LEGO' is an abbreviation of the two Danish words "leg godt", meaning "play well". And they sell well! Legos is currently the world's sixth-largest toymaker by sales.
So, how did it work out for Kjeld? The company's success led Fortune magazine very recently to peg Kristiansen's net worth at $6.5 billion. How much is that? That's a lotta Legos! Or Julie, to put it in perspective.. that's more than Oprah's worth!
P.S. check out the sculpture of Brickley the Lego Sea Serpent made of Lego bricks that Joel made on his 7th birthday! (just kidding.. it actually is at Walt Disney Resort.. but Joel definitely COULD have made it!).
P.S.S. did you know that Joel still receives Legos every year for this birthday (and usually Christmas)?
3 comments:
We tried to do our part...there in a tote under the bed.
Isn't America great?..That someone could design something like a Lego and become a billionaire. I hope we never loose that entrapuneral spirit!
We also do our part for that wonderful company. My three boys got Legos this year from Santa, John got a boat, Andrew got a race car and Arie got a Bionicle. Isn't Santa great! We have totes stacked up in Arie's room full of all sizes of legos--they wouldn't fit under any bed anymore. Can't wait for the Grandkids to pull them out and play with them someday (OK--YEARS AND YEARS from now)
It's true, I do get Legos every year for my birthday. This past year I ran home on my lunch break so I could get the set all put together before I had to go back to work. Some may think my behavior a little strange for a person my age; they've obviously never played with Legos before :D Why not let the little kid inside me have some fun every once and a while?!
Post a Comment