Rare look inside the secret LEGO Museum reveals the system behind a toy giant

Billund, Denmark – Millions of people around the world instantly recognize the look, feel (especially underfoot) and even the sound of LEGO. Plastic blocks have shaped childhood memories for generations.

At the company’s headquarters in Denmark, decades of those experiences are captured within a secret museum that only LEGO employees can access. News themezone, however, was able to take a look inside that little-known museum, where it was possible to trace the evolution of one of the most recognizable and beloved toys in the world.

The museum is located next to the original home of LEGO founder Ole Kirk Kristiansen, a reminder of the toy giant’s humble beginnings. The brand name reflects its philosophy: “LEGO” comes from the Danish phrase “leg godt” or “play well.”

Inside the museum are some of the earliest LEGO bricks, including pieces dating back to the 1950s. Among the earliest creations housed is the first LEGO “system” ever assembled: a small town that laid the foundation for everything the company would go on to build.

That system – the idea that every LEGO brick, regardless of when it was made, can be connected – dates back to 1955, when the company set up the first play city. Over the decades, LEGO creations have evolved from medieval villages to mind-blowing architectural feats.

The collection features vintage sets that continue to function as designed, many decades later, including a working drawbridge castle from the 1970s. But there’s also been no shortage of evolution. Since the first designs, LEGO builds have become increasingly ambitious and sophisticated.

Along with the classics, the museum displays intricate creations ranging from miniatures of iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower to LEGO flower bouquets. Other pieces have evolved from LEGO’s own sub-brands. Many of today’s parents will be familiar, for example, with armies of little characters from the modern children’s fantasy and superhero television show Ninjago.

Inside the Lego house

News themezone also got a glimpse inside LEGO House, a nearly 130,000-square-foot toy monument filled with some 25 million LEGO bricks, including more than 6 million that make up the astonishing “Tree of Creativity.”

At nearly 50 feet tall, it is the largest known LEGO building in the world. Each branch is full of details, a pleasure to behold.

Behind all the creations is LEGO’s internal army of creatives.

“There are about 700 designers here,” André Doxey, the LEGO Group’s first American design chief, told News themezone.

Doxey said creativity, not technical skill, has been key to LEGO’s enduring appeal.

“You don’t have to be a designer,” he said. “You just have to be brave, creative and curious, and try.”

Doxey believes that LEGO’s notable and enduring popularity is largely due to the freedom it offers.

“We know that people love to create, children love to create,” he said. “Our system is a creative medium. It allows them to imagine anything they want to imagine.”

LEGO: not only for children, but mainly for children

And LEGO has discovered that the appeal extends far beyond childhood. Nostalgia plays an important role in the company, and so-called AFOLs (adult LEGO fans) represent an important and growing market.

But design master Milan Madge knows his audience well, and while he doesn’t deny the growing popularity of more complex builds for adults, he said children remain the company’s priority.

“They are our first inspiration,” he said. “We try to act like children and see the world through their eyes.”

While modern designs are often created digitally to speed up production, Madge said she still prefers working with physical bricks.

“There is a real connection between the mind and the creative process when doing practical work,” he said.

That simple tactile (brick-to-brick) connection has helped make LEGO the world’s top-grossing toy company. Families build together. Friends gather around shared creations. Communities are formed, united by the sound of bricks colliding in a box.

“Everyone knows that sound,” Doxey told News themezone. “You shake it and you know exactly what it is.”

A beloved toy, with a plastic problem.

Yet beyond all the creativity and nostalgia, the LEGO Group is also grappling with a fundamental problem in a world facing what most scientists say is a climate crisis: The company’s empire is still based almost entirely on plasticand one of the key components of most plastic is fossil fuel.

Each ton of LEGO produced requires around two tonnes of petrochemicals in the manufacturing process, according to global sustainability data and information platform illuminem. LEGO makes approximately 60 billion bricks per year, and according to Illuminam data, some of the company’s largest sets would require the equivalent of more than 60 pounds of petrochemical equivalent to produce.

Despite its ambitious climate pledges, the company has so far failed to find a sustainable path for its toys.

LEGO abandoned a “bottles to bricks” initiative in 2023 after discovering that the proposed recyclable material it hoped to use would increase emissions compared to its current materials.

“LEGO bricks are made for kids, so they must meet extremely high quality and safety standards,” the company told News themezone in a statement. “They must also be durable and designed with an accuracy of less than a hair’s width, so that a brick made today will still fit one made 60 years ago.”

The company said it has tested more than 600 different materials for its LEGO bricks, including some derived from “sustainable sugar cane sources” and recycled materials from faux marble kitchen countertops.

“Other materials have shown potential, but have not met our strict quality, safety and durability requirements, or would not have helped reduce our carbon footprint,” the statement said, adding that the company is on track to have “60% of the materials we purchase produced from sustainable sources” by the end of the year.

Even after all these years, LEGO continues to evolve.