Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 15, 1995 TAG: 9507180036
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
He had been in ill health for a number of years, said David Lafrennie, a spokesman for Lego Systems Inc. in Enfield, Conn., a unit of the Lego business empire, based in Billund.
Christiansen was managing director of Lego Systems Inc. from 1957 to 1979 and oversaw the U.S. introduction of Lego blocks in 1961. It is said that Norman Mailer used them to put up a 15,000-block ``city of the future'' in the living room of his Brooklyn home.
By 1984, Lego blocks were being sold in more than 120 countries and were being described as probably the world's most widely known toy. The Lego company estimated that well over 50 million children around the world were playing with them.
By 1987, industry analysts estimated, Lego's American sales reached as much as $115 million a year, and more than half of the households with children under 15 were thought to own the blocks.
Lego's success has been ascribed to parents' finding the blocks durable, safe and an aid to young children in improving coordination while they use their imaginations.
The Lego story began with Christiansen's father. In 1916 he started making ladders and ironing boards and then yo-yos and other toys, including toy trucks. In 1949 the business began producing little building blocks fitted with round studs.
When Godtfred Christiansen took over, he concentrated on the blocks. Originally, they were intended for 5-year-olds. But as time passed the target-age range was enlarged, and other objects besides blocks were offered - potential ingredients for a whole Lego city.
Christiansen is survived by his wife, Edith; a son, Kyeld Kirk Kristiansen of Billund, who is now Lego's chief executive; a daughter, Gunhild, and five grandchildren.
- The New York Times
by CNB