In collaboration with Gerben van IJken - LEGO expert
What are your memories of LEGO? Building fantastic worlds full of colourful characters? Stepping on a brick while navigating a room full of toys? It's undeniable that these little bricks have become one of the most iconic toys in the world. But have you ever wondered where LEGO is made?
Where is LEGO made?
The answer to that question is of course not easy. There isn't one huge LEGO factory where all the bricks and sets are made and then spread throughout the world. In fact, the LEGO company uses three main factories: Billund in Denmark, Nyíregyháza in Hungary, and Monterrey in Mexico.
LEGO was invented in Billund, Denmark
Small town Billund is the main and the biggest factory of them all and is also the home of the biggest LEGO theme park: Legoland. It's also where LEGO was invented in 1932, in a Danish woodworking workshop by Ole Kirk Christiansen.
Around 20 billion LEGO bricks are still produced here every year. You can even get a tour of the factory where you learn all about your favourite plastic toy. This inside tour is very exclusive as only 140 people can join and it's only held four times a year. Besides seeing the factory up close, people get to see the highly-secure basement where almost every LEGO sets ever created is stored. A place where only LEGO employees can enter and a real paradise for any LEGO lover.
Nyíregyháza = DUPLO
The biggest speciality of the LEGO factory in Nyíregyháza is the production of LEGO’s big baby brother, namely DUPLO blocks. Every day this mega factory produces over 70 thousand boxes. That means that the factory delivers almost 25 million sets every year.
Is LEGO increasing its manufacturing?
The LEGO factory in Monterrey Mexico was already responsible for producing about 1/3 of the company's bricks in 2011 and is currently in the process of expanding further. In fact, LEGO's expansion plan for this factory goes all the way into 2022.
Where else does LEGO have factories?
Besides Billund, Nyíregyháza, Monterrey, and other small factories throughout the world, LEGO has a factory in the Czech Republic (Kladno) where they build side products such as packaging. Outside of Europe the brick company, also opened a factory in China in 2015 to meet the demands in the Asian market.
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