Happy Birthday Lego!

The colourful blocks found in toy boxes worldwide celebrated their 50th on 28 January, but it has not been the easiest of journeys for Lego.

According to AFP, new-age electronic games almost brought the company to its knees at the end of the 1990s. But an injection of capital, a new CEO, and more focused production were the changes Lego needed to survive, and return to profitability.

“The Lego brick doesn't age with time and continues to fascinate because it allows children, and others, to develop their creativity, imagination and curiosity and let it wander free,” says Charlotte Simonsen, Lego spokesperson.

Twenty-four different combinations can be made with only two blocks of Lego, and with six blocks, this number skyrockets to 915 million. With seven boxes of Lego sold worldwide every second, there are a lot of combinations to be made.