BILLUND, Denmark (Reuters) — Danish toymaker Lego has inaugurated a play house in its home town designed to look like 21 giant versions of its bricks stacked on top of each other.
Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik attended the opening ceremony at the house, near the company’s headquarters in Billund, with their four children.
The 12,000-square-meter (130,000 square feet) building, designed by Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, will include three restaurants, a Lego store, four play areas and a gallery displaying the history of Lego and creations made by fans.
Lego, which is vying with Barbie doll maker Mattel to become the world’s biggest toy maker, has teamed up with movie franchises such as Star Wars in deals that span Lego sets, video games, and smartphone applications.
The company, founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen and his grandchild Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, aims to bring children back to its core product: the Lego brick, first produced in its current form in 1958.
