Ole Kirk Christiansen founded the LEGO company in 1932 in Billund, Denmark to make wooden toys, stepladders and ironing boards. In 1934, the company adopted the name LEGO, meaning "play well" in Danish. LEGO pieces were originally made of wood but switched to plastic in 1942, which allowed them to be molded into the interlocking building bricks that LEGO is known for today.