TLG — The LEGO Group

TLG stands for The LEGO Group — the company itself, as it's officially called. AFOLs use the acronym to distinguish the company from the product. "What does TLG think of this" or "TLG announced today..." avoids confusion between "LEGO" as brand, product and organisation.

The company in numbers

• Founded: 1932 by Ole Kirk Christiansen, originally a carpenter
• Headquarters: Billund, Denmark (also home to Legoland)
• Ownership: 75% Kirk Kristiansen family via KIRKBI Holding
• Employees worldwide: ~25,000
• 2023 revenue: ~€10 billion

"LEGO" — name origin

The name comes from the Danish phrase "leg godt" — "play well". Coincidentally it means "I build" or "I connect" in Latin, fitting remarkably.

Family DNA

Four generations of Kirk Kristiansens have led TLG. The current owner is Thomas Kirk Kristiansen (since 2020), great-grandson of the founder. Known for the "Only the best is good enough" philosophy of his great-grandfather, which still hangs in every factory.