People left stunned after finding out hidden meaning behind LEGO and what it stands for

People on social media have admitted they had never even considered that LEGO might have a secret meaning behind it and an interesting origin story.

Regardless of your background, chances are at some point in your childhood (or even adulthood) you have played with LEGO blocks. In fact, some swear they built the very best spaceships, cars and inventions from the blocks that simply went underappreciated in their youth.

But despite LEGO leaving a lasting impression on people, (sometimes literally in the sole of your feet when you step on them), many are unaware of the meaning behind the four letter word. As it so happens, there is quite a fascinating story to the toy which dates back to the Great Depression... yes, it really is that old.

The Danish brand was funded by carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen who initially wasn’t focused on toys. The global financial crisis of 1929 forced Christiansen to come up with a new way to keep his business afloat. You’ll never guess how he managed to do it.

He set out to make new easy saleable products' such as producing ladders, ironing boards and other everyday items. To maximise profits, the entrepreneur expanded into wooden toys production in 1932.

The LEGO founder came up with a new name for his business in 1935. (JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images)

By 1935, the toys branch of his business had become so profitable that Christiansen decided to come up with a new name for it.

According to LEGO's website, "Kristiansen allegedly holds a competition among his employees to find a good name for the business. The competition winner (who can claim the prize of a bottle of Ole Kirk Christiansen's homemade wine) is ... Ole Kirk Christiansen himself."

Brace yourself for the revelation of what LEGO means, and that's in fact two words, not one.

Christiansen's winning entry in the competition was a blend of the Danish words 'LEG GODT' which means 'Play Well' and the new name is 'officially used' from January 1936.

"The intention of the name is to reflect quality and children's right to enjoyable play," LEGO's site explains.

And reflecting on his decision to focus on toy production, Christiansen reportedly wrote in a letter: "It wasn’t until the day I told myself, 'You’ll either have to drop your old craft or put toys out of your head' that I began to see the long-term consequences.

You are a liar if you claim you knew this before reading this (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

"And the decision turned out to be the right one."

And it's not taken long for people to flock to social media to weigh in on the historical background and meaning behind the LEGO company's name.

One X user said: "That is interesting," while another added: "Fun with linguistics."

A third joked: "I thought it meant foot killer."

"I thought it meant 'painful at 2am," a fourth said.

And a final commented: "Synonym: floor weapon. Painful when stepped on."

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