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LEGO building blocks were created by Ole Kirk Christiansen, a Danish man whose company made wooden toys. In 1934 Ole named his business 'LEg GOdt,' which means 'play well' in Danish. In 1947 a special machine was made that could make large quantities of interlocking plastic blocks. By 1949 the new machine was making about 200 different kinds of toys. In 1953, the blocks were called 'LEGO bricks' and, in 1958, a new design meant they looked like the LEGO bricks we know today. In the same year, Godtfred Christiansen became head of LEGO following the death of his father. In the 1960s, LEGO toys were being sold in countries all over the world including the United Kingdom, France and Sweden. By popular demand, other countries soon started selling the toys, including the United States in 1973.