TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2025: The Lego Group
Lego has done more than just revolutionize play; it is 25% owned by its foundation, through which it funds science and engineering education and research, and sponsors an endowed professorship at MIT. Major professional organizations, such as the Institution of Civil Engineers, credit Lego with raising entire generations of scientifically-minded adults.
And its IP has moved beyond the basic brick: the Lego Movie redefined the genre of product IP films and was a shock critical success, with the franchise grossing around $1 billion in total and laying the groundwork for other successful movies-based-on-toys, like Barbie and Trolls.
Meanwhile, the company is working on its plastics problem by pioneering more sustainable ways to make its bricks. Half of the materials the company purchased in 2024 to make bricks involved sustainable resources that avoid fossil fuels, such as recycled cooking oil. It makes highly-anticipated forthcoming sets like Bluey, Fortnite, and How to Train Your Dragon all the more exciting for enthusiasts.
Correction, June 26
The original version of this story misstated The Lego Group's relationship with its foundation. It is 25% owned by its foundation; it does not give 25% of its profits to the foundation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Buzz Feed
an hour ago
- Buzz Feed
43 Summer Products So Good, Everyone Will Want Them
A sand-removal bag filled with talc-free, reef-safe powder designed to absorb the moisture from sticky wet sand, leaving behind, well, dry sand, which is famously much easier to wipe off your body. A high ponytail baseball hat because I would never want you to have to sacrifice a cute hairstyle for the sake of shade. The discreet slot closes when not in use, so you can wear it normally as well. A Frutiger Aero Aqua Mouse filled with — oh hey, I found Nemo! Anyway, this retro, liquid-filled wireless mouse comes with a tiny floating clownfish and globe so you can keep the warm weather vibes going all year round. Pacifica's Wanderlust Spray Perfume Trial Set featuring five beachy scents — like Island Vanilla and Tuscan Blood Orange — you can mix and match or even layer together for the ultimate summer smell. Anyone who catches a whiff of you will chase you down to figure out how you smell like a perfect distillation of late summer evenings on the boardwalk. Or a Touchland body and hair fragrance that comes in a handy travel bottle so you can take your new signature scent with you on all your summer adventures. I know, I know: Aren't they the hand sanitizer company? But in all fairness, their scents are shockingly amazing, and who wouldn't want to smell like Rich Pistachio, Peachy Lychee, or Cashmere Woods? A set of Sea Bands for anyone still working on getting their sea legs. They apply pressure to a specific acupoint on your wrist, which many reviewers say is the key to a successful, barf-free boat trip. Other, more queasy boaters are gonna be jealous. An iridescent oyster claw clip complete with a "pearl," making it the pinnacle of summer fashion. Anyone up for a dozen oysters and a bloody mary by the docks? A 3-in-1 Lego set — it has everything you need to build three eye-catching, summer-ready critters. The 288-piece set can be rearranged to make a flamingo, axolotl, or cockatoo, which can be moved into different poses. Costing less than $25, it's a pretty solid deal compared to most Lego kits. A solar-powered frog figurine with a lantern that lights up when the sun sets. Guests will love having a lil' friend welcome them with a cozy glow each night, especially now that the days are starting to get a little shorter again. :( A giant pretzel for anyone looking for something more interesting than a pool noodle to sit on while lounging in the water. Hopefully, the other swimmers won't be too salty when you show them up! A rechargeable 3-in-1 hand fan that not only cools you down but also offers a flashlight and power bank. Consider this multitasker your first line of defense against the endless cruelties the summer sun hurls at you. Or a stroller fan sporting bendable legs that can wrap around the bars to provide a cooling breeze your toddler is sure to appreciate. On top of keeping your little one cool, it can also be used at outdoor tables, chairs, or anywhere that has a pole for the bendy fan to cling to. Black Girl Sunscreen's Make It Pop Sungloss with SPF 50 to moisturize and give your pout a summery pop. Wear it alone or over your favorite lipstick — either way, your lips will be protected. Have you ever seen sunburnt lips? You do NOT want that. A handheld watermelon slicer ready to turn melon halves into grabbable slices in seconds flat. It works for cantaloupe and honeydew as well, meaning you'll definitely be the one to volunteer to bring the fruit at the next outdoor hang. Your wrist with thank you for this thing! A "disposable" camera that offers the same spur-of-the-moment fun, but without the waste. The camera is made with recycled materials, has an automatic flash, and shoots on 33-mm film. Just take your pics, mail the camera back for reuse, and wait for your photos to develop! A pack of bug bite patches to help kids — and let's face it, adults — stop scratching themselves raw. These patches contain hydrocolloid, aloe, and witch hazel to soothe itchiness and put a barrier between the bite and scratching nails. Groovy Fruit, a summery variation from the beloved NeeDoh fidget toy line. The orange, banana, and strawberry toys are non-sticky and have the *perfect* amount of give, securing themselves a place in the stress ball hall of fame. L'Oréal Paris Elvive 8 Second Wonder Water bringing you silkier hair in just eight seconds. On top of a wave of hydration, it also adds shine and decreases frizz and static. Prepare for an interrogation because no one will believe how well your hair is standing up to summer humidity. Or a deep-conditioning hair mask promising smoother, shinier, and stronger hair, even if you're fighting against bleached, dry, or damaged locks. It can even handle Florida levels of humidity! People will be chasing you down to know your hair secrets. A freezable wineglass for those ultra-hot days when the wine heats up faster than you can drink it. The built-in cooling gel keeps drinks so cold, you'll be happy for the insulating band to protect your hand. A set of special stickers that tell you when it's time to reapply sunscreen. Cover it (and your skin, of course) with sunscreen, and the sticker will turn clear. When it turns purple, you know it's time for another generous coating of sun protection. Hawaiian Tropic After Sun Body Butter made with shea butter, coconut oil, and avocado oil to hydrate after overdoing it in the sun. Reviewers say it smells great (like coconut) and helps prevent peeling or dryness. A laptop tent because sun glare is the number one reason why we're not all working from beach. The reflective fabric creates a little dark room for your computer to prevent overheating and sun glare. Now you can actually see the email you're writing and not accidentally type, "Best regrads." Julep Eyeshadow 101 — a creme-to-powder waterproof pencil over 42,000 people love because it's easy to apply and has vitamins C and E for a little skincare boost. The fast-to-apply formula comes in a ton of neutral *and* playful summer hues, like lavender and papaya. Grab the mint shade and live your best Aquamarine life. A mosquito repeller that works in 15 minutes to scare away buzzing pests in a 10- to 15-foot radius. It releases an odorless repellent into the air that's people- and pet-friendly. Just think: no sprays, no stinky bracelets, no gross candles — just like being safe indoors. An angelfish fanny pack for anyone looking to fish for compliments. It's made with water-repellent fabric, so feel free to sit in the splash zone at the aquarium. A special can opener that takes the entire top off to create a cup-like shape. Think of the next-level hosting you can do with this! Ice cream floats in Coke cans, cute cocktails, drinks with ice, etc. A "beach blouse" for anyone looking for a versatile cover-up that hides your delicate shoulders from the sun. It's lightweight and so effortlessly chic, you could easily wear it off the sand as well! An Aerflo System that lets you carbonate water *ON THE GO!* That means you can take a fizzy drink with you, and when you run out, you can refill at a water fountain and fizz it up for round two. Each refillable capsule makes four bottles' worth, so you can stay hydrated in this heat. A hair-lightening spray to brighten up hair by TWO shades or more! Spritz a little of this citrus and chamomile spray onto damp hair, then activate it with heat-styling tools. I recommend blow-drying and hitting it with a curling iron or straightener for the best results. Over 7,000 5-star raters love it because it's less harsh than bleach and even works on dark hair. A bottle of Coppertone shimmering sunscreen offering just a subtle sprinkle of glitter, meaning people might briefly mistake you for a vampire. Plus, the SPF 50 will ensure you just sparkle like a Twilight vampire instead of burn like a True Blood one. Or Kopari Sun Shield Body Glow with SPF 30 if you're looking for some extra protection on your summer adventures. It's lightweight, absorbs quickly, smells coconut-y, and leaves you with a radiant glow that will make even the sun jealous. Liquid I.V. electrolyte drink mix in a variety of exciting, summer-ready flavors ranging from watermelon to pina colada. Besides being delicious, the electrolyte powder is formulated to help hydrate faster than plain water. It also just tastes good so you might be more likely to drink more in general. L'Oréal Paris BB Cream, a green-tinted formula that combats redness through the power of color theory. It doesn't stop there — it also works to even complexion, hydrate with vitamin E, and set the perfect stage for you to apply your makeup on. Your pink-cheeked friends will wonder how you're breezily surviving 95+-degree weather. Or an ultra-affordable E.l.f. color corrector that comes in a ton of shades to help counteract different types of discoloration, like redness and dark spots. Mix and match to create the perfect foundation for the rest of your compliment-magnet makeup routine. A set of limited edition Band-Aids with cute, summery floral designs because who said a papercut can't be a fashion statement? Ogx Argan Oil of Morocco Curl-Defining Cream for curls so bouncy you'll be jumping for joy (and to show them off). The argan oil-boosted formula moisturizes and tames frizz (nice try, summer humidity!) while adding a level of volume and shine you'd normally expect from a much higher price point. Whether you tell people how you achieved this level of hair perfection is up to you. A candle boasting a summery scent reminiscent of cucumber, cut grass — and tennis balls! Your guests are gonna come in and be like, "why does your home smell like tennis?!" A L'Oreal glow-enhancing lotion that'll have you feeling like the Baby Sun from Teletubbies. Mix this glycerin-infused illuminator with your favorite moisturizer or foundation, wear it as a makeup base, or use it as a highlighter for that coveted lit-from-within look. If you aren't sick of compliments yet, you're about to be! A UPF 50 beach tent to create a lil' den-like area for the sun-fearing beachgoers among us. It has room for up to 10 people (depending on what size you get), folds up nicely for easy traveling, and promises not to easily blow away in the wind like some umbrellas I know. 😒 A coconut lip scrub that uses jojoba and avocado oil to help soften lips and leave them smelling like a tropical getaway. Name a scent more summery than coconut. I'll wait! A pack of fruit-shaped ice packs, which may look like fidget toys, but are actually perfect for keeping food cold, numbing bumps and scrapes, soothing toothaches, etc. Prepare to have parents calling you when their kids tell them about your kid's amazing packed lunch sitch. Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub that gently exfoliates, leaving skin feeling fresh, smooth, and smelling delicious. If you're trying to decide what scent to try first, may I suggest the summer-ready Desert Haze? Reviewers love this smoky, floral "loud" scent (jasmine, raspberry, musk, etc.) so much that it sold out repeatedly. Once you try it, you'll forget all about the more expensive brands.
Newsweek
17 hours ago
- Newsweek
Teen Writes to Ozzy Osbourne for Class Project—2 Years Later Mail Arrives
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. In a middle school computer class in Millis, Massachusetts, a then-teenaged Chad Hill was given a simple assignment: write a letter to a company, athlete, or celebrity using the school's computer lab. While most of his classmates aimed for free candy or Nike swag, Hill chose something different. He wrote to his hero—Ozzy Osbourne. "I told him how much I loved his music and how Randy Rhoads inspired me to play guitar," Hill, now 46, told Newsweek. "And I asked for an autograph." While his classmates received responses to their letters, Hill didn't. That was until two years later when an unexpected package arrived on his doorstep. Inside was a typed letter thanking him for being a fan and an autographed 8x10 photo of Ozzy himself. "I was absolutely shocked," Hill said. "The fact that it took so long told me that he truly loved his fans... It meant the absolute world to me." A picture of the Ozzy Osbourne signed picture that the teen fan received in the '90s and still treasures today. A picture of the Ozzy Osbourne signed picture that the teen fan received in the '90s and still treasures today. Haunting-Working5463/Reddit The moment stuck with him, and the picture has remained framed and proudly displayed in every place he's lived over the last 30 years. "It's the only piece of 'art' that has always been on my wall. Usually it's hung near my guitars. It reminds me that music has real power, and that acts of kindness do too," Hill said. "To go through what must have been thousands upon thousands of letters and actually read them... I mean that costs money, takes time and effort. That told me a lot." The rock world has been mourning the Black Sabbath legend, who died on July 22 at the age of 76, just weeks after reuniting with his bandmates for a farewell concert in his hometown and receiving the Freedom of the City of Birmingham on June 28. Hill recently posted his story to Reddit after seeing negative comments about the Prince of Darkness following his death. "I wanted to share something positive about him," Hill said. "Also, I wanted to thank Ozzy... He changed my life... he added a sense of magic, wonder and excitement to my childhood." The post resonated deeply with fellow fans, many of whom shared their admiration for the rock icon. One commenter wrote: "This is beyond cool," while another Redditor said: "That's so special, wow." "It was emotional to read the responses," Hill said. "He was so much more to people than just a catchy song. It was as if he was our friend, but also beyond any 'ordinary man.'"
San Francisco Chronicle
18 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Francis Ford Coppola said George Lucas made him direct ‘The Godfather,' says America may fall like ancient Rome
Before he broke through with 'American Graffiti,' before he became an instant legend with ' Star Wars,' George Lucas became the unsung hero of another American classic that changed cinema history: ' The Godfather.' Or so claims the director of that 1972 masterpiece, Francis Ford Coppola. 'Everyone turned 'The Godfather' down, all the wonderful directors of the time,' the 86-year-old filmmaker told an enthusiastic crowd at the Palace of Fine Arts. 'So they tried to hire me. Here was the logic: 'One, he's Italian-American, so if it gets a lot of flack, they'll blame him. Two, there's a script that wasn't very good, and he's become a successful screenwriter, so he'll rewrite the script. And three, he's young and has two kids and a pregnant wife, so we can just push him around and order him to do everything we want.' 'Well, I turned it down. I had a young apprentice, and we had come together to start a company (San Francisco-based American Zoetrope). His name was George Lucas. He said, 'We can't turn it down, we have no money, the sheriff is going to chain our door because we haven't made the taxes on the thing. You have to do it, we have no other alternatives.' I said, 'You're right George.'' Billed as 'An Evening with Francis Ford Coppola and 'Megalopolis' Screening,' the event in Coppola's adopted hometown on Friday, Aug. 1, finished off a six-city tour designed to create more awareness and discussion of his 2024 $120 million self-financed dream project that tanked at the box office. Coppola was certainly generous with his time. The event lasted nearly four hours, with a screening of the two-hour, 18-minute film followed by a 90-minute discussion with the filmmaker simply sitting in a chair pontificating on a wide range of issues while occasionally taking questions from the audience. Topics included anthropology, history, societal evolution, and the philosophy of human innovation and creativity. ' Megalopolis,' which likens the fall of Rome to the current state of American politics and culture, is informed by the development of human civilization over 300,000 years, noting that patriarchal societies began with the domestication of horses. So, not your typical film discussion. Still, the audience who paid prices ranging from $61-$205 and mostly filled the 1,000-seat venue were enthusiastic and attentive, giving the auteur standing ovations as he took the stage and as he left it. However, there was a small but steady stream of people who began leaving about 45 minutes in. One topic that hits close to home for Coppola is homelessness in San Francisco. The director noted that he founded a nonprofit, North Beach Citizens, in 2001 to help the unhoused find housing, food, and services because he felt the city wasn't doing enough. 'I used to walk to work and see these homeless people sleeping, and people would call them human garbage. What, are we crazy?' said Coppola, who added that the solution to most of society's problems has to be addressed first at the community level, inverting the top-down aspect of federal government. Coppola did, of course, give insights to his films, from the two 'Godfathers' to the San Francisco-shot, Watergate-era thriller ' The Conversation ' (1974); the troubled production of the Vietnam 'Apocalypse Now' (1979); and 'Bram Stoker's Dracula' (1992), his biggest non-'Godfather' box office hit.\ And, of course, 'Megalopolis.' Although he did not address various controversies about its production, including on-set inappropriate behavior (and no one asked about it, either), he believes it serves a warning about America and yet provides hope for the future. America will get out of its mess, Coppola said, as today's generation of children matures. 'Look at the world around us right now, wars all over the place, and the most horrible thing of all children being killed,' Coppola said. 'The kids being killed in Sudan or in the Middle East, someone was gonna find a cure for cancer or write the most gorgeous music ever been written or make a great film. So to me the children are precious. They are our future.' For now, Coppola refuses to release 'Megalopolis' digitally, content to tour with the movie for special one-off screenings. The film only made $14 million globally after its release in September. He did acknowledge there eventually will be a Blu-ray, and the man known for re-editing his past films teased the audience with an alternate cut of the film. 'Right now I'm working on 'Megalopolis Unbound,'' he said to laughter, and ended the night.
