4000020 H.C. Andersen's Clumsy Hans

Description

Dagny Holm, a niece of LEGO founder Ole Kirk Kristiansen, epitomized LEGO model building from the 1960s through the 1980s. Trained as a classical sculptor, she lived and worked in Copenhagen with her husband, Gustav Jensen, for many years. After becoming a widow in 1961, she moved to Billund and was hired by her cousin, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, to work for the LEGO Group. Dagny was already familiar with the company and town from family visits and a brief employment stint in 1936, during which she designed wooden toys, including characters inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales. She later revisited these designs in her LEGO career, returning to a significantly expanded company in 1961 with a focused purpose.