LEGO is making protective gear for health care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.
The company announced in an Instagram post Thursday it had modified toymaking machines at its Billund, Denmark, factory to manufacture Personal Protective Equipment, churning out 13,000 plastic visors a day for Danish hospital workers.
"A few weeks ago a colleague in our incredibly creative Engineering department heard that there was a desperate need for safety equipment for COVID-19 in Denmark," the company said. "He approached the rest of his team with his idea for a visor and they started to trial production ideas... We are so incredibly proud of the team who made this happen."
LEGO added that approximately 100 employees have been involved in the project, from developing designs to creating molds to working with suppliers for raw materials.
Social media users were quick to praise the company.
"For actions like this I can say I'm a proud LEGO costumer," one user wrote.
"LEGO our heros," commented another.
The toymaker also announced it would donate half a million LEGO sets on top of the $50 million already pledged to help children in need.
"We cannot let COVID-19 set back a generation of children," said John Goodwin, CEO of the LEGO Foundation. "We must support all children, including the most vulnerable in society, to ensure they continue to have access to education and develop skills critical for them to thrive in a constantly changing world."
The company's so-called "#letsbuildtogether" campaign also includes inspirational content online, daily challenges and build-a-long tutorials to help kids "learn through play."
