Jens Nygaard Knudsen

Jens Nygaard Knudsen (25 January 1942 – 19 February 2020) was a Danish toy designer. He was a longtime chief designer at Lego, best known as the inventor of the yellow Lego minifigure (also known as "minifigs").

Biography Knudsen applied for a job at Lego in Billund in 1968. Initially, he built hundreds of Lego model cars, some of which were later sold as commercial sets. During the 1970s, Lego underwent significant expansion and introduced various themed sets many of which designed by Knudsen, including themes of the early Legoland and sets like Lego Castle and Lego Space.

The minifigures became a major commercial success. By 2020, more than eight billion had been produced. Due to their popularity, Lego hired an additional 500 employees, and Knudsen was promoted to chief designer. He retired in 2000 but continued working with Lego figures, sometimes as a freelancer, mostly for personal enjoyment.

Knudsen was married and had three children. He died on 19 February 2020 at the in Hvide Sande at the age of 78 from the nerve cell disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).