Mini-figures with suit and tie

BILLUND, Denmark--If you're a Lego fan like me, visiting this little town in western Denmark is a little like making a religious pilgrimage.

That's obviously an overstatement, but this is the home of Lego, maybe the world's most famous toy, and as part of Road Trip 2011, I got a chance not only to visit the company's headquarters but also to see the production, processing, and packaging of the famous bricks.

The whole process is actually quite simple. Making the bricks involves injecting very hot plastic into a mold and pressing it. Cool it a bit, open the mold, and out drops Lego bricks.

This is from the second part of the process, when bricks and other elements--such as these soon-to-be mini-figures--are finished by adding any additional parts, like legs, arms, and heads, and having anything they need printed on, like a suit and tie.

Please visit the Road Trip 2011 page for all the coverage from CNET reporter Daniel Terdiman's travels through Europe.