NationStates Jolt Archive

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/24/LEGO_logo.svg/200px-LEGO_logo.svg.png

The greatest toy ever made has reached its Golden Anniversary, sustaining the power of the electronics industry. All hail LEGO!

My favorite (And the only good set out) is Star Wars, which combines the two most awesome things ever. The new Indiana Jones thing is awesome too. A nice franchise they added. It's also interesting when compared to the old "Johnny Thunder" series.

(Anyone who refers to LEGO as LEGOs, legos, etc... will be shot ...with a LEGO gun. Oh and megablox or w/e will be destroyed!)

Link (http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080128/lf_afp/lifestyledenmarkcompanygamelegoanniversary)

COPENHAGEN (AFP) - Lego's colourful bricks that have inspired kids' imaginations worldwide celebrated their 50th anniversary Monday after resisting fierce competition from high-tech computer games that nearly brought the company down a few years ago.

On January 28, 1958, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen submitted a patent for the interlocking and studded plastic brick that can now be found in almost every child's toy box.

The simple building block has become one of the most well-known and popular toys in the world.

The key to its success?

"The Lego brick doesn't age with time and continues to fascinate because it allows children, and others, to develop their creativity, imagination and curiosity and let it wander free," said Charlotte Simonsen, a spokeswoman at Lego's headquarters in the western Danish town of Billund.

The family company Lego, whose name comes from the first two letters of the Danish words "Leg godt" or "play well" in English, was founded before the invention of the famous block, by Ole Kristiansen in 1932.

The company's iconic toy allows an infinite number of assembly combinations. With just two bricks there are 24 different combinations, and with six there are 915 million possibilities, according to Lego.

A half-century after its creation, more than 400 million children and adults play each year with the bricks, spending five billion hours a year putting them together and pulling them apart.

The bricks made today can still interlock with those made in the first batch in 1958, note avid Lego fans.

And make no mistake about it, Lego bricks are not just child's play -- they also capture the imagination of adults.

South Korean adventurer Heo Young-Ho, who climbed Mount Everest in 1987, left a Lego toy behind in the snow after his ascent.

"I've kept a box in the attic with Lego from my childhood. They never go out of style and they box is full of memories of long hours spent building things with my friends," said 21-year-old Alexander.

Primo, Quatro, Duplo, Toolo, Technic, Mindstorm... New Lego bricks have been developed throughout the years to suit the needs of babies and adolescents, the pieces' perfect fit making piracy difficult.

After its planetary success, Lego experienced a severe crisis at the end of the 1990s, hit hard by fierce competition from interactive electronic and computer games which brought the Danish company to its knees for the first time in its history.

Named "Toy of the Century" in 1999 by US business magazine Fortune, Lego suffered through a dark period that last several years that risked relegating the plastic brick to the history books.

The company had diversified into theme parks and branded products, including clothing, books, watches and multimedia games, but reported millions of dollars (euros) in losses in 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2004.

Some experts were quick to eulogize the colourful brick, including educationalist and toy researcher Torben Hangaard Rasmussen.

"Lego bricks belong to the industrial era when children liked to build things, playing wannabe engineers. Nowadays, the most popular toys are inspired by the virtual world," he said in 2004.

Then, at the height of Lego's crisis, owner and chief executive officer Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen tried to get a hold on the situation and save the family business from bankruptcy, injecting more than 800 million kroner (158 million dollars, 107 million euros) of his personal fortune into the business.

Several months later he resigned as chief executive, handing over the reins to 35-year-old Joergen Vig Knudstorp, who brought a breath of fresh air to the company. Determined to bring the company back to financial stability, he proceeded to lay off staff, focus on core operations and close down production sites.

The company began to prosper again, and in 2006 it posted sales of 7.8 billion kroner (1.04 billion euros, 1.5 billion dollars) in 130 countries and a 1.4 billion kroner net profit.

Seven boxes of Lego are sold every second around the world, and 19 billion components are produced each year -- enough to wrap around the Earth's circumference five times.

Legos are single handedly the most excellent toy in existence. The thing about legos is that when you get a thing of legos, its like buying a box of potential. From that little box, you can build people, places, things, whole universes.
With just two bricks there are 24 different combinations, and with six there are 915 million possibilities, according to Lego.
Case in point. I am personally of the minor belief that if there is a god, he made a big mistake in not building the universe out of legos.

...so that's what they were doing to google

yay i love LEGO

Nothing but warm fuzzy feelings for Lego - I'm currently playing Star Wars Lego on the PSP, pretty much anything to do with Lego is amazing.

...and of course...

I will have the Penne al Arrabiatta! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv5iEK-IEzw) - Lego made funny.

I don't know why they haven't made an MMO game for Legos, and Second Life doesn't count! MMO for Legos would rock! :D

I don't know why they haven't made an MMO game for Legos, and Second Life doesn't count! MMO for Legos would rock! :D

*cough* (http://universe.lego.com/en-US/default.aspx)

*cough* (http://universe.lego.com/en-US/default.aspx)

You are my new friend! :D

You are my new friend! :D

Yay! I made a friend! That brings the total up to...1!

I always preferred the blocks that weren't themed, actually... you have to think more to build what you want, rather than follow a model sheet.

I agree. I can't tell you how many things I built just from my imagination. :)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/24/LEGO_logo.svg/200px-LEGO_logo.svg.png

The greatest toy ever made has reached its Golden Anniversary, sustaining the power of the electronics industry. All hail LEGO!

My favorite (And the only good set out) is Star Wars, which combines the two most awesome things ever. The new Indiana Jones thing is awesome too. A nice franchise they added. It's also interesting when compared to the old "Johnny Thunder" series.

(Anyone who refers to LEGO as LEGOs, legos, etc... will be shot ...with a LEGO gun. Oh and megablox or w/e will be destroyed!)

Link (http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080128/lf_afp/lifestyledenmarkcompanygamelegoanniversary)

I always preferred the blocks that weren't themed, actually... you have to think more to build what you want, rather than follow a model sheet.

I always preferred the blocks that weren't themed, actually... you have to think more to build what you want, rather than follow a model sheet.

But the themed sets have some of the most unique and useful pieces.

But the themed sets have some of the most unique and useful pieces.

For example?

(I SERIOUSLY like the red white blue green grey black block sets with the base, the little yellow round button things, wheels, etc.)

Iconic,... the toy of choice for creative kids.

LEGO was my childhood.

I always preferred the blocks that weren't themed, actually... you have to think more to build what you want, rather than follow a model sheet.

I would always painstakingly follow the directions to build the model when I first got it. By the next day however...*chuckles maniacally*

...so that's what they were doing to google

lol, I just got it too.

Also, LEGO Star Wars ftw?

(Not to discount real LEGOs by any means)

I am so nostalgic for my childhood right now. Years of misguided thievery of my brother's Legos ...

LEGO was my childhood.

Me too ... until that fateful sunny day with the lighter fluid, black powder, and magnifying glass.
:eek:

Case in point. I am personally of the minor belief that if there is a god, he made a big mistake in not building the universe out of legos.! :eek: !
http://www.thebricktestament.com/

Do it! Just do it!!!!!

Lego electric trains ftw!

Ah, such fond memories of my childhood...

leggo is almost as good as sex. what i can do on the computer is better. but there's not too awfully much else that is.

=^^=
.../\...

The greatest toy ever made has reached its Golden Anniversary, sustaining the power of the electronics industry. All hail LEGO!

I, for one, welcome our yellow-faced plastic-body rulers!!! :D Hail Bricks!


My favorite (And the only good set out) is Star Wars, which combines the two most awesome things ever. The new Indiana Jones thing is awesome too. A nice franchise they added. It's also interesting when compared to the old "Johnny Thunder" series.

Nahh... they're not very versatile.
I've been always partial to Lego Technics and, above everything else, the TRAINS! (the good old 12V... :fluffle:)

I have around 900 lego people, that I have been collecting for years. I am currently making a lego film to put on You tube! :D

Lego has the most potential to be the toy of today that we continue to play with possibly hundreds of years from now, we as in our species. It's simple, but it has so many possibilities.

As for God needing to make the universe out of legos, atoms are God's legos. He plays with them everyday. Hell, our species has been playing with them recently. Except we destroy God's lego atoms in our nuke plants. I think he's mad.

Legos are single handedly the most excellent toy in existence. The thing about legos is that when you get a thing of legos, its like buying a box of potential. From that little box, you can build people, places, things, whole universes.

Case in point. I am personally of the minor belief that if there is a god, he made a big mistake in not building the universe out of legos.

I don't know why they haven't made an MMO game for Legos, and Second Life doesn't count! MMO for Legos would rock! :D

lol, I just got it too.

Also, LEGO Star Wars ftw?

(Not to discount real LEGOs by any means)

Lego has the most potential to be the toy of today that we continue to play with possibly hundreds of years from now, we as in our species. It's simple, but it has so many possibilities.

As for God needing to make the universe out of legos, atoms are God's legos. He plays with them everyday. Hell, our species has been playing with them recently. Except we destroy God's lego atoms in our nuke plants. I think he's mad.

It's been 50 years, how much longer do I have to wait before people realise that LEGO is both singular and plural?

When I was sick and had to stay home from school, my dad would stay home with me and we'd rip all the cushions off the couch to make into the surface of the moon and then we'd build LEGO moon-rovers and drive them around the moon and crash them and the kitchen sponges were aliens that would eat the rovers.

Good times.

It's been 50 years, how much longer do I have to wait before people realise that LEGO is both singular and plural?

exactly. Lego is a resource, like sand. You don't get "sands".

Yeah, lego owns so much.

...so that's what they were doing to google

If you scroll over it with you're cursor it tells you what they were doing.

Legos are single handedly the most excellent toy in existence. The thing about legos is that when you get a thing of legos, its like buying a box of potential. From that little box, you can build people, places, things, whole universes.

Case in point. I am personally of the minor belief that if there is a god, he made a big mistake in not building the universe out of legos.
I don't know why they haven't made an MMO game for Legos, and Second Life doesn't count! MMO for Legos would rock! :D
Just so you two know, you should make final preparations before you are shot to death.

I always preferred the blocks that weren't themed, actually... you have to think more to build what you want, rather than follow a model sheet.
I play with the Star Wars and stuff as actual toys. I do also use plain bricks to make buildings and stuff, but whatever.
For example?

(I SERIOUSLY like the red white blue green grey black block sets with the base, the little yellow round button things, wheels, etc.)
A LOT of the new colors and shapes are because of Star Wars. Mainly funky ones that have interesting uses, but you might not need in a normal box for building simple buildings.

For example?

(I SERIOUSLY like the red white blue green grey black block sets with the base, the little yellow round button things, wheels, etc.)
Alot of the weird space ship pieces. Just find some spaceship sets and look at the pieces.

My first game of Warhammer 40K was defending Fort Legoheim.

When i was a kid every time me and my family went to a carboot i bought more lego, ended up with box fulls of the stuff. Best part was spending days making up a whole town.

lol, I just got it too.

Also, LEGO Star Wars ftw?

(Not to discount real LEGOs by any means)
I am so nostalgic for my childhood right now. Years of misguided thievery of my brother's Legos ...
Lego has the most potential to be the toy of today that we continue to play with possibly hundreds of years from now, we as in our species. It's simple, but it has so many possibilities.

As for God needing to make the universe out of legos, atoms are God's legos. He plays with them everyday. Hell, our species has been playing with them recently. Except we destroy God's lego atoms in our nuke plants. I think he's mad.
Forgot to threaten some people with death here. Y'all should be making your final plans.



I, for one, welcome our yellow-faced plastic-body rulers!!! :D Hail Bricks!



Nahh... they're not very versatile.
I've been always partial to Lego Technics and, above everything else, the TRAINS! (the good old 12V... :fluffle:)
Yes they are! I've created my own personal Star Wars Universe with them! Not to mention the funky and strategic pieces as well as nice new colors.

It's been 50 years, how much longer do I have to wait before people realise that LEGO is both singular and plural?
Yeah, seriously. I even threatened severe bodily harm...

My first game of Warhammer 40K was defending Fort Legoheim.

That sounds awesome.


Someone mentioned something about "yellow LEGO heads" being awesome. That's the thing. They've started making flesh colored LEGO in the most controversial move since diversifying into other industries. I hate it, but it's not worth it to stop buying. And the plain sets still have yellow...

That sounds awesome.


Fun? Yes. Awesome, not quite. Awesome is reserved for this: Brick Battles (http://www.lugnet.com/gaming/~11/brickbattles)

Why just use the Lego for terrain when you can play the whole game with them?

Woohoo LEGOs:D;)

chief executive officer Kjeld Kirk KristiansenIn this case we can blame the parents.:p

Woohoo LEGOs:D;)
You will also die.

Yay!

A LOT of the new colors and shapes are because of Star Wars. Mainly funky ones that have interesting uses, but you might not need in a normal box for building simple buildings.

None of the colors or shapes I mentioned are new; I've been playing with Lego a LONG time. (1970s, anyone?)

*climbs out from under bridge*
*clears throat*

Legos. Legos legos, legos legos legos.

..

*nods*
*[le]goes back under cave*

*climbs out from under bridge*
*clears throat*

Legos. Legos legos, legos legos legos.

..

*nods*
*[le]goes back under cave*

*nukes*

Fun? Yes. Awesome, not quite. Awesome is reserved for this: Brick Battles (http://www.lugnet.com/gaming/~11/brickbattles)

Why just use the Lego for terrain when you can play the whole game with them?
Brikwars (http://www.brikwars.com/)
Better.
I am an AFOL(adult fan of LEGO(teen technically but let's not get into details.) In that I still build with LEGO. You guys would be surprised at the size of the online Teen LEGO community.

! :eek: !
http://www.thebricktestament.com/

Do it! Just do it!!!!!

WOW! I never knew the bible nicked all it's ideas from the logoverse, it all makes sense now.

My first game of Warhammer 40K was defending Fort Legoheim.

I remember making a siege tower from lego pieces, i still have it actually (about 12 inches high, i like big towers).:)
I love lego, if all weapons were made from lego parts wars would fall apart before they started.
I think the military should divert funding to making a legolear bomb, where a blast of lego parts flies in all directions, thus all nearby soldiers are stopped and start making little forts from the lego stuff, and only the ones under the blast would die.
Think about it, a lego sword fight would last two seconds, then they'd have to remake their weapons.
Oh god lego armour that would be so funny, oh wait wait a lego house scaled 1 to 1, it'd be waterproof, mind you other people might nick parts off your house to play about with, and don't ask me what happens if a fire starts.
I suppose it could be a bit time consuming for the builders to piece together a few million pieces. But there would be no wastage at all, all pieces could be recycled or sent to another lego town, and if your house did get torn apart then all you have to do is rebuild it yourself.
and and oh dear it's happened again lego politics, lego boats for the military, lego lego lego the memories......

Legos were the on products without defects that I have ever encountered.

Both LEGO and DARPA are 50 years old this month.

COINCIDENCE???

None of the colors or shapes I mentioned are new; I've been playing with Lego a LONG time. (1970s, anyone?)


Been there done that, and I agree: the un-themed legos were the bomb. I once built a spaceship about four foot long. (Yes, I've always been a geek):p I kept that thing (held together with modeling cement) for years.

...so that's what they were doing to google

I know. Lego is awesome because you can do some much with them. They encourage and breed creativity. And they're cheap and simple. With Bionicles and other special sets even more doors open up. Lego is great.

Legos were the on products without defects that I have ever encountered.
Been there done that, and I agree: the un-themed legos were the bomb. I once built a spaceship about four foot long. (Yes, I've always been a geek):p I kept that thing (held together with modeling cement) for years.
Two more bodies for my collection...

I know. Lego is awesome because you can do some much with them. They encourage and breed creativity. And they're cheap and simple. With Bionicles and other special sets even more doors open up. Lego is great.

Bionicles were the 3rd worst thing they did. They weren't real LEGO...just 5-piece constructable action figures that served little salvage purpose even...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/24/LEGO_logo.svg/200px-LEGO_logo.svg.png

The greatest toy ever made has reached its Golden Anniversary, sustaining the power of the electronics industry. All hail LEGO!

My favorite (And the only good set out) is Star Wars, which combines the two most awesome things ever. The new Indiana Jones thing is awesome too. A nice franchise they added. It's also interesting when compared to the old "Johnny Thunder" series.

sorry, but the OLD Lego pieces rock.

swivels that spin yet are sturdy enough to be used with the full-sized bricks,
hinges that allow for large peices to be moved,
winches and spring claws that can actually pick up other pieces
House windows and doors that actually open and can allow you to make windowframes,
axels and wheels that can be reconfigured to fit various situations
and the tracked wheels for tanks...

Bionicles were the 3rd worst thing they did. They weren't real LEGO...just 5-piece constructable action figures that served little salvage purpose even...
so I also thought, until my nephew showed me the awsome spider and Scorpion alien he made by combining several of his Bionical figures together. multiple limbs and weapons... It was pretty damn creative.

Two more bodies for my collection...

here, let me add one more...
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/interactive/entertainment/0705/gallery.lego.art/04.lego.art.jpg

here, let me add one more...
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/interactive/entertainment/0705/gallery.lego.art/04.lego.art.jpg

Now THAT is art.

None of the colors or shapes I mentioned are new; I've been playing with Lego a LONG time. (1970s, anyone?)

did you get those windows and doors? or those other peices like the 'L' shaped blocks and those I mentioned?

LEGO ROCKS!!! :cool: It's 1 of the only cool things on this planet. Other than...ME!!! Kidding.

I love LEGO, I used to play with it for hours on end when I was a kid.

*[le]goes back under cave*

Chez what? Like the t'ain't?
:confused: