Lego Finds Discontinued Set For Boy Who Saved Up For 2 Years(consumerist.com)
consumerist.com
Lego Finds Discontinued Set For Boy Who Saved Up For 2 Years
http://consumerist.com/2012/12/03/lego-finds-spare-discontinued-set-so-boy-who-saved-up-for-2-years-wouldnt-be-disappointed/
197 comments
I have one of these and it is hands down the most practical smartphone case I have ever had.
Need a stand to watch a movie on a long flight: add some stubby wing pieces from my Y-Wing set.
Need a way to hold the phone on a stand for Facetime between the toddler and Grandma: a few extra pieces of lego and a rubber band.
Need to hold the phone in place on my car's dash: the studs of the not-legally-lego back help hold it in place.
The only real downside is that the shape of the hole in the back for the camera and flash (iPhone 4 model at least) isn't large enough that the flash doesn't kick off a bad reflection across any image you use it with.
Need a stand to watch a movie on a long flight: add some stubby wing pieces from my Y-Wing set.
Need a way to hold the phone on a stand for Facetime between the toddler and Grandma: a few extra pieces of lego and a rubber band.
Need to hold the phone in place on my car's dash: the studs of the not-legally-lego back help hold it in place.
The only real downside is that the shape of the hole in the back for the camera and flash (iPhone 4 model at least) isn't large enough that the flash doesn't kick off a bad reflection across any image you use it with.
You make a really cool product I'd never heard about before. Definitely of interest to parents who let their kids play with an ipod touch.
Kudos.
(link for the lazy: http://smallworks.com/ )
I love your slogan: "brick your phone"
Kudos.
(link for the lazy: http://smallworks.com/ )
I love your slogan: "brick your phone"
I'll downvote you for not linking to your product on Amazon with your referral code! (j/k, :P, etc.)
Based on what I've learned here, it's my understanding that shameless self promotion is a spectacular way for individuals to provide for their own needs and for people important to them. It is foolish to begrudge anyone this when they are contributing value to the conversation.
Based on what I've learned here, it's my understanding that shameless self promotion is a spectacular way for individuals to provide for their own needs and for people important to them. It is foolish to begrudge anyone this when they are contributing value to the conversation.
And the context is certainly appropriate.
FYI, I went to check out your case (which looks cool!) and you have a dead YouTube link on your iPhone page [1]. ("This video is no longer available because the uploader has closed their YouTube account.")
[1] http://www.smallworks.com/iphone.php
[1] http://www.smallworks.com/iphone.php
I am sure they were extremely easy to work with, since they no longer have a patent on the LEGO brick and thus have no leverage over you:
http://boingboing.net/2011/10/21/expired-patent-of-the-day-l...
http://boingboing.net/2011/10/21/expired-patent-of-the-day-l...
Patent =/= trademark.
Lego is fantastic, and it's worth re-discovering if you haven't played with it since childhood. My wife bought me a 2,500 piece Star Wars kit last year (the Emperor's Shuttle) and it bought me to a place of zen-like calm for the two weeks it took me to build it. I'd sit down, and bang, instant flow. Best of all, I could carry that over to the computer if I wanted to do some programming. It's almost drug-like in its power.
There's something amazingly satisfying about unquestioningly following detailed instructions and seeing something tangible emerge before your eyes. I love it.
There's something amazingly satisfying about unquestioningly following detailed instructions and seeing something tangible emerge before your eyes. I love it.
I'll add something else for balance here: I went to see The Avengers after studiously avoiding any marketing for the film. I wanted my mind free to experience every scene for the very first time, like a pledge-ring wearing co-ed looking forward to her wedding night. I didn't even know that Loki was the villain, that's how innocent I was.
My friends and I arrived at the cinema early, secured great middle seats and sat back to endure endless local commercials (Annie got it done no less than four times.) Then it was time for the very last advert before the trailers started: Lego. A Lego set featuring the Avengers. An animated Lego set where the various characters recapitulated the plot of the film in thirty seconds. Many, many angry voices cried out, to the general tune of, "That better f-ing not be in the movie." It all was.
It tainted our experience pretty badly. Even if the advert had featured a completely different story we'd still have been looking out for similarities. This was a few days after opening weekend, too!
I still love Lego, but she's given me my first disappointment. I guess I'm growing up.
My friends and I arrived at the cinema early, secured great middle seats and sat back to endure endless local commercials (Annie got it done no less than four times.) Then it was time for the very last advert before the trailers started: Lego. A Lego set featuring the Avengers. An animated Lego set where the various characters recapitulated the plot of the film in thirty seconds. Many, many angry voices cried out, to the general tune of, "That better f-ing not be in the movie." It all was.
It tainted our experience pretty badly. Even if the advert had featured a completely different story we'd still have been looking out for similarities. This was a few days after opening weekend, too!
I still love Lego, but she's given me my first disappointment. I guess I'm growing up.
Had this exact same experience, and you are the first person I know of that saw it as well. I distinctly remember (SPOILER) when they were on the roof, about to disable the device, going "I can't believe that Marvel allowed Lego to do this before their big movie blockbuster". For that matter, who was the marketing genius who thought that surmising the entire story arc would make for a good commercial at any time?
His name is Mads Nipper and I wrote to him and Jorgen Knudstorp (the CEO) over email the day after I saw the film. Sadly despite a day's research I couldn't find an email address for either of them that wouldn't bounce so I left it. I could have killed a tree, but in the end something came up and I moved on.
I just dug it out again. I was really angry. I'm almost glad it didn't get through. Here is a short excerpt:
What in Thor's name were you idiots thinking? Did you seriously believe that you'd engender goodwill in the audience by spoiling the film as it was starting? It's EXACTLY as if you'd shown an advert before a 1980 screening of The Empire Strikes Back featuring Yoda, a handless Luke and Han Solo in a block of carbonite.
For great shame, Jorgen. May your bare feet always find bricks.
I just dug it out again. I was really angry. I'm almost glad it didn't get through. Here is a short excerpt:
What in Thor's name were you idiots thinking? Did you seriously believe that you'd engender goodwill in the audience by spoiling the film as it was starting? It's EXACTLY as if you'd shown an advert before a 1980 screening of The Empire Strikes Back featuring Yoda, a handless Luke and Han Solo in a block of carbonite.
For great shame, Jorgen. May your bare feet always find bricks.
> May your bare feet always find bricks.
That is the best kidsafe curse I have ever heard. Bravo!
That is the best kidsafe curse I have ever heard. Bravo!
Yes, nice one.
My favorite kidsafe curse is from an old BBC radio show from the late 40's and early 50's, called The Goon Show. The main character would say "curses and naughty words". The BBC at that time was super-strict and you couldn't say curses and naughty words, so he would literally say it instead. Very funny.
My favorite kidsafe curse is from an old BBC radio show from the late 40's and early 50's, called The Goon Show. The main character would say "curses and naughty words". The BBC at that time was super-strict and you couldn't say curses and naughty words, so he would literally say it instead. Very funny.
In general, tie-in ads that are full of spoilers are extremely annoying and, I suspect, do not help anyone.
If you're in SF, Sundance Kabuki doesn't show ads beyond a trailer or two. Much nicer theater overall vs. anything in my corner of the world.
(Sundance has theaters in a few other major cities as well, but SF's is the only one I've personally been to.)
(Sundance has theaters in a few other major cities as well, but SF's is the only one I've personally been to.)
Sounds good but no use to me :-) My sister used to frequent a Bay Area theater where the ads comprised the owners of the theater chatting (honestly) about upcoming features and the food they were serving (and this was considered a hugely positive component of the experience).
It's interesting to me that no major movie chain has tried to differentiate itself along the lines of "going to movies at our theaters is actually pleasant" but I guess the fact that they're able to sell soda and popcorn at a 1.0E+5% markup dwarfs any business model trying to sell some kind of decent experience at a plausible price.
It's interesting to me that no major movie chain has tried to differentiate itself along the lines of "going to movies at our theaters is actually pleasant" but I guess the fact that they're able to sell soda and popcorn at a 1.0E+5% markup dwarfs any business model trying to sell some kind of decent experience at a plausible price.
Lego sets based on movies are such BS. It should be about your own imagination not just recreating star wars and harry potter crap
Heh .. good for you! I'm an AFOL (adult fan of lego). For me, it started when I got a Mindstorms set to play with robots. I needed pieces for more sophisticated contraptions and the addiction began.
As with all things, moderation is key. I've got about a dozen high-end technic sets at this point. And I realized I had a problem ... my lego addiction was insatiable. Addictions aren't always bad .. but for me personally ... my lego addiction was bad. I didn't learn anything about building. All I did was follow the instructions to build the model. It was ... as you said .. zen like. But I got no feeling of accomplishment. I'm not an artistic person and have no interest in building MOCs (My Own Creations, in Lego community speak).
Anyways ... I have gone cold turkey. Haven't bought one in 8 months or so. I could crack any day if there are any good holiday sales :-p
As with all things, moderation is key. I've got about a dozen high-end technic sets at this point. And I realized I had a problem ... my lego addiction was insatiable. Addictions aren't always bad .. but for me personally ... my lego addiction was bad. I didn't learn anything about building. All I did was follow the instructions to build the model. It was ... as you said .. zen like. But I got no feeling of accomplishment. I'm not an artistic person and have no interest in building MOCs (My Own Creations, in Lego community speak).
Anyways ... I have gone cold turkey. Haven't bought one in 8 months or so. I could crack any day if there are any good holiday sales :-p
Not to sound like an enabler, but did you try the Unimog set? That's educational: transfer cases, gearboxes, portal axles... All true-to-life. You'll learn some mechanics from it.
Haha ... yup .. I've got that! And nope .. I didn't learn a thing. I think when I follow the instructions, my brain shuts down. This is what you referred to as the Zen-like state of bliss :)
My new hobby is a bit better in terms of learning. I started building radios and learned quite a bit about electronics (filters, tank circuits, etc.). I even got some kits to play with. When a circuit works like it is supposed to, I do get a sense of accomplishment :) From an addiction point of view, this is still pretty bad. Except now I'm funding worthy causes like SparkFun and Adafruit instead of Toys R Us :-p
My new hobby is a bit better in terms of learning. I started building radios and learned quite a bit about electronics (filters, tank circuits, etc.). I even got some kits to play with. When a circuit works like it is supposed to, I do get a sense of accomplishment :) From an addiction point of view, this is still pretty bad. Except now I'm funding worthy causes like SparkFun and Adafruit instead of Toys R Us :-p
Totally agree. I picked up a box of plain Lego blocks for my desk at work a little while back. They start conversations, are great to fidget with while on the phone, and can provide a nice distraction when needed. Definitely a good investment.
Great idea - "Lego - Conference Call Set".
I agree. We bought a mindstorms kit for me daughter a year ago (she has engineering aspirations).
I have to confess, I've had as much fun with it as she has.
I have to confess, I've had as much fun with it as she has.
Mindstorms is a brilliant product. They used it to teach robotics for undergrad IT at university. I built a machine that could play blackjack (light sensor moved over the pips of a playing card, discovering the card value). It was brilliant.
That is pretty cool. What did you do about face cards though?
They are all worth 10 and they do not match any of the pip patterns of the numbers. They have color in all the spots you would look for pips. Other numbers don't.
Exactly. I didn't even need to write any special code to deal with them, they just naturally come up as tens.
Did you just work this out or have you done something similar?
Did you just work this out or have you done something similar?
I have a 3 month old daughter. It is my secret wish that she'll want to play with this kind of stuff when she's old enough. If I keep the wish a secret then there's a chance she'll come to it on her own.
From experience if you want your kid to develop an interest in something you'll want to expose them to it and not just keep it to yourself. My daughters love Legos and Duplos. They play with them constantly.
My 5 year old is getting the Jabba's Palace set for Christmas this year. It's all she really wants.
My 5 year old is getting the Jabba's Palace set for Christmas this year. It's all she really wants.
Thanks, that's encouraging and you sound like a lucky father. I'll expose her for sure, I just meant that I don't want her to know that's what I want her doing so I avoid triggering her rebellious instincts.
That doesn't really start for a long, long time. If you just keep good toys around they'll take to them. If they really just don't like building then you find something else but in my experience just exposure to toys is a great starting place.
For me, I got really into Minecraft for a while and felt that same magic and wonder that Lego offered as a kid -- Creating mockups and wireframes of things I wanted to create, then building them in the game, was just a ridiculously awesome experience.
indeed, also the experience of collaborative development is hard to get over. So hard to shake that my entire focus has now shifted to creating a collaborative development environment which facilitates a similar experience for creating software.
Your experience sounds great and something I've been trying to replicate. Building something with your hands and watching it come together provides a different level of satisfaction and enjoyment than hacking on your computer. Recently, I've been trying to come up with ideas of "adult" things I could build in my spare time without taking up too much space in my apartment - such as model vehicles or aircraft. I hadn't even thought to just revert back to Lego, which I enjoyed a lot as a kid. I think I'll give it a try, thanks!
Enjoy! Start big, I'd say :)
Do read throwaway1979 above. Building Lego sets brings quite a different sense of accomplishment to programming (or carpentry, painting, cooking etc.) I think that's why I like it: I can switch off very effectively. It becomes a little like meditation. I'm not an addict though; one set a year since I rediscovered it (only two in total.)
Do read throwaway1979 above. Building Lego sets brings quite a different sense of accomplishment to programming (or carpentry, painting, cooking etc.) I think that's why I like it: I can switch off very effectively. It becomes a little like meditation. I'm not an addict though; one set a year since I rediscovered it (only two in total.)
I can really identify with that flow state you describe so well.
I have built 5 or 6 of the larger Technic and buildings (each thousands of parts) over the last year or so.
The structured play (simply follow the directions and you will get to the goal) is a very welcome counterpoint to the somewhat unstructured way in which I spend my days (here's a blank page, describe a complex product in any way that you see fit).
I have built 5 or 6 of the larger Technic and buildings (each thousands of parts) over the last year or so.
The structured play (simply follow the directions and you will get to the goal) is a very welcome counterpoint to the somewhat unstructured way in which I spend my days (here's a blank page, describe a complex product in any way that you see fit).
I can feel you there. However, there is a certain zen in the opposite as well. Having a general idea of what to build and a general plan and direction but little else. The specifics are left to between you and the thing you are building as you build it.
And that's what's beautiful about a good general purpose bucket of bricks. It's right brained creativity which complements Lego's instruction-based kits.
And that's what's beautiful about a good general purpose bucket of bricks. It's right brained creativity which complements Lego's instruction-based kits.
One thing I've noticed is that many of the (secondhand) buckets of bricks we've found are NOT a general purpose bucket of bricks. It seems like half the pieces are special-made for a specific purpose. ("Oh, this is a squid-head. This is a custom-made tailpipe for a race car. This is a police-car-top-shell. This is a Gungan head.") I exaggerate, but it's very noticeable when I went to build something with my son this past holiday. Looking at sets in the store (I still ogle them ;)), it seems to match this pattern as well.
Granted, you can buy them in bulk, and you can special order ones you need, but ... it seems not quite the same. I'm sure part of it was that the legos we were rummaging through were poorly organized (color? size? vintage?), and could not be used more than one pucket at a time due to spatial constraints. ;)
I think that the key may be to buy large-ish sets which have enough general purpose things: plates, angled plates, angled blocks in varying directions, etc, or to special-order bulk collections of things.
Granted, you can buy them in bulk, and you can special order ones you need, but ... it seems not quite the same. I'm sure part of it was that the legos we were rummaging through were poorly organized (color? size? vintage?), and could not be used more than one pucket at a time due to spatial constraints. ;)
I think that the key may be to buy large-ish sets which have enough general purpose things: plates, angled plates, angled blocks in varying directions, etc, or to special-order bulk collections of things.
I can't believe I forgot about that with LEGO's. I find puzzles are good for that too. I think I'll have to buy myself some kits.
You know, I don't think I've ever seen anything negative about Lego as a company in any serious way. Staff reports are uniformly 'this place is amazing to work', customers love their products, they've kept their product line diverse and with a wide, wide range of prices so there's no exclusionary practise. Good business practises for sure.
As a child I was a huge Lego fanatic. I don't have much time for it anymore, but I still make a point to walk through the Lego aisle if I'm ever in a toy store.
One thing that I'm a bit saddened about is how it feels that movie tie-ins have overshadowed the other sets. Star Wars, Harry Potter, Batman, Avengers, The Hobbit... what I loved as a kid wasn't that I was building a replica of some fictional universe, it was that I could create the universe in my head as I was building it.
And yeah, the Lego Friends thing makes me rather sad. But that's not wholly Lego's fault; parents insist on segregating girls' toys from boys' toys, and Lego reacted to meet that demand. Who knows, with any luck maybe some of the girls who otherwise wouldn't be exposed to Legos at all will get introduced to Mindstorms.
And I still have to give them props for this ad from 1981:
http://cdn.twentytwowords.com/wp-content/uploads/Awesome-198...
One thing that I'm a bit saddened about is how it feels that movie tie-ins have overshadowed the other sets. Star Wars, Harry Potter, Batman, Avengers, The Hobbit... what I loved as a kid wasn't that I was building a replica of some fictional universe, it was that I could create the universe in my head as I was building it.
And yeah, the Lego Friends thing makes me rather sad. But that's not wholly Lego's fault; parents insist on segregating girls' toys from boys' toys, and Lego reacted to meet that demand. Who knows, with any luck maybe some of the girls who otherwise wouldn't be exposed to Legos at all will get introduced to Mindstorms.
And I still have to give them props for this ad from 1981:
http://cdn.twentytwowords.com/wp-content/uploads/Awesome-198...
I wouldn't be so down on Lego Friends. My oldest daughter is a huge fan of Lego and has different sets that are Friends and some that are Star Wars. She combines them and plays with them together. Han Solo has a dog and a cat. One of the girls flies the X-wing. It's pretty cute.
Girls love role-playing and Friends provides another outlet for them. My oldest daughter loves building and then she plays with what she created quite extensively.
Girls love role-playing and Friends provides another outlet for them. My oldest daughter loves building and then she plays with what she created quite extensively.
I find girl/boy toy segregation sad too, but I'm a woman and when I was 4 my first post-Duplo Lego sets were the early 80s "Lego Fabuland" series: anthropomorphic animal minifigs in gingerbread-looking houses with furniture and cookers and tiles with pictures of food on.
A few years later I was asking for every Lego Space set going and building planes and spaceships. The Fabuland bricks went in the big Lego bucket and would sometimes be repurposed as space station decor. So as an introduction to Lego for younger girls I don't really see a problem with it... though I'd prefer them to be less overwhelmingly pink.
A few years later I was asking for every Lego Space set going and building planes and spaceships. The Fabuland bricks went in the big Lego bucket and would sometimes be repurposed as space station decor. So as an introduction to Lego for younger girls I don't really see a problem with it... though I'd prefer them to be less overwhelmingly pink.
I have twin 5-yo daughters and have bought only the space-themed LEGO sets for them. They've seen the "Friends" sets but really just want to build spaceships, airplanes, and cars. I guess I'm doing something right :)
I also have to admit that one of the reasons I bought the space sets was in case they didn't like LEGOs. That way at least I could have some fun with them. Now I have to share...
I also have to admit that one of the reasons I bought the space sets was in case they didn't like LEGOs. That way at least I could have some fun with them. Now I have to share...
Lego was almost bankrupt a decade or so ago, and partnering with first Star Wars and then other properties helped save them. Don't blame them because kids have brands/IP shoved down their throat now.
Personally, as a child, I would have loved the tie-ins because of all of the new specialized pieces that they make for them. The original sets never lasted for a super long time before it was all just component parts for building whatever I was building.
It's a shame the older stuff has gone out of fashion, but they had to do something to keep going. At one point a few years ago it seemed like they wouldn't survive. Fortunately it seems that the film tie-ins have worked so I'm grateful for that.
"what I loved as a kid wasn't that I was building a replica of some fictional universe, it was that I could create the universe in my head as I was building it."
Completely agree, this really saddens me too. Played with lego so much as a kid and I never tried to build things from films. It should be about your own imagination
Completely agree, this really saddens me too. Played with lego so much as a kid and I never tried to build things from films. It should be about your own imagination
Some people [1] have linked the rise of Lego and the decline of Meccano [2] to the decline of manufacturing in the western world, as Lego doesn't teach Meccano's lessons about L section beams, diagonal braces, gantries in tension and compression, and so on.
[1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1333215/Why-Britain-n... [2] http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8Q-tdV67Suc/TfhcQxf63JI/AAAAAAAAAT...
[1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1333215/Why-Britain-n... [2] http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8Q-tdV67Suc/TfhcQxf63JI/AAAAAAAAAT...
While mostly reasonable, I think this is brushing over two large sections of Lego's products: Technic and Mindstorms.
The pieces from Technic are much more Meccano-like, in that they don't all have studs on top, and there are holes down the sides of the pieces with "bolts" to connect them together at arbitrary angles. (And there is cogs, axles, chains and motors.)
Mindstorms is an actual real robot, in the hands of kids, along with a fairly well defined progression of methods of programming it[3] (the Lego supplied methods have several stages of simple/easy to more complicated/powerful, and the third party languages include C/C++ and so on). It is actually one of the major factors in my learning to program. Having a programmable microcontroller so tightly integrated into a 3D-printer-like system gives so much power and flexibility for experimentation, especially in the hands of intelligent 10-15 year olds, who aren't being stimulated by school at all.
As someone who loved/loves both his Meccano and Lego, I think the normal Lego < Meccano < Lego Mindstorms, in terms of promoting technical thinking & experimentation.
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego_Technic [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego_Mindstorms [3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego_Mindstorms#Programming_la...
The pieces from Technic are much more Meccano-like, in that they don't all have studs on top, and there are holes down the sides of the pieces with "bolts" to connect them together at arbitrary angles. (And there is cogs, axles, chains and motors.)
Mindstorms is an actual real robot, in the hands of kids, along with a fairly well defined progression of methods of programming it[3] (the Lego supplied methods have several stages of simple/easy to more complicated/powerful, and the third party languages include C/C++ and so on). It is actually one of the major factors in my learning to program. Having a programmable microcontroller so tightly integrated into a 3D-printer-like system gives so much power and flexibility for experimentation, especially in the hands of intelligent 10-15 year olds, who aren't being stimulated by school at all.
As someone who loved/loves both his Meccano and Lego, I think the normal Lego < Meccano < Lego Mindstorms, in terms of promoting technical thinking & experimentation.
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego_Technic [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego_Mindstorms [3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego_Mindstorms#Programming_la...
Likewise, Mindstorms was one of the big reasons I got into "real" programming. Before Mindstorms, I played with a lot of web stuff (mostly HTML and some gaudy JS). But with Mindstorms, I started doing real programming work. First with their "block builder", then moving into Not-Quite-C. Programming the Mindstorms was super fun and super frustrating...nothing quite like working on an embedded device with limited memory and processing as a 12 year old. Plus the robot itself would typically tear itself apart from too much torque.
Mindstorms also propelled me into science fair, where several of my projects were Mindstorm-based robotics. And science fair is what propelled me into science in general, leading me to a career in biology and computer science.
So, basically, <3 Mindstorms.
Mindstorms also propelled me into science fair, where several of my projects were Mindstorm-based robotics. And science fair is what propelled me into science in general, leading me to a career in biology and computer science.
So, basically, <3 Mindstorms.
And then there's the FIRST LEGO League competition [1], which takes middle- and junior high-level teams and these sets of MINDSTORMS and has them work together to build a robot for competitive play, teaching STEM principles on the way. There are thousands of teams all over the world, and it's a wonderful experience. The program is also a funnel into the high school-level FIRST Robotics Competition [2], which graduates into actual machining, CADing, programming, and so on, as well as community outreach and business skills from raising funds and structuring a sustainable team.
[1] http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/fll
[2] http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc
[1] http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/fll
[2] http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc
These Meccano constructors are similar to what we had in post-soviet Russia, although I've never heard that name. Then about the end of 90-s LEGO gained popularity, and indeed, 'soviet constructor', as we called these sets, stopped being sold.
I always wondered whether they were really suitable for smaller kids, considering smaller parts et al.
This is what our constructors looked like:
* Constructor parts: http://blogarchive.ru/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/konstruktor...
* Photos of the manual: http://vasi.net/community/kartinki/2009/08/25/sovetskijj_kon...
I always wondered whether they were really suitable for smaller kids, considering smaller parts et al.
This is what our constructors looked like:
* Constructor parts: http://blogarchive.ru/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/konstruktor...
* Photos of the manual: http://vasi.net/community/kartinki/2009/08/25/sovetskijj_kon...
I was reminded of those too! I had the set in the 2nd photo, and remember building some of the things in the manual. Of course, as a kid, I quickly lost most of the bolts and nuts, so I can see the value of LEGO in the long run…
EDIT: Of course, in the spirit the typical ru-net, a lot of comments at that link are along the lines of "LEGO is for idiots, look at what we played with as kids".
EDIT: Of course, in the spirit the typical ru-net, a lot of comments at that link are along the lines of "LEGO is for idiots, look at what we played with as kids".
But the beauty of things like Meccano is that if you lose bolts and nuts... you can just go down to the hardware store and pick up some replacements!
Although nowadays, it's trivial to order replacement Lego pieces online.
Although nowadays, it's trivial to order replacement Lego pieces online.
I am Russian and moved to the states when I was 1 year old. My parents would always talk about how our constructor here in the states compared to what they had in Russia. This is the first time I have seen a picture of it, now it all makes sense. It's really a bit funny for me because when I think about it, those sets are exactly what I expect from Russia.
I'm not sure if I am the only one, but some of the ads/banners/images on the second link did not appear to be completely worksafe; I didn't see anything really offensive, but you might caution people in case they don't want pictures of girls in swimsuits on their screen at work.
Here's a design suggestion you're not likely to see in any modern American toy: http://vasi.net/uploads/podbor/sovetskyi_konstruktor/thumbs/...
I got my initial (entirely empirical) lessons in mechanics via Fischertechnik [1]. Absolutely the best toy, ever.
[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fischertechnik
[p.s.: http://www.fischertechnik.de/en/Home/info/computing.aspx "programming is child's play" /G ]
[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fischertechnik
[p.s.: http://www.fischertechnik.de/en/Home/info/computing.aspx "programming is child's play" /G ]
For those in the US, Meccano's are what are now sold here as "Erector" sets. The older Erector sets were actually a slightly different design from the 1920s by Gilbert, but those are long gone and sorely missed by many.
Half the fun I had playing with Lego when I was young was unfolding plots between the minifigs - you'd build something, then have your minifigs interact with it. I'm not really familiar with Meccano, but as I understand it there's no 'human' in it with which you can project yourself. Meccano can let you build cool items, but Lego can let you build cool items, an environment to put them in, and people to interact with both of those things. Lego seems more versatile in satisfying a flexible imagination.
Also, suggesting that the decline in quality of modern engineers is Lego's fault is an interesting variant on the usual 'kids these days' crotchety-old-man talk.
Also, suggesting that the decline in quality of modern engineers is Lego's fault is an interesting variant on the usual 'kids these days' crotchety-old-man talk.
I used to have a Meccano set from the early 70s, it was fantastic. I always thought it was a shame it never got as much attention.
And I thought construx were neat, that is one awesome construction set.
The latest 'Friends' range targeted at girls has received some bad press. Not much construction to do, all nail bars and shopping sort of sexism. Not the most serious bad press but its something.
I will admit I'd forgotten that, but mostly as it was complaints from consumer action groups rather than consumers, if I remember rightly Lego introduced it after parental request/requests from girls and saw a profit spike.
I don't particularly like the idea of Lego falling into gender categories as it's a toy for creative minds, but if the market wants something then the market wants something.
I don't particularly like the idea of Lego falling into gender categories as it's a toy for creative minds, but if the market wants something then the market wants something.
Some creative minds are more interested in nurseries and tea parties than in trains or robots. And it's natural for it to be so.
It's evident once you have some kids. I truly wanted that not to be the case, but reality bites.
For the PC crowd: This of course doesn't mean that girls will never play with robots or cars or that boys won't play with nurseries or tea parties. Of course a mix is healthy and should be encouraged. But the stereotypical preferences are truly marked in most cases, before parental intervention.
It's evident once you have some kids. I truly wanted that not to be the case, but reality bites.
For the PC crowd: This of course doesn't mean that girls will never play with robots or cars or that boys won't play with nurseries or tea parties. Of course a mix is healthy and should be encouraged. But the stereotypical preferences are truly marked in most cases, before parental intervention.
To be honest I think my biggest complaints about lego are cost and that it is hard just to get a big bag of basic bricks.
However I think the 'Friends' thing could have been better handled with modest tweaks. Why aren't there any boys/men in 'Friends'? What if boys want to play nurseries or tea parties.
When I was young the lego characters were mostly gender free but it seems increasingly that the 'boys' lego increasingly has male characters (even outside the branded Harry Potter/Lord of the Rings stuff). All the Firefighters and Police seem to be men when they could have been much more gender neutral (or mixed genders) without loss of fun to boys or girls.
However I think the 'Friends' thing could have been better handled with modest tweaks. Why aren't there any boys/men in 'Friends'? What if boys want to play nurseries or tea parties.
When I was young the lego characters were mostly gender free but it seems increasingly that the 'boys' lego increasingly has male characters (even outside the branded Harry Potter/Lord of the Rings stuff). All the Firefighters and Police seem to be men when they could have been much more gender neutral (or mixed genders) without loss of fun to boys or girls.
That's not exactly true. Kids will play with whatever they want until they feel pressure to conform from either parents (if a girl asks for a toy, she's handed a Barbie) or society (marketing only showing girls playing with dolls, kitchen sets.)
You might think your child had no parental intervention, but parents are only one factor in enforcing gender roles. Are you sure you've kept them from watching TV, reading, and playing with other kids whose parents are not like you?
You might think your child had no parental intervention, but parents are only one factor in enforcing gender roles. Are you sure you've kept them from watching TV, reading, and playing with other kids whose parents are not like you?
> with whatever they want
That's the key point. I've observed that ones tend to want one things and the others tend to want other things.
Of course there's cultural intervention, people do not live in bubbles, but it's much more subtle and, I believe, innate than what you think before having children (one data point: my daughter that I swore would never wear pink, actively prefers pink clothes, she wears other colors as well, but given a choice, usually chooses pink and from a really early age)
That's the key point. I've observed that ones tend to want one things and the others tend to want other things.
Of course there's cultural intervention, people do not live in bubbles, but it's much more subtle and, I believe, innate than what you think before having children (one data point: my daughter that I swore would never wear pink, actively prefers pink clothes, she wears other colors as well, but given a choice, usually chooses pink and from a really early age)
But there's nothing genetic that determines girls like pink more. It's all social. Your daughter probably saw all the toys and clothes directed at her being pink, all the positive attention she got when she wore that "cute" dress that happened to be pink, and all the little girls her age on television who she looked up to also wearing it.
I meant kids will play with anything. Dolls, trucks, anything their hands can get ahold of. It's only once their parents or society starts subtly and not-so-subtly telling them they should be playing with these toys and not those toys do they start having a noticeable preference. Boys aren't hard-wired to like trucks and girls aren't hard-wired to like EZ Bake Ovens. That's all society.
I meant kids will play with anything. Dolls, trucks, anything their hands can get ahold of. It's only once their parents or society starts subtly and not-so-subtly telling them they should be playing with these toys and not those toys do they start having a noticeable preference. Boys aren't hard-wired to like trucks and girls aren't hard-wired to like EZ Bake Ovens. That's all society.
Yes, kids will play with anything. However, the way they use toys to play will be individual.
My daughter preferred cars and trucks while young (under 4 years). She would cover the garage with blanket for the night, put her small truck to swing etc. The style of play was very different from the way that I saw boys playing with similar toys.
My daughter preferred cars and trucks while young (under 4 years). She would cover the garage with blanket for the night, put her small truck to swing etc. The style of play was very different from the way that I saw boys playing with similar toys.
All I'm trying to say is that I was of your same opinion, but facts do not support that opinion in my experience. Of course I have not done an actual controlled experiment, just some observations and little tests along the years. Yes, they will play with anything, but they still show preferences. Are those purely social? I'm not sure.
That said, I am still of the opinion that it is indeed mainly social, but that it is less social than one thinks it is, before.
I'd love to see some actual science about this, got any?
That said, I am still of the opinion that it is indeed mainly social, but that it is less social than one thinks it is, before.
I'd love to see some actual science about this, got any?
I don't have the original study I read (back in a cognitive development class in college), but I believe this one[0] should suffice. The original was a study that monitored groups of kids playing with toys and found the kids didn't develop a gendered preference until parents began interfering with toy selection. If the parents didn't interfere, they wouldn't develop a gendered preference until school age where they began interacting with other children.
[0]: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1990....
[0]: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1990....
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Really? There's also zoos and a camping set, a few pet-oriented set, a farm, and a horse truck thing.
It's the best in-road they've made into "Legos for Girls" ever. I can finally buy my nieces sets that they're interested in.
It's the best in-road they've made into "Legos for Girls" ever. I can finally buy my nieces sets that they're interested in.
"Legos for Girls" isn't a road that should even be on their map. Legos for Kids is their destination.
If your nieces weren't interested in the sets Lego should have focused on better sets that were still gender-neutral. That doesn't exclude zoos, camping, or pet orientation.
What it does exclude is antics like cancelling my friend's "tomboy"ish daughter's subscription to Lego magazine and sending her Lego For Girls Magazine instead, to her great upset.
Toy gendering is stupid and inane. Lego should have nothing to do with it.
If your nieces weren't interested in the sets Lego should have focused on better sets that were still gender-neutral. That doesn't exclude zoos, camping, or pet orientation.
What it does exclude is antics like cancelling my friend's "tomboy"ish daughter's subscription to Lego magazine and sending her Lego For Girls Magazine instead, to her great upset.
Toy gendering is stupid and inane. Lego should have nothing to do with it.
I really appreciate their Friends series. My son had tons of legos of all kinds. My daughter, who is 5 now, played with Duplo, but refused to try regular Legos. They were for boys. The Friends set are a different matter. The fact that there are real characters, with names, is crucial to her. We went on the Friends website, and went through all the information about the characters. Knowing what their hobbies and favorite colors are might seem inane, but it let her connect. Then she can go and do imaginative play with the figures.
With my son, it was all about the construction. He didn't play with sets much once they were built. My daughter liked the construction, but got more out of playing with the sets and the figures once it was built.
Other parents are entitled to their views, but I think my daughter fits the behavior Lego was going for with Friends.
With my son, it was all about the construction. He didn't play with sets much once they were built. My daughter liked the construction, but got more out of playing with the sets and the figures once it was built.
Other parents are entitled to their views, but I think my daughter fits the behavior Lego was going for with Friends.
So boys and girls do not exist, only kids? Because kids gendering is also stupid and inane?
And later we will have only persons, not men and women?
It is sad to see how people fail to see the difference between racism and merely acknowledging the race, the difference between sexism and acknowledging the gender.
Or did I miss some new research which shows that we are all indeed unixes creatures with minor differences in dangling parts?
Equality does not mean uniformity.
You seem to have missed some old research about how damaging it is for kids to be told the things they are into are "not for them", based on their gender.
How would we react here if somebody said "yeah, Vim is for women only", made a pink version of Vim and marketed it solely at women, in women's magazines? That's what Lego is doing.
Gendering toys is as stupid as gendering software. Sure, some toys may appeal to one gender more than the other, just like some software might. But that's no excuse for ever being exclusionary about it.
How would we react here if somebody said "yeah, Vim is for women only", made a pink version of Vim and marketed it solely at women, in women's magazines? That's what Lego is doing.
Gendering toys is as stupid as gendering software. Sure, some toys may appeal to one gender more than the other, just like some software might. But that's no excuse for ever being exclusionary about it.
I think the sillyness of your comment comes from the imaginary line between, one the one hand, making toys that "may appeal to one gender more than the other" and "being exclusionary about it."
Is the fact that there's an aisle at Target full of pink stuff and dolls exclusionary, or simply grouping by appeal? If my niece wants to go down the Hotwheels aisle, she's certainly not going to be kept away.
And if the daughter I'm going to have here in a couple months wants to play with "boy" LEGOs, great! But I'm also grateful that if she doesn't, LEGO is trying to help me out in my quest to get her interested in their wonderful toys by making sets that appeal to typically more "girl'ish" sensibilities.
Is the fact that there's an aisle at Target full of pink stuff and dolls exclusionary, or simply grouping by appeal? If my niece wants to go down the Hotwheels aisle, she's certainly not going to be kept away.
And if the daughter I'm going to have here in a couple months wants to play with "boy" LEGOs, great! But I'm also grateful that if she doesn't, LEGO is trying to help me out in my quest to get her interested in their wonderful toys by making sets that appeal to typically more "girl'ish" sensibilities.
The line is not imaginary. See this very thread for examples of people bullied for choosing the "wrong" toys. If you build a toy that more girls than boys like, that's one thing. If your marketing says (either implicitly or explicitly) "this toy is for Girls", kids will pick up on that, and they will enforce it too.
The results last lifetimes. It results in adults unable to even see the exclusion as anything more than "grouping by appeal to typical girlish sensibilities". Which views they in turn pass on to their children, continuing the cycle.
Think about the world you want your daughter to live in. Do you want her to be told that "hacking is for boys" because tech appeals to more "typically boyish sensibilities"? No? Then look for the fundamental gender discriminations bullshit like that rests upon.
The results last lifetimes. It results in adults unable to even see the exclusion as anything more than "grouping by appeal to typical girlish sensibilities". Which views they in turn pass on to their children, continuing the cycle.
Think about the world you want your daughter to live in. Do you want her to be told that "hacking is for boys" because tech appeals to more "typically boyish sensibilities"? No? Then look for the fundamental gender discriminations bullshit like that rests upon.
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> If my niece wants to go down the Hotwheels aisle, she's certainly not going to be kept away.
She is, by other kids and Hotwheels marketing.
She is, by other kids and Hotwheels marketing.
LEGO is the opposite of uniformity. A kid can build any world with basic bricks: cute bedroom, lunar station, farm, torture chamber… whatever. And the torture chamber will be different from kid to kid. Just like with normal construction material, really.
Luckily, once the initial model is built and destroyed, all your son/daughter has is a pile of random bricks with which to build whatever he/she wants.
Luckily, once the initial model is built and destroyed, all your son/daughter has is a pile of random bricks with which to build whatever he/she wants.
>Equality does not mean uniformity.
Thank you, I was trying to come up with that phrase.
Thank you, I was trying to come up with that phrase.
If your nieces weren't interested in the sets Lego should have focused on better sets that were still gender-neutral. That doesn't exclude zoos, camping, or pet orientation.
Near as I can tell, the pet shop is gender neutral, and the "Lego Friends" sets don't appear particularly gendered:
http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Pet-Shop-10218
http://shop.lego.com/en-US/LEGO-Friends-Mias-Skateboard?icmp...
Similarly, Farnsworth House (http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Farnsworth-House-21009), the 4x4 crawler (http://technic.lego.com/en-us/Products/default.aspx#9398) and mindstorms (http://mindstorms.lego.com/en-us/products/default.aspx).
The fundamental difference between Friends and the rest of lego seems to be that Friends is about people, whereas the rest of lego is about building stuff.
Near as I can tell, the pet shop is gender neutral, and the "Lego Friends" sets don't appear particularly gendered:
http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Pet-Shop-10218
http://shop.lego.com/en-US/LEGO-Friends-Mias-Skateboard?icmp...
Similarly, Farnsworth House (http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Farnsworth-House-21009), the 4x4 crawler (http://technic.lego.com/en-us/Products/default.aspx#9398) and mindstorms (http://mindstorms.lego.com/en-us/products/default.aspx).
The fundamental difference between Friends and the rest of lego seems to be that Friends is about people, whereas the rest of lego is about building stuff.
> "Lego Friends" sets don't appear particularly gendered:
> The fundamental difference between Friends and the rest of lego seems to be that Friends is about people, whereas the rest of lego is about building stuff.
You can't say that Lego Friends marketing isn't seriously targeted at girls.
http://friends.lego.com/en-us/Default.aspx
> The fundamental difference between Friends and the rest of lego seems to be that Friends is about people, whereas the rest of lego is about building stuff.
You can't say that Lego Friends marketing isn't seriously targeted at girls.
http://friends.lego.com/en-us/Default.aspx
It's only targeted at girls if you believe that girls (but not boys) respond to female characters and themes of friendship. Similarly, regular lego is only targeted at boys if you believe boys (but not girls) respond to building stuff.
I have no trouble accepting the belief that boys and girls are different, and that building products which disproportionately provide utility to girls is beneficial. But if you disagree with this latter claim (as bonaldi seems to), then Lego is not actually targeting girls - they are merely targeting people who like friendship more than building stuff.
I have no trouble accepting the belief that boys and girls are different, and that building products which disproportionately provide utility to girls is beneficial. But if you disagree with this latter claim (as bonaldi seems to), then Lego is not actually targeting girls - they are merely targeting people who like friendship more than building stuff.
I understand what you mean but there is a lot of cliché in this homepage, pinky stuff, girls, etc.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that friendship is for girl and construction is for boys.
I'm just saying that Lego Friends universe use some stereotype marketing
I would have been much less negative, if they included boys, girls, because, boys likes animals friends, pink as well as girl likes blue.
Lego: Please skip the stereotypes
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that friendship is for girl and construction is for boys.
I'm just saying that Lego Friends universe use some stereotype marketing
I would have been much less negative, if they included boys, girls, because, boys likes animals friends, pink as well as girl likes blue.
Lego: Please skip the stereotypes
It's targeted at girls because it uses all the signifiers of traditional stereotyped toy advertising, features only female characters and comes up via a special Lego For Girls page via the first Google hit on "Girls Lego" (for me, at least).
Lego may have a perception problem that it is "for boys" as mentioned upthread, but this is the worst way to redress that.
Lego may have a perception problem that it is "for boys" as mentioned upthread, but this is the worst way to redress that.
It is only natural that lego would have a "for girls" page that emphasizes product lines that they think girls may like. A lot of criticism has been leveled at Lego for being for boys only recently; I don't think an attempt to refute those allegations can fairly be said to mean that those product lines are therefore only for girls.
If I google "McDonalds communities" I get a corporate site that highlights to good McDonalds does for communities. Should I then conclude the chain is a community outreach program?
If I google "McDonalds communities" I get a corporate site that highlights to good McDonalds does for communities. Should I then conclude the chain is a community outreach program?
Toy gendering is neither stupid nor inane: indeed it's almost universal amongst animals who play with things identifiable as 'toys', e.g.: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18452921
That's preferences expressed at an individual level. That's fine. The problem is when you say in aggregate "only girls will like this toy, you are boy, ergo you shouldn't want this" and have marketing that either excludes or strongly suggests the toy you want is Not For You.
See the comments in this very thread about boys bullied for playing with "girl" toys. That's the awful consequence of stupid and inane gendering.
See the comments in this very thread about boys bullied for playing with "girl" toys. That's the awful consequence of stupid and inane gendering.
There's nothing stopping a girl from buying "boy" Legos. In fact, there are plenty of solid generic Lego sets available, and stuff like MindStorms, which is an awesome robotics kit, is not really gendered.
The problem is that Lego can't just market to kids, who have no innate idea of what's "supposed to be for boys" or what's "meant for girls" -- Lego has to market to 30+year old parents who have gender stereotypes embedded in their mindset, even some of the most progressive ones.
I think a slow transition is good, and having more toys for girls that involve building and creating is a good step forward, even if they're still a bit gendered.
The problem is that Lego can't just market to kids, who have no innate idea of what's "supposed to be for boys" or what's "meant for girls" -- Lego has to market to 30+year old parents who have gender stereotypes embedded in their mindset, even some of the most progressive ones.
I think a slow transition is good, and having more toys for girls that involve building and creating is a good step forward, even if they're still a bit gendered.
I agree on the marketing point. They could have one magazine with everything in it.
It seems like, and forgive me if I inferred the wrong thing from your comment, that you are implying that some of the toys aren't gender neutral. I don't have a problem with they beauty bar and things like that. Some girls like those things. So do some boys.
The marketing side I totally agree with though. For whatever reason when I was around 8 I wanted a Barbie. I can't tell you how much I got made fun of and picked on for that. I remember hiding it when friends came over so I wouldn't get made fun of. To my mother's credit though, she didn't really even bat an eye at the thought of me playing with a girl toy.
It seems like, and forgive me if I inferred the wrong thing from your comment, that you are implying that some of the toys aren't gender neutral. I don't have a problem with they beauty bar and things like that. Some girls like those things. So do some boys.
The marketing side I totally agree with though. For whatever reason when I was around 8 I wanted a Barbie. I can't tell you how much I got made fun of and picked on for that. I remember hiding it when friends came over so I wouldn't get made fun of. To my mother's credit though, she didn't really even bat an eye at the thought of me playing with a girl toy.
You can't change human nature with your "gender-neutral" ideals, no matter how hard you close your eyes and try. Boys are boys, and girls are girls. They are equal but different.
It does look better than I thought, maybe the criticism was overblown and/or they have responded.
I see a few vehicles and an inventing workshop so it doesn't seem too patronising now.
I see a few vehicles and an inventing workshop so it doesn't seem too patronising now.
My daughter's favorite character is Olivia. They have profiles of all the girls. Hers says:
I love:
My friends, science, school, drawing, inventing things, nature, hiking, photography, history.
I ’m also good at:
Reading maps, navigation by the stars, building things, computers.
I want to be:
A scientist or an engineer.
As someone else mentioned, the only criticism I'd level at them is that they decided to split the Lego magazine into boys' and girls' magazines. There's going to be children of any gender who enjoy the Friends sets as well as children who enjoy the Star Wars sets. No real reason to try and fit each child into one of those camps.
In that regard almost everything was sexism up and until the released of the friends series. Weapons, firemen, policemen etc etc.. I am happy that my daughter got to experience Lego like a girl.. and look, it works with the sons Lego as well..
Millinium Falcon meets Friends: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ia-V08uRi6Y/T8Mi2SzWVaI/A...
Jack Sparrow kisses before he enters the Beauty Salon https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-lODix9_sQBM/T5sLmfnEcMI/A...
And just like many girls wants it, accessories in every shape and color: https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-12WsmYNOILY/T5sLjk6O3_I/A...
Millinium Falcon meets Friends: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ia-V08uRi6Y/T8Mi2SzWVaI/A...
Jack Sparrow kisses before he enters the Beauty Salon https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-lODix9_sQBM/T5sLmfnEcMI/A...
And just like many girls wants it, accessories in every shape and color: https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-12WsmYNOILY/T5sLjk6O3_I/A...
Back in the day the lego figures were pretty much gender free but the current firemen and policemen are exactly that (men) which is a little disappointing and completely unnecessary in my view.
There has been some criticism over their rather aggressive use of trademark to fake "patent" their designs after their original design patents had expired.
I also heard (so, unverified) that users of 3d-printers has gotten some of that attention.
So, great company to work with, great products, but clearly a bit overreaching in the legal department. How evil that makes them... meh, at least they are not trying to patent something that they themselves never created. Still wrong through.
I also heard (so, unverified) that users of 3d-printers has gotten some of that attention.
So, great company to work with, great products, but clearly a bit overreaching in the legal department. How evil that makes them... meh, at least they are not trying to patent something that they themselves never created. Still wrong through.
I think there was a piece on hacker news attacking them a few months back for a shift in their advertising from being relatively gender balanced in the 80s to being very boyish today.
Other than that though I completely agree with you. They seem like a great company.
Other than that though I completely agree with you. They seem like a great company.
Have you never stood on a piece of lego? :)
It was an amazing learning experience.
I used to jam those little castle Lego swords and spears into the stitching of the braided area rug in my bedroom, to create that authentic medieval battlefield look.
When my dad tromped on one of those things after coming off the evening shift, it was a learning experience for both of us.
When my dad tromped on one of those things after coming off the evening shift, it was a learning experience for both of us.
When my wee boys stand on their Lego I see it as a wonderful teachable moment. Lego is a great company to provide me with so many educational opportunities.
When you as a child stand on Lego you learn that you should tidy things away when done, when as an adult you stand on it you learn that you need to have a talk with the kid about tidying things away. Or to tidy it away after you've built another spaceship.
And when an adult stands on it in front of the kid, the kid learns lots of interesting new words!
Lego: you're never not learning.
The only real problem I have with Lego is the price of some of the items. A cursory search will bring you across £500 Technic sets... which is utterly bloody ridiculous.
Lego: you're never not learning.
The only real problem I have with Lego is the price of some of the items. A cursory search will bring you across £500 Technic sets... which is utterly bloody ridiculous.
Compared to the caltrops like device that is a standard UK power plug a mere lego brick is hardly likely to cause much harm.
I suppose this is the benefit of being a privately held business - you can adhere to your principles and goals without catering or placating the whims of public shareholders obsessed about this quarter's performance.
Any public company worth its salt would do the same thing. The positive PR generated would be completely justifiable if any shareholder was crazy enough to sue. It's the same reason that public companies give to charities or sponsor events.
I was a huge LEGO fan when I was a kid. I didn't have many themed boxes but the basic bricks were more than enough for a kid with a lot of imagination.
As a grown up, seeing all those incredibly detailed scenes and models created by fans pop up every now and then on the net has been fun to watch.
As a father, accompanying my kid through his discovery of LEGO was a treat and a great occasion to get into the "zone" for hours… with him.
I must say that I wasn't convinced by their Hero Factory stuff; thinking it was too inherently violent and left too little room for my kid's imagination. Now that he has 6 or so of those and spends hours combining their parts (adding LEGO elements here and there) into gigantic — and horrific — figures I can say that I misjudged them.
As a grown up, seeing all those incredibly detailed scenes and models created by fans pop up every now and then on the net has been fun to watch.
As a father, accompanying my kid through his discovery of LEGO was a treat and a great occasion to get into the "zone" for hours… with him.
I must say that I wasn't convinced by their Hero Factory stuff; thinking it was too inherently violent and left too little room for my kid's imagination. Now that he has 6 or so of those and spends hours combining their parts (adding LEGO elements here and there) into gigantic — and horrific — figures I can say that I misjudged them.
LEGO is just now (in process of) suing Czech Pirate Party on trademark grounds.
We (as in pirate party) made a pretty mediocre (IMO) ad before elections, which used CGI models that bore some resemblance to Lego figures.
They didn't like that. We think we are in the right; however, we don't particularly like LEGO corporation at this moment.
The ad was just on youtube and not in any TV or amything.
We (as in pirate party) made a pretty mediocre (IMO) ad before elections, which used CGI models that bore some resemblance to Lego figures.
They didn't like that. We think we are in the right; however, we don't particularly like LEGO corporation at this moment.
The ad was just on youtube and not in any TV or amything.
As the parent of a child with Asperger's Syndrome, I know what this must have meant to him, and I'll continue to be a Lego customer for life because of this. Kudos to Lego.
Any child who has the willpower to save for over two years would be crushed.
What is this “Asperger's” you speak of? It doesn't seem to be in the new edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/asperg...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/asperg...
While often seeing so many posts with a negative connotation on HN, I love seeing posts like this. I realize some of the negative posts need to be heard, but it's optimistic/awesome posts like this that can brighten the past 100 negative articles I may have read. Well done, LEGO. This is the definition of a great company with great customer satisfaction! My faith in humanity has been fully restored, for the time being. ;) Ha
Heh, lovely story, but isn't this type of post what Reddit is for?
Which is where i saw it on Friday, and 'shockingly' is the source (well, originally youtube).
On the topic; it is surely obvious to anyone in marketing/PR these days that doing something like this is almost always going to be a profitable move. The guy provided the story, even if they had to do something like this 10 times for it to 'go viral' it would be one hell of a lot of promotion for the money. It's not going to harm the recipient's Lego buying habits either.
Which is where i saw it on Friday, and 'shockingly' is the source (well, originally youtube).
On the topic; it is surely obvious to anyone in marketing/PR these days that doing something like this is almost always going to be a profitable move. The guy provided the story, even if they had to do something like this 10 times for it to 'go viral' it would be one hell of a lot of promotion for the money. It's not going to harm the recipient's Lego buying habits either.
Bah humbug, don't be snobby about these things, it's not as if HN is overrun with them.
Just enjoy it as a break from the norm.
Just enjoy it as a break from the norm.
Or maybe most of us who up voted knew it was PR and we want their PR to work?
Good job LEGO. The kid looks thrilled.
On a related note, when did LEGOS become absurdly expensive? I've noticed that most of what they market these days are themed sets with price-tags well beyond what I can imagine the plain blocks used to cost. For instance - their Lego Ninjago series can command anywhere from $10-$30 for a little miniature figure - you know - the guys that are about 3/4 of an inch tall. What am I missing? Have they just figured out how to create artificial demand by playing the "limited edition" game, or have plastic toys suddenly got more expensive to manufacture?
On a related note, when did LEGOS become absurdly expensive? I've noticed that most of what they market these days are themed sets with price-tags well beyond what I can imagine the plain blocks used to cost. For instance - their Lego Ninjago series can command anywhere from $10-$30 for a little miniature figure - you know - the guys that are about 3/4 of an inch tall. What am I missing? Have they just figured out how to create artificial demand by playing the "limited edition" game, or have plastic toys suddenly got more expensive to manufacture?
The Ninjago and film tie-in Lego is overpriced, but the Creator range has been good value. These sets cost $5-$25, with 3 "official" ways to build each one and loads of make-your-own possible models thanks to a good mix of regular bricks, plates and fancy pieces.
The problem with the themed stuff is that it isn't really Lego. It's more like any other plastic toy - pre-built (or made from a few big pieces), not much replayability but "looks cool" on the box and in toy catalogs.
On the company - another anecdote - my son lost a piece of one set, I went through the "lost a piece" process on their web-site and to my surprise they sent it us, for free. Although given all I've spent over the years on Lego, I think I was due a 1x2 grey slope with grill :-)
The problem with the themed stuff is that it isn't really Lego. It's more like any other plastic toy - pre-built (or made from a few big pieces), not much replayability but "looks cool" on the box and in toy catalogs.
On the company - another anecdote - my son lost a piece of one set, I went through the "lost a piece" process on their web-site and to my surprise they sent it us, for free. Although given all I've spent over the years on Lego, I think I was due a 1x2 grey slope with grill :-)
They've always been absurdly expensive. Maybe you didn't notice it in the US before since the dollar was so strong, but over here in Europe it's always been pricey stuff.
There is reason for their seemingly high prices it is because of how accurately the bricks are built. They are meant to be a precise size to something like 0.002 mm and you can see it is a quality product compared to Mega Blocks which just feels cheap.
I'd say a normal set goes for about $0.10 a piece, prices will go up if they require a license (Star Wars) or have lots of special abnormal pieces.
Minifigs cost a lot more to make, they are also collectable themselves. I have collected sets since I was three years old and I have only recently discovered how valuable and collectable just the minifigs are to some people.
I'd say a normal set goes for about $0.10 a piece, prices will go up if they require a license (Star Wars) or have lots of special abnormal pieces.
Minifigs cost a lot more to make, they are also collectable themselves. I have collected sets since I was three years old and I have only recently discovered how valuable and collectable just the minifigs are to some people.
Yeah, they may be expensive, but I've played with multiple "clones" as a kid and none got even close to their quality. Even the colors were often off.
Is it possible that inflation[1] has outpaced your childhood memories? Assuming 1990 is a mid-point for peak LEGO buying among HN readers, here's a couple of basic 'space' sets with comparitive prices:
6923 "Particle Ionizer", a small space ship: $24 in 1990 would be $42.48 in 2012
1616 "Space Combo", couple of minifigs and mini vehicles: $10 in 1990 would be $17.70 in 2012
[1] http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm
[2] http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6923
[3] http://guide.lugnet.com/set/1616
6923 "Particle Ionizer", a small space ship: $24 in 1990 would be $42.48 in 2012
1616 "Space Combo", couple of minifigs and mini vehicles: $10 in 1990 would be $17.70 in 2012
[1] http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm
[2] http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6923
[3] http://guide.lugnet.com/set/1616
I guess it's all about having valuable brand, IP and tie in deals with movies etc.
See also Games Workshop.
See also Games Workshop.
> I guess it's all about having valuable brand
Yet still people call it Legos :(
Yet still people call it Legos :(
Haha. Yes, a quick lesson for those stateside:
Lego is the brand. One of the bricks is called a 'lego brick'. A collection of bricks is called 'lego bricks'. But there is no such thing as 'Legos'.
Lego is the brand. One of the bricks is called a 'lego brick'. A collection of bricks is called 'lego bricks'. But there is no such thing as 'Legos'.
That's not how English vernacular works, sorry. LEGO is welcome to market its brand as an adjective, and English speakers are welcome to call them Legos, as every Lego-loving child and adult I've ever known personally does.
Normally I would agree with you; Language is open-source, people can adapt it as they like as long as they are commonly understood by those around them.
But not in this case. Definitely not 'legos'. Never ; )
But not in this case. Definitely not 'legos'. Never ; )
I'm 46 and have a collection of over 18,000 Lego pieces. This includes several of the 1200 piece buckets they were selling in the US for $20 about 10 years ago, and the sets my kids have collected.
When I was their age (~10) I only had a few hundred pieces, but I learned to build and re-build those same 100 pieces in many different ways (sheds, space ships, bull dozers, you name it). Lego's certainly had a hand in shaping my future as a developer/engineer. I'm extremely happy to see my kids enjoying them as well.
I think Lego is the best toy in the world! (and an excellent company).
When I was their age (~10) I only had a few hundred pieces, but I learned to build and re-build those same 100 pieces in many different ways (sheds, space ships, bull dozers, you name it). Lego's certainly had a hand in shaping my future as a developer/engineer. I'm extremely happy to see my kids enjoying them as well.
I think Lego is the best toy in the world! (and an excellent company).
Many years ago, my youngest brother had some kind of Lego train set game on the PC. He built little Lego train layouts on there. Maybe it's like Hornby; I don't know.
The game had a network play option. A player could play together with someone else over the internet who had the same game. I don't recall how many years ago this was, but I've got the idea in my head that there was no central game managing server. You had to already know who to play with. Possibly even knowing their IP address.
Anyway, he didn't know anyone. He really wanted to play, so he wrote to them asking if they knew anyone he could play this game with.
Someone wrote back, apologising for not knowing anyone he could play with, and included a mousemat and a pack of lego.
I'm welling up here. I'm going to go out and firebomb the Duplo factory.
The game had a network play option. A player could play together with someone else over the internet who had the same game. I don't recall how many years ago this was, but I've got the idea in my head that there was no central game managing server. You had to already know who to play with. Possibly even knowing their IP address.
Anyway, he didn't know anyone. He really wanted to play, so he wrote to them asking if they knew anyone he could play this game with.
Someone wrote back, apologising for not knowing anyone he could play with, and included a mousemat and a pack of lego.
I'm welling up here. I'm going to go out and firebomb the Duplo factory.
Duplo is made by Lego (and Duplo bricks are compatible with Lego bricks).
Speaking as a parent, Lego is a terrible toy. Legos are only available in build-one-thing sets now - 100+ tiny pieces which build one thing, and if you lose a piece, you can't build that one thing any more, and the pieces aren't suited to building anything else. Plus the resulting toys are terrible - you can't play with them, they fall apart! I suppose I could glue every piece together, but that seems tedious. It makes for very profitable presents-from-grandma, but it's a crappy toy. I've embargoed Legos in my house.
Speaking as a marketer, HN should understand that this is a piece of viral marketing from Lego. It was created by an ad agency, not by good customer service.
Speaking as a marketer, HN should understand that this is a piece of viral marketing from Lego. It was created by an ad agency, not by good customer service.
As a parent of 3 kids who have more lego than they know what to do with, I disagree. They've got a ton of lego city stuff, a few technics, and a couple of the character/themed ones. That's enough to cover the living room floor about an inch deep, with a few spare pieces to hide near their beds for me to step on at night.
There are special parts, not that many of them really. A lot of them can be worked around with a little builder's ingenuity. The special parts that are the most annoying are the ones where we have one or two, they're small, and they're somewhere. Not where we're looking, or where we've been looking for the last half hour.
My kids build the kit design once. Then the pieces go into the bins. They'll build it again, in motley color schemes, with adaptations. They'll build boats, cars, towers, trucks, and spaceships. And some things that I can't name, but they can tell you exactly what each piece is for.
And in the last year or so, they've started downloading the instructions for sets that they don't have from the lego site, going through them and figuring out what pieces they don't have and need to work around, and deciding if they can build those items. (This is a 5 and an 8 yr old). At 5, the kid is looking through a set of instructions, identifying pieces, remembering if there is one of them in the thousands of pieces we have, and deciding if it's something that can be worked around. That's pretty good training for engineering.
There are special parts, not that many of them really. A lot of them can be worked around with a little builder's ingenuity. The special parts that are the most annoying are the ones where we have one or two, they're small, and they're somewhere. Not where we're looking, or where we've been looking for the last half hour.
My kids build the kit design once. Then the pieces go into the bins. They'll build it again, in motley color schemes, with adaptations. They'll build boats, cars, towers, trucks, and spaceships. And some things that I can't name, but they can tell you exactly what each piece is for.
And in the last year or so, they've started downloading the instructions for sets that they don't have from the lego site, going through them and figuring out what pieces they don't have and need to work around, and deciding if they can build those items. (This is a 5 and an 8 yr old). At 5, the kid is looking through a set of instructions, identifying pieces, remembering if there is one of them in the thousands of pieces we have, and deciding if it's something that can be worked around. That's pretty good training for engineering.
You are doing Lego wrong!
When I was a kid (and that was during the horrible late nineties and early 2000s, when Lego was all about cramming as many special pieces into their sets as possible – a trend that has reversed by now) I of course needed generic bricks, but even the horrible sets of that time provided them in large enough numbers. What I also loved was repurposing special parts in novel ways. That was always possible, with every part.
My multifunctional super-car obviously needed all the special computer bricks I could get my hands on!
The only thing I never liked where bricks with stickers. Luckily those were and still are rare.
When I was a kid (and that was during the horrible late nineties and early 2000s, when Lego was all about cramming as many special pieces into their sets as possible – a trend that has reversed by now) I of course needed generic bricks, but even the horrible sets of that time provided them in large enough numbers. What I also loved was repurposing special parts in novel ways. That was always possible, with every part.
My multifunctional super-car obviously needed all the special computer bricks I could get my hands on!
The only thing I never liked where bricks with stickers. Luckily those were and still are rare.
When I was a kid (many years ago) Lego, surprise surprise, also came in kits usually to build one and only one thing. I'd always build that thing once, maybe twice, and then all those pieces went into the bigger pile. The kits always had the best pieces; it's actually harder, in my opinion, to build cool stuff if you have nothing but regular old bricks.
I didn't realize you couldn't reuse the Legos from the specialized kits. I better go tell my kids who have built all kinds of crazy contraptions over the years. Frankly, I think having a bin full of parts that used to be a few different kits makes for a lot more creativity than having a bin full of standard Legos. There are so many more options.
Repurposing special kit parts for your own builds is one of the best parts of Legos.
It's an early age manifestation of the hacker ethos - taking some thing and finding all the ways you can use it outside of its original intent, and then putting those disparate things together to build something entirely new.
It's an early age manifestation of the hacker ethos - taking some thing and finding all the ways you can use it outside of its original intent, and then putting those disparate things together to build something entirely new.
I promise you, my friend, that any 10 year old with a little imagination can build a thousand treasures with any 100+ piece lego set.
Edit: as the commenters below pointed out, I was completely wrong-generic lego bricks are still being sold.
Legos were much more customizable 15 years ago than today. Here's a comparison: http://betterwrappedinbacon.wordpress.com/2012/03/31/lego-bl...
Legos were much more customizable 15 years ago than today. Here's a comparison: http://betterwrappedinbacon.wordpress.com/2012/03/31/lego-bl...
"We couldn’t find a single package of Lego blocks that didn’t have a theme"
I don't think they looked hard enough:
http://www.amazon.com/LEGO-Ultimate-Building-Set-Pieces/dp/B...
http://www.amazon.com/LEGO-Bricks-More-Builders-Tomorrow/dp/...
I don't think they looked hard enough:
http://www.amazon.com/LEGO-Ultimate-Building-Set-Pieces/dp/B...
http://www.amazon.com/LEGO-Bricks-More-Builders-Tomorrow/dp/...
Those are cherrypicked examples. 15 years ago they still had the custom horse, dragon, stone wall, etc pieces and today they still have sets of just plain pieces.
Longer ago than that... More than 30 years ago there were themed sets with somewhat custom pieces:
http://letsbuilditagain.com/instructions/6630/ http://letsbuilditagain.com/instructions/6880/
(To pick 2 completely random examples)
Back in '82 there weren't as many different themes (afaik there were maybe 4: space, town, castle and trains), but the concept definitely existed.
Some might even argue about the gender-neutrality of those themes too: the majority of Lego I owned around that time was the space-themed stuff, and my sister had some of the town sets. In fact, as long ago as 1979 Lego brought out a range called Scala [1] that was targeted almost exclusively at girls (my wife has really fond memories of those sets!)
[1] http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/Scala
http://letsbuilditagain.com/instructions/6630/ http://letsbuilditagain.com/instructions/6880/
(To pick 2 completely random examples)
Back in '82 there weren't as many different themes (afaik there were maybe 4: space, town, castle and trains), but the concept definitely existed.
Some might even argue about the gender-neutrality of those themes too: the majority of Lego I owned around that time was the space-themed stuff, and my sister had some of the town sets. In fact, as long ago as 1979 Lego brought out a range called Scala [1] that was targeted almost exclusively at girls (my wife has really fond memories of those sets!)
[1] http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/Scala
that's not a comparison it's at best an anecdote.
While I can see how LEGO sets have indeed become less imaginative in the box (all these sets that are specific for one use) unlike the creativity that was required when I was a child playing with LEGOs, that does not change the fact that you can use all the pieces in creative ways. Instead of embargoing LEGOs, maybe you should use them to teach your children to be creative in coming up with new ideas. (This is not meant as a commentary at your parenting skills - while typing this I can already see it as potentially coming across like that since I can't convey the proper emotion with text on a screen - just offering it as an alternate viewpoint).
LEGOs gave me the power to use my imagination and creativity to build what I wanted, and this empowered me as a child, and honestly I believe that it also gave me the analytical mindset that has translated over to my programming career.
LEGOs gave me the power to use my imagination and creativity to build what I wanted, and this empowered me as a child, and honestly I believe that it also gave me the analytical mindset that has translated over to my programming career.
The Lego creator sets are built with the generic bricks and and they reintroduced the City line which also uses far fewer specialized bricks than the licensed sets. The big tub'o'bricks are still on sale as well.
Lego's very close to my heart - so I had to check they still sold bins of bricks. V glad you're right!
Boxes of bricks: http://creative.lego.com/en-us/products/Default.aspx#5749
Lego City: http://city.lego.com/en-us/Products/Default.aspx
Boxes of bricks: http://creative.lego.com/en-us/products/Default.aspx#5749
Lego City: http://city.lego.com/en-us/Products/Default.aspx
The 'genius' of Lego is that the pieces from one 'build one thing' set work with the pieces from other 'build one thing' sets. I had a ton of those as a kid and they all ended up just being source material for whatever I was building. As a kid, whenever I saw new sets the things I was most interested in were all of the new custom pieces. "Wow! That set comes with a shark!" instead of "Look I can build some underwater vehicle!" I don't think that I ever rebuilt any of my sets after they were deconstructed back into 'source material.'
I love the shark. It's the best single purpose 2 pieces ever.
I don't know if you have a Lego Store near you, but you can walk into a Lego store and buy generic Lego bricks in every color. They also have a great website that lets you order 1 of any specialized brick they make or the generic bricks in bulk for pennies each.
Not sure what the problem with that is. And as others have said, after a week all those legos just go into one pot anyways and mix together to make anything.
Not sure what the problem with that is. And as others have said, after a week all those legos just go into one pot anyways and mix together to make anything.
> and the pieces aren't suited to building anything else
You are doing it wrong!
You are doing it wrong!
The simplest solution then is to avoid the fancy "sets" and just buy the Lego generic collections. For example, this is what I got for my desk at work - http://www.amazon.com/LEGO-Bricks-More-Builders-Tomorrow/dp/... granted I wish they had included fewer small pieces, but it has no specialty parts so your limit is just your imagination.
Did you just refer to the Consumerist as an ad agency?
What makes you think it's viral marketing and not just a company doing a cool thing?
Lego still sells more 'old school' style sets, along with tubs of generic blocks. The sets also usually include extras of the smallest pieces.
Lemme guess, you've hated Lego since before it was cool to hate Lego?
Lemme guess, you've hated Lego since before it was cool to hate Lego?
I heard an interesting story that Lego faced a crisis where they were losing market share and profitability and so they decided to do some licensing deals which have had a very positive effect on their bottom line.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Lego
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Lego
Yeah it was in the late 90s I believe that they were almost going bankrupt. Part of it too was the number of special pieces they would use for only one set. I have the Lego Book and it's a great read, goes into a lot more detail than that Wikipedia page.
which book is it? I'd be interested to read it!
Literally ``The Lego Book'' - http://www.amazon.ca/Lego-Book-Dorling-Kindersley/dp/0756656...
Lego is great. A while back they had something where you could design your own hero factory on their website, so my son started saving up and doing chores so that he could get one.
Well, after a couple of weeks, we went to build one, but we couldn't find anywhere where we could do it. The website said we could, but we couldn't find where to. My wife emailed Lego and asked them how to do it, but it turns out they were no longer doing it, but the website had not been updated (in fact, they had stopped doing it before we had even seen it to begin with).
My son was very sad of course, but Lego sent him a $20 gift card and a bunch of stickers and some stuff so that he could buy some other hero factory stuff, which made his day and allowed him to get much more than he could of with what he saved up.
Well, after a couple of weeks, we went to build one, but we couldn't find anywhere where we could do it. The website said we could, but we couldn't find where to. My wife emailed Lego and asked them how to do it, but it turns out they were no longer doing it, but the website had not been updated (in fact, they had stopped doing it before we had even seen it to begin with).
My son was very sad of course, but Lego sent him a $20 gift card and a bunch of stickers and some stuff so that he could buy some other hero factory stuff, which made his day and allowed him to get much more than he could of with what he saved up.
As far as I know LEGO actually has a vault with a couple sets of all their products. Which of course means some body has the job description of official LEGO librarian.
Regarding Lego's in general. I love them! I had a ton as a child. My best friend had all the castles and my cousin was obsessed beyond anyone I have ever met, even today.
Currently I am into the Mindstorms sets. I buy them all. Right now I have 2 of them and I want very badly some of the 3rd party accessories to make some unique fun robotic machines or robots. The possibilities seem endless. There are so many neat ones I can't decide what I should build to use them now. I find my self thinking of robots that could do something only to make an excuse to buy the part and build it.
This situation that the boy was in reminds me of Nintendo games.
1. A new fun game I wanted would come out.
2. I would save up the funds to buy it or I was currently playing something else I would need to finish first.
3. By the time I got the money or finished the previously mentioned game, the game I wanted would be out of print and the prices would be in the stratosphere.
4. Sometimes, Christmas or birthday would come around and mom would be the savior. I would drop my jaw she was willing to and paid so much money for some of my games. I keep the ones she bought me not only to play again, but for sentimental reasons.
Currently I am into the Mindstorms sets. I buy them all. Right now I have 2 of them and I want very badly some of the 3rd party accessories to make some unique fun robotic machines or robots. The possibilities seem endless. There are so many neat ones I can't decide what I should build to use them now. I find my self thinking of robots that could do something only to make an excuse to buy the part and build it.
This situation that the boy was in reminds me of Nintendo games.
1. A new fun game I wanted would come out.
2. I would save up the funds to buy it or I was currently playing something else I would need to finish first.
3. By the time I got the money or finished the previously mentioned game, the game I wanted would be out of print and the prices would be in the stratosphere.
4. Sometimes, Christmas or birthday would come around and mom would be the savior. I would drop my jaw she was willing to and paid so much money for some of my games. I keep the ones she bought me not only to play again, but for sentimental reasons.
Best LEGO sets ever? GO!
SPACE POLICE http://paperspaceships.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/lego.j...
and
Early-Mid 90s City jump offs http://www.onetwobrick.net/2008/08/set-database-6541-interco...
SPACE POLICE http://paperspaceships.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/lego.j...
and
Early-Mid 90s City jump offs http://www.onetwobrick.net/2008/08/set-database-6541-interco...
When they say it was out of his price range, many mint-boxed sets are available on Bricklink that are the same as or less than the original retail price.
http://www.bricklink.com/search.asp?pg=1&q=10194&sz=...
http://www.bricklink.com/search.asp?pg=1&q=10194&sz=...
Kudos to Lego. I think the majority of us agree their product is full of awesome, and to see them providing this level of customer service is awe-inspiring.
That said, I think we're missing the crux of the story here. These parents let their child save every penny for two years. There's something to be said for teaching your children to save money for something they want, but to let it go on for two years seems overly cruel. As a parent, you need to make sure they get enough money in birthday cards, allowance, etc. to cover the total in a reasonable amount of time.
That said, I think we're missing the crux of the story here. These parents let their child save every penny for two years. There's something to be said for teaching your children to save money for something they want, but to let it go on for two years seems overly cruel. As a parent, you need to make sure they get enough money in birthday cards, allowance, etc. to cover the total in a reasonable amount of time.
My kids took part in the First Lego League robotics competition for this first time this year and it was one of the greatest things ever. For those that do not know, it is a competition where teams build Lego robots to navigate around a board and solve different challenges. The teams also do a project (complete with a market survey, product design, testing, and then a product pitch) as part of the competition.
The Lego robots are easy to build and fun to play with. The default visual programming language is pretty limited, but it is very easy to get started with.
The Lego robots are easy to build and fun to play with. The default visual programming language is pretty limited, but it is very easy to get started with.
This kind of amazing customer care is something every company can aspire to - and not just for the obvious reason of making people smile. This cost LEGO maybe $300 and has netted them an incredible amount of positive press and rekindled emotional connections with their brand.
If you want to read two great and inspiring books about this, read The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk and Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh. We're working to build a culture of over the top customer service and these books are our bibles.
If you want to read two great and inspiring books about this, read The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk and Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh. We're working to build a culture of over the top customer service and these books are our bibles.
My faith in humanity has been restored.
Lego did a really great thing here. It could impact this young man's life forever.
Also, shout out to his parents. They seem like they have done a great job in a tough situation.
Lego did a really great thing here. It could impact this young man's life forever.
Also, shout out to his parents. They seem like they have done a great job in a tough situation.
This is not the first time I've heard good things about Lego, the company.
A friend of a friend (I will try do double-check the story) wanted to use photographs of situations built with Lego to use as illustrations in a internal campaign she created for a company. She wrote to Lego headquarters and they authorised the use of the bricks in her materials, after some minor requests, such as attribution and trademarks.
A friend of a friend (I will try do double-check the story) wanted to use photographs of situations built with Lego to use as illustrations in a internal campaign she created for a company. She wrote to Lego headquarters and they authorised the use of the bricks in her materials, after some minor requests, such as attribution and trademarks.
Cool story, legendary toys.
Their manufacturing practice is also impressive, paying special regard to their consistency: tolerances like 2 micrometers, ~18 fails in a million bricks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego#Manufacture). Any LEGO fan knows the difference between the real deal and "compatible" sets.
Their manufacturing practice is also impressive, paying special regard to their consistency: tolerances like 2 micrometers, ~18 fails in a million bricks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego#Manufacture). Any LEGO fan knows the difference between the real deal and "compatible" sets.
Tears in my eyes after reading this, seeing the "What it is is beautiful" commercial and remembering. Everything.
Brings me back when I was a kid. Playing my new set of Lego every single minute of the days following Christmas.
Yeah, I can relate as well. Spending countless, restless hours building small lego-cities. I have no doubt in my mind that that's what got me into an engineering-career. Except now I'm spending countless hours designing complex, high availablity, high scalability, backend systems..
Same here. I am positive that it was Lego that influenced me to become an engineer. Ever since I was a small kid I just loved building stuff. Making something out of almost nothing, with most of your creation backed by the power of your intellect is something that is very special. After I outgrew Lego, I started building cities in Sim City... and shortly after that I started coding. It's a logical progression, isn't it?
Plus, for me there literally was something magical in Lego. Every new set would bring such an unparalleled amount of joy and happiness that is hard for me to verbalize now, but I can still vividly remember that feeling of getting a new set and just feeling ecstatic about it... ah, the childhood.
Plus, for me there literally was something magical in Lego. Every new set would bring such an unparalleled amount of joy and happiness that is hard for me to verbalize now, but I can still vividly remember that feeling of getting a new set and just feeling ecstatic about it... ah, the childhood.
At the age of 30, I still get a sense of excitement when I see Lego. I don't know of any engineers who never played with Lego as a kid (or even Meccano to a lesser degree)
Actually I remember hearing over the radio some statistics like over 70% of engineer and architect played lego being kids.
Absolutely. The Lego Mindstorms set I got for Christmas one time pretty much guaranteed I would become a programmer. On another note, it always saddens me when I hear of kids who don't have Lego. Just like how kids get milk at school, they should also get little boxes of lego too :-)
It's stuff like this that not only makes consumers love LEGO, but also just gives the impression that you want to work there when you grow up.
Such a perfect method of satisfying customers while ensuring a steady pool of enthusiastic potential employees.
Such a perfect method of satisfying customers while ensuring a steady pool of enthusiastic potential employees.
Lego definitely are a great company. I lost a few pieces of a train set I had as a kid and when I put in a request to Lego (it was either by e-mail or their website) they sent me the pieces for free!
I'm assuming something that was not mentioned in this story, the kid also got to keep the $100 he had been saving all this time? :)
The video mentions that his parents allowed him to buy another set, but he still was sad that he didn't get the set he wanted.
So the $100 was spent on Legos.
So the $100 was spent on Legos.
That's the most delightful random act of kindness that I've seen in a while. Bravo Lego!
Awwwww...
Shortly after we began shipping, LEGO called. They were very gracious, and only had a couple of TM-related issues they wanted fixed. Nothing unreasonable, really.
When were were done, I offered to send the attorney on the other end of the call a BrickCase. He declined, as he already had one on his phone.
So it's not just kids that they have a great interface with.