AS THE BRICKS CELEBRATE THEIR 65TH ANNIVERSARY, WE’RE CELEBRATING ALL THINGS LEGO. They are so very simple: little plastic bricks that snap into each other, basic enough for a child to enjoy, yet brimming with infinite possibilities. Lego was born onJan. 28, 1958. That’s when the Danish son of a toymaker raced to the patent office with a marvelous design breakthrough that allowed those tiny bricks to fit snuggly together yet pull easily apart. Those innocuous-looking top studs and bottom tubes, combined with the use of a kind of plastic that was both lightweight and incredibly strong, produced a building block capable of constructing everything from the humblest house to a tower reaching hundreds of feet high. In these pages, explore the many facets of that miraculous brick, whose potential is limited only by the imagination, and see why Lego is so much more than it’s stacked up to be.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF LEGO! • AS THE BRICKS CELEBRATE THEIR 65TH ANNIVERSARY, WE’RE CELEBRATING ALL THINGS LEGO.
MAKING HISTORY • A DANISH CARPENTER CREATED A WORLDWIDE TOY EMPIRE THAT IS BUILT LARGELY OFF OF THE IMAGINATIONS OF KIDS OF ALL AGES.
BUILDING A TOY EMPIRE BRICK BY BRICK • HOW LEGO GREW OUT OF A DANISH WOODEN TOY SHOP—AND OVERCAME NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES ALONG THE WAY—TO BECOME A PLAY BEHEMOTH.
The Lego Before Lego • THE BRITISH TOY THAT INSPIRED THE LEGO BRICKS WE KNOW TODAY.
Celebrity Fans • THESE STARS LOVE LEGO!
The Bricks Turn 65!
LEGO ANATOMY 101 • AN UP-CLOSE LOOK AT BRICKS, STUDS AND MINIFIGURES.
FANTASTIC CREATIONS • THESE AMAZING ASSEMBLAGES WILL BLOW YOUR MIND!
The World’s Best Lego Builders • THESE TALENTED INDIVIDUALS CREATE STUNNING WORKS OF ART.
BRICKS: THEN, NOW, NEXT • FIND OUT THE SECRETS OF THE LITTLE PLASTIC MARVELS THAT CAN MAKE AMAZING CREATIONS—AND REALLY HURT WHEN YOU STEP ON THEM.
WHAT’S NEW IN 2023 • HERE ARE SOME OF THE SETS BEING RELEASED THIS YEAR, ALONG WITH SOME RUMORED PROJECTS.
ICONIC LEGO SETS • FROM SIMPLE BRICK HOUSES TO SLEEK SPACESHIPS WITH THOUSANDS OF PIECES, LEGO’S BOXED SETS HAVE GROWN WITH THE COMPANY.
The Biggest Sets
HOW THEY’RE MADE • WITH PRECISION THAT WOULD BE THE ENVY OF THE SPACE INDUSTRY, LEGO BRICKS ROLL OFF THE ASSEMBLY LINE BY THE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS.
Will Legos Ever Be Recyclable?
RIP LEGO ROBOTS • THE COMPANY HAS PULLED THE PLUG ON ITS LONG-RUNNING HIGH-TECH MINDSTORMS LINES.
BIGGER PIECES FOR LITTLER BUILDERS • THE HISTORY OF DUPLO, LIKE THAT OF LEGO, FEATURES SOME UPS AND DOWNS.
OUCH! WHY DOES IT HURT SO MUCH TO STEP ON A LEGO? • IT ALL COMES DOWN TO PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY AND STATISTICS.
IF NOT LEGO, THEN WHAT? • THEY MAY BE THE BIGGEST GAME IN TOY TOWN, BUT THEY’RE NOT THE ONLY BRICKMAKER. HERE ARE SOME OF THE BEST-KNOWN COMPETITORS.
ATTACK OF THE CLONES! • AFTER LOSING PATENT PROTECTION, LEGO FENDS OFF IMITATORS IN COURT.
CONQUERING FILM AND TV • LEGO USES THE CONSTRUCTION SETS AS THE FOUNDATION FOR A REALITY SHOW AND A MEGA-HIT MOVIE FRANCHISE.
BUILDING A HIT MOVIE FRANCHISE • FROM BRICKS TO BLOCKBUSTERS, HOW LEGO INSPIRED A POPULAR BIG-SCREEN SERIES
The Earworm Song • ALL ABOUT THAT TUNE, “EVERYTHING IS AWESOME.”
CELEBRITY MINIFIGURES • ACTORS—AND THEIR MOST FAMOUS ROLES—GET THE LEGO TREATMENT.
A PARTNERSHIP MADE IN THE HEAVENS • AFTER INITIALLY REJECTING STAR WARS, LEGO ENJOYS ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL FRANCHISE DEALS IN TOY HISTORY.
Lego Can’t Get Enough Luke Skywalker • THE JEDI MASTER WAS THE FIRST EVER LICENSED LEGO MINIFIGURE.
MR. LEGO • HOW ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT STAR WILL ARNETT BECAME LEGO’S GO-TO GUY.
Other Lego A-Listers • THE FACES BEHIND THE VOICES.
THE LITTLE SHOW THAT BECAME A...
