LEGO Creations for All Ages Paul M.L. Janssen Lakeside Association, July 22 2011 Overview Part 1: History of the LEGO company Part 2: The adult LEGO fan Part 3: Art and Science of LEGO Part 4: Creations by and for all ages Part 5: LEGO Ohio Stadium Part 1: History of the Company Founded in Billund, 1916 Denmark (not named Lego till 1934) by Ole Kirk Christiansen Main Product Line: 1916-1932: Furniture 1932-1960: Wooden Toys 1949-1958: Plastic Pre-bricks 1958-current: System Bricks Part 1: History 1916 Ole Kirk Christiansen purchased an existing wood- working shop that had been in business since 1895. He primarily focused on houses and furniture. In order to aid in designing full-sized product, he constructed miniature sized items such as step-ladders and ironing boards. These miniature creations prompted him to start manufacturing wooden toys. Pull-along LEGO train, 1935 Pull-along LEGO duck, 1935 Part 1: History 1924 His young sons burned down his shop. He rebuilt his shop, now larger, and expanded his business. The great depression hit, and it is said government persuasion made him move primarily into toy production as a full-time focus. 1932 Ole Kirk Christiansen, master carpenter and joiner, establishes his business in the village of Billund, Denmark. His firm manufactures stepladders, ironing boards, stools and wooden toys. His son, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, starts working in the business at the age of 12. Part 1: History 1934 The company and its products now adopt the name LEGO, formed from the Danish words "LEg GOdt" ("play well"). Later, it is realized that in Latin the word means "I put together”. The firm has 6-7 employees. Ole Kirk places the following motto on the workshop wall: "Only the best is good enough". Early versions of the LEGO logo Part 1: History 1942 The LEGO factory burns to the ground (again), however, the production of wooden toys is quickly resumed. 1947 The LEGO Group is the first in Denmark to buy a plastic injection-moulding machine for toy production. The machine costs 30,000 Danish Crowns. By comparison, the revenue of the firm this year is 450,000 Danish Crowns. 1949 The LEGO Automatic Binding Brick with four and eight studs. Part 1: History 1955 After further developing the LEGO Bricks, the company launches the revolutionary "LEGO System of Play". The first real export of LEGO begins. First country is Sweden. Godfred Kirk Christiansen demonstrates the new product at a toy fair in Nuremberg, Germany. Reactions are not positive…... 1958 The current “system” brick is finalized, and is virtually the same as we have today. 1960 The wooden toy warehouse is destroyed by fire. Production of wooden toys is discontinued entirely. App. 450 employees in Billund. LEGO Finland and LEGO Nederland established. Part 1: History 1961 The LEGO Group invents the wheel! It is marketed in the following year. The range comprises 50 sets, 15 vehicles and various loose elements. Sales start in the US and Canada via a license agreement with Samsonite Corp. LEGO Italy established. 1965 LEGO produces its first train set. 1968 LEGOLAND® Billund opens its gates on 7th June and attracts 625,000 visitors in its first season, 3000 on the opening day. The first computer in LEGO Group - an NCR 390 for pay administration. The machine cost 85,000 Danish Crowns. Part 1: History Part 1: History Part 1: History 1978 LEGOLAND mini figures with movable arms and legs. Pre- 1978 1979 The founder’s Grandson, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen takes over as CEO 1984 The first LEGO Technic Computer controlled products are released 1990 The LEGO Group is now one of the world's 10 largest toy manufacturers - the only one in Europe (the others are American and Japanese). The magic barrier - one million visitors in a single year - is broken for the first time at LEGOLAND Billund on 4th September. Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan Although the LEGO group heavily markets their product as a kids toy, they increasingly recognize that there is a rapidly growing market to sell to adults, both as collectors and users of their products. Since the mid 1990’s, an explosion of Adult activity can be Found regarding LEGO. Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan Adults have been playing with LEGO bricks since they were invented. LEGO employees have build large creations for the company For several decades. Adult creations were mainly build for the parks and stores, and occasionally for paying clients Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan Legoland Billund, Mount Rushmore Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan Legoland Billund, Kennedy Space Center Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan Legoland Billund, various park creations Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan AFOL (Adult Fan Of Lego) There are many types of involvement with Lego by adults: •Bonding/playing with (own) kids •Collectors •Builders •Social Involvement •Teaching •Lego Robotics •Artists Wide-spread use and speed of the internet played a major role in the evolvement of the AFOL community Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan 1992: First “major” grouping RTL (rec.toys.lego) 1998: LUGNET (www.lugnet.com) Major Community hub, discussion posts, set-database, group-boards Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan 1998: BrickShelf (www.brickshelf.com) Online Posting of Pictures of MOC’s (My Own Creation) Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan 2000: BrickLink (www.bricklink.com) Online selling of individual bricks and sets Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan 1998: Peeron (www.peeron.com) Online database of individual bricks and sets Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan Initially 15 adult fans acting as Ambassador: * Promote LEGO within the community * Promote the AFOLs inside the LEGO company Providing feedback, suggestions for sets, help in designing, attending meetings Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan In collaborations with the LEGO Group, several FANs have turned the hobby into an actual job, making various creations for paying clients. Heartfelt, by Nathan Sawaya, Feb 2009 Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan Adult Lego User Clubs LUG: Lego Users Group LTC: Lego Train Club 1995: 2 clubs in the USA 2000: 7 clubs in the USA 2005: 38 clubs in the USA 2011: 60+ clubs in the USA Local: Founded in 2003: Central Ohio Lego Train Club Members: 2003: 7 2004: 12 2005: 15 2008: 22 www.coltc.org 2011: 36 Part 2: The Adult LEGO Fan Annual AFOL conventions BrickFest, BrickWorld Initially ~30 participants, Now over 500 attendees, and 10K+ public visitors Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO Many ways to approach a building project, three main aspects are important, often not compatible: Artistic Scientific Economic •Shape •Scale •Cost •Color •Size •Space •Emotion •Construction •Storage •Interpretation •Function •Availability Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO Single Element Slopes/Bricks Bricks Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO Plates Building techniques Plates 3D Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO Bricks Plates Applications Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO Characteristics If you “nail” the critical element, the rest is much less important Examples: Elephant Cow Statue of Liberty People Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO Scale, Size, Emotion, Interpretation, Cost, Construction Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO Scale, Cost Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO Exact Scaling Requires research, math, and measuring Requires finding the hardest-to-do part first Examples: Skyscraper House Car Person Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO Huntington Bank Building, Columbus, OH Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO Borden, LeVeque, Huntington, Verne-Riffe Surroundings to scale Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO Scaling Requires environment and surroundings Purpose Economical factors Same Examples: Skyscraper House Car Person Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO 6-wide 2-wide Train a Grande Vitesse (TGV) Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO Emotion Nathan Sawaya, “Yellow” Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO Interpretation (construction or destruction?) Nathan Sawaya, “Blue” Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO Stephen Colbert, by Nathan Sawaya Part 3: The Art and Science of LEGO Scaling: Microscale Part 4: Creations by and for all ages Creations by LEGO fans, young and old •Computer or Bricks •Built by 1 person or by a group •Artistic or Functional •Small or Big Part 4: Creations by and for all ages Hiawatha Steam Engine, Benn Coifman Part 4: Creations by and for all ages Hiawatha Steam Engine, Benn Coifman Part 4: Creations by and for all ages Hiawatha Steam Engine, Benn Coifman Part 4: Creations by and for all ages Statehouse, Columbus Ohio, Paul Janssen Part 4: Creations by and for all ages “Miracle on the Hudson”, Ken Osbon Part 4: Creations by and for all ages Millyard Project, NELUG Part 4: Creations by and for all ages USS Harry Truman, Malle Hawking Part 4: Creations by and for all ages Working Pinball Machine, Gerrit Bronsveld & Martijn Boogaarts Part 4: Creations by and for all ages Tressel Bridge, Jeramy Spurgeon Part 4: Creations by and for all ages Angel Sculpture (replica), David Winkler Part 4: Creations by and for all ages Steam Locomotive, Cale Leiphart Part 4: Creations by and for all ages Yankee Stadium, Sean Kenney Part 4: Creations by and for all ages Abston Church, Amy Hughes Part 4: Creations by and for all ages Medieval Townhall, Paul Janssen Part 4: Creations by and for all ages Castle, Steve DeCreamer Part 4: Creations by and for all ages Mona Lisa Song of the Angels Mosaics, Eric Harshbarger Part 4: Creations by and for all ages Victorian Mansion, Mike Doyle Part 4: Creations by and for all ages “Jamocklaquat”, Eric Sophie Part 4: Creations by and for all ages Beauty and the Beast, Vincent Cheung Part 4: Creations by and for all ages Han Solo “Carbonite”, Nathan Sawaya Part 4: Creations by and for all ages Church, Paul Janssen Part 4: Creations by and for all ages Swans, Billy Lynch Part 4: Creations by and for all ages St.