Legoland, man!
So what did you build? We had a huge box full of Lego bricks, which we transformed into houses, aircraft and motor cars. And Legoland in Billund, west Denmark! With its fabulous replicas of well- known buildings in Denmark, Legoland was the greatest thing I had seen in all my life. Was it really possible to build all that with Lego bricks? The concept of creating a coherent universe - with "educational value" added - as was the case with Legoland, sowed without any doubt the first seeds of the development we know today within the fields of toys and computer games. Everything is endowed with its own world of accessories, language, clothing, codes - you name it! Toys and computer games have become a brand of their own - a universe one wants to be part of!
Present day needs
The Lego system is good because it is robust and can be used with other toys such as Playmobil - to take one example. Lego has been developed down the years in such a way that there are Lego kits to suit every age group. However, modern technology has overtaken the broad demand for Lego bricks. Today children have other needs and challenges in an age where the computer has become an indispensable tool for education and play. But the Lego building block in all its simplicity has nonetheless been able to stay the course in an era of major technological advances. Because its simple, straightforward concept will always have something to say - also in the future.
CharlotteJul is a writer on design and responsible editor of the periodical KUNSTUFF.
The Lego Brick, 2005. Photo: LEGO.