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Lego. The toy of my childhood. My brother, sister and myself are the youngest of our cousins, and ended up inheriting all their Lego. We had a whole verandah

by robbiep 12y ago

Lego. The toy of my childhood. My brother, sister and myself are the youngest of our cousins, and ended up inheriting all their Lego. We had a whole verandah (grew up in Australia in the country) filled with our Lego city. It became all encompassing. We had no close neighbors(nearest was 6 km away) and no console until the n64 was old so it was Lego or helping Dad on the farm. We had the most detailed alternate reality you could imagine. Characters, occupations, a little economy (each of us had a primary character . And then all their accessory characters, and we would have a million dollars... Learned a lot about closed economies from that little experiment!) We made cheque books with little bits of carbon paper, and would reconcile the transactions. We would start a 6 month long session by determining the rules- is space allowed? Western? Only one character? Combine with the train set for transport?) And then play out until our 'dump' of all the remaining pieces was left with nothing but the rejects... Then tear down our civilisation, rub of the chalk Marks from the floorboards that laid out the streets (we only had for pieces of road and they were all corners!) I dislike that Lego only comes in kits now... The glory of Lego was in getting a massive rub of pieces and doing whatever you dreamt up out of it. We had a Lego police station and helicopter and a restraint, and they were great centerpieces, but the beauty of our playtime was that it was a creative effort of the the of us. Through out we learned/discovered economics, banking, made mini newspapers, the rules of society... I ever created my first computer program in vb so we could do our bank statements on it. So much love for Lego. Maybe Minecraft fills a similar role in today's kids?

Jgrubb 12y ago
No, Lego still does. Mine just discovered them this past Christmas. They'll build them 5 times in a row and then trade with each other so they can build a new one. I tell ya, as much as I remember loving Legos when I was a kid, there is absolutely nothing as cool as building them with your own kids. Also, they still sell those big boxes of random pieces. I think it's called the "Classic" line or something like that.
- robbiep 12y ago
  That's awesome to know. Still a while away for me but it's on the 'looking forward to' list!
  - Jgrubb 12y ago
    It's pretty great, my house is occasionally quiet for the first time in years because they're all at the table building something. It's also pretty evident (to me) in this thread that the folks who are moaning about how Legos suck now probably are not the ones with kids.
    - DanBC 12y ago
      I have a kid. Lego Friends sucks. The gendering of Lego sucks. The relentless specialist themed sets sucks. The move towards many small fiddly pieces and some specialist pieces to create a Lego-thing sort of sucks. Luckily I can ignore all of that and buy Lego Creative or Lego Classic. http://www.amazon.co.uk/LEGO-10681-Creative-Building-Cube/dp/B00GWG763U/ http://www.amazon.co.uk/LEGO-10681-Creative-Building-Cube/dp... http://www.amazon.co.uk/LEGO-Classic-10698-Large-Creative/dp/B00PY3EYQO/ http://www.amazon.co.uk/LEGO-Classic-10698-Large-Creative/dp...
      - specialist 12y ago
        Mid '90s, I worked at a toy startup. We studied Lego, PlayMobile, K'NEX, etc. Mfg, mktg, distribution, etc. Play tested everything. Conferences, networking, etc. My understanding is gendering of Lego in the US sucks. It's cultural. The EU doesn't have a pink stigma. Also, Lego made bank with the themed sets. First with the western (cowboy) then with Star Wars sets. I think some (not all) of them are awesome. Lego's made plenty of stinker sets. They really had little choice. Their target age market was being squeezed from both ends, "learning toys" on one side, video games on the other. I don't care what child has which toys (boys with dolls, girls with bulldozers, vice versa) so long as they're playing, learning. Overall, that experience made me a toy snob. +1 to Lego/Duplo, Lil' Tikes, and misc reading books. Most other toys suck. Except magnets. Magnets are always cool.
- theoh 12y ago
  Where did you get the idea that the toy is plural? It's not.
  - Jgrubb 12y ago
    Probably no pedantic asshole corrected me when I was a kid and now it's a habit.
    - aaron695 12y ago
      Would it be a pedantic asshole who corrects kids not to say sheeps but sheep? Or someone who actually cared about children and learning?
      - Jgrubb 12y ago
        Or someone who insists that Lego is correct for either singular or plural, when colloquially they were referred to as Legos by everyone I knew growing up? Or someone who points out your writing in fragments instead of acknowledging your point in the first place?
  - alayne 12y ago
    LEGO bricks are commonly called legos in the U.S. This is not a new development.
prof_hobart 12y ago
There's a lot of different kits out there, but you can still buy big buckets of just Lego, such as http://www.amazon.co.uk/LEGO-6177-Basic-Bricks-Deluxe/dp/B000T6XNS6 http://www.amazon.co.uk/LEGO-6177-Basic-Bricks-Deluxe/dp/B00...
aleem 12y ago
The bricks are available as lego buckets http://shop.lego.com/en-US/LEGO-Creative-Bucket-10662 http://shop.lego.com/en-US/LEGO-Creative-Bucket-10662 Ages 4-99. They have discontinued the pneumatic line which is a shame because it required no batteries and I grokked pneumatics because of it--the pneumatic pump had a one-way valve as I recall it allowing air to push through. I was maybe 8 at the time.
- jameshart 12y ago
  Why do people make these assertions about Lego that are patently untrue? No, lego doesn't 'only come in kits'; and kits have pretty much always been available. Here's a comprehensive takedown of the meme: http://bigsalsbrickblog.blogspot.com/2014/08/it-was-all-basic-bricks-in-my-day-part.html http://bigsalsbrickblog.blogspot.com/2014/08/it-was-all-basi... Similarly, where do you get the idea that pneumatics have been dropped? They were on a hiatus, but are now back and still going strong. http://brickset.com/sets/theme-Technic/tag-Pneumatic http://brickset.com/sets/theme-Technic/tag-Pneumatic shows 28 sets, one of which is currently available from Lego direct, and at least two more of which are still available retail. The 2015 Technic flagship model - the Mercedes Arocs truck - will have new pneumatic elements.
  - aleem 12y ago
    I checked in UK and was unable to find it. More recently came across this http://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/939/which-sets-currently-contain-pneumatic-lego-equipment http://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/939/which-sets-cur... Awesome to know I can still get it, ordering one for my son via UK if I can find it.
corry 12y ago
Re: Minecraft - as an adult, Minecraft is the closest thing to lego I've come across. You can build anything, go on any adventure. Far more immersive than lego, but still crude enough that you need a bit of imagination to really get into it.
- robbiep 12y ago
  I've never played mine craft but my observation came about because when doing paediatrics terms a lot of sick kids will have their parents iPad with mine craft. I haven't seen the kind of deep social interaction that my brother sister and I had while playing lego though - more the way we all used to stand around while one of us played simcity 2000 (still social, but one driver of activity)
  - ableal 12y ago
    Two kids can share the same Minecraft play area in two different tablets/PCs. One runs a local server, which the other connects to. State is saved between build sessions. I'm getting reports of a Bacon City and a Cake City being built connected by a railroad ;-)
bane 12y ago
Here ya go http://shop.lego.com/en-US/LEGO-Creative-Suitcase-10682?fromListing=listing http://shop.lego.com/en-US/LEGO-Creative-Suitcase-10682?from...
olavk 12y ago
You can still get generic sets of bricks as you have always been able to. It has been rebranded as the "Classic" line: http://www.lego.com/en-gb/classic/products?ignorereferer=true http://www.lego.com/en-gb/classic/products?ignorereferer=tru...
bmj 12y ago
So much love for Lego. Maybe Minecraft fills a similar role in today's kids? Yeah, LEGO is still a big deal. My older boy has participated in LEGO-based robotics competitions, and both of my boys still spend time just about every day building. My kids do like the kits, but generally those kits stay together for a month or so, and little by little, blocks are scavenged for other projects. My older son has a small handful of built kits that are sacred, but otherwise, the rest of them end up in the bin.
stinkytaco 12y ago
The fact that it's the toy of your childhood actually makes me wonder how effective the ad was at selling legos in 1981. The author says it would have him out the door and buying legos, but that's because he already knows legos and how they work. Would this sell to someone who didn't know legos, or would it just be weird?

by robbiep 12y ago

Jgrubb 12y ago

No, Lego still does. Mine just discovered them this past Christmas. They'll build them 5 times in a row and then trade with each other so they can build a new one. I tell ya, as much as I remember loving Legos when I was a kid, there is absolutely nothing as cool as building them with your own kids. Also, they still sell those big boxes of random pieces. I think it's called the "Classic" line or something like that.

robbiep 12y ago
That's awesome to know. Still a while away for me but it's on the 'looking forward to' list!
- Jgrubb 12y ago
  It's pretty great, my house is occasionally quiet for the first time in years because they're all at the table building something. It's also pretty evident (to me) in this thread that the folks who are moaning about how Legos suck now probably are not the ones with kids.
  - DanBC 12y ago
    I have a kid. Lego Friends sucks. The gendering of Lego sucks. The relentless specialist themed sets sucks. The move towards many small fiddly pieces and some specialist pieces to create a Lego-thing sort of sucks. Luckily I can ignore all of that and buy Lego Creative or Lego Classic. http://www.amazon.co.uk/LEGO-10681-Creative-Building-Cube/dp/B00GWG763U/ http://www.amazon.co.uk/LEGO-10681-Creative-Building-Cube/dp... http://www.amazon.co.uk/LEGO-Classic-10698-Large-Creative/dp/B00PY3EYQO/ http://www.amazon.co.uk/LEGO-Classic-10698-Large-Creative/dp...
    - specialist 12y ago
      Mid '90s, I worked at a toy startup. We studied Lego, PlayMobile, K'NEX, etc. Mfg, mktg, distribution, etc. Play tested everything. Conferences, networking, etc. My understanding is gendering of Lego in the US sucks. It's cultural. The EU doesn't have a pink stigma. Also, Lego made bank with the themed sets. First with the western (cowboy) then with Star Wars sets. I think some (not all) of them are awesome. Lego's made plenty of stinker sets. They really had little choice. Their target age market was being squeezed from both ends, "learning toys" on one side, video games on the other. I don't care what child has which toys (boys with dolls, girls with bulldozers, vice versa) so long as they're playing, learning. Overall, that experience made me a toy snob. +1 to Lego/Duplo, Lil' Tikes, and misc reading books. Most other toys suck. Except magnets. Magnets are always cool.
theoh 12y ago
Where did you get the idea that the toy is plural? It's not.
- Jgrubb 12y ago
  Probably no pedantic asshole corrected me when I was a kid and now it's a habit.
  - aaron695 12y ago
    Would it be a pedantic asshole who corrects kids not to say sheeps but sheep? Or someone who actually cared about children and learning?
    - Jgrubb 12y ago
      Or someone who insists that Lego is correct for either singular or plural, when colloquially they were referred to as Legos by everyone I knew growing up? Or someone who points out your writing in fragments instead of acknowledging your point in the first place?
- alayne 12y ago
  LEGO bricks are commonly called legos in the U.S. This is not a new development.

prof_hobart 12y ago

There's a lot of different kits out there, but you can still buy big buckets of just Lego, such as http://www.amazon.co.uk/LEGO-6177-Basic-Bricks-Deluxe/dp/B000T6XNS6 http://www.amazon.co.uk/LEGO-6177-Basic-Bricks-Deluxe/dp/B00...

aleem 12y ago

The bricks are available as lego buckets http://shop.lego.com/en-US/LEGO-Creative-Bucket-10662 http://shop.lego.com/en-US/LEGO-Creative-Bucket-10662 Ages 4-99. They have discontinued the pneumatic line which is a shame because it required no batteries and I grokked pneumatics because of it--the pneumatic pump had a one-way valve as I recall it allowing air to push through. I was maybe 8 at the time.

jameshart 12y ago
Why do people make these assertions about Lego that are patently untrue? No, lego doesn't 'only come in kits'; and kits have pretty much always been available. Here's a comprehensive takedown of the meme: http://bigsalsbrickblog.blogspot.com/2014/08/it-was-all-basic-bricks-in-my-day-part.html http://bigsalsbrickblog.blogspot.com/2014/08/it-was-all-basi... Similarly, where do you get the idea that pneumatics have been dropped? They were on a hiatus, but are now back and still going strong. http://brickset.com/sets/theme-Technic/tag-Pneumatic http://brickset.com/sets/theme-Technic/tag-Pneumatic shows 28 sets, one of which is currently available from Lego direct, and at least two more of which are still available retail. The 2015 Technic flagship model - the Mercedes Arocs truck - will have new pneumatic elements.
- aleem 12y ago
  I checked in UK and was unable to find it. More recently came across this http://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/939/which-sets-currently-contain-pneumatic-lego-equipment http://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/939/which-sets-cur... Awesome to know I can still get it, ordering one for my son via UK if I can find it.

corry 12y ago

Re: Minecraft - as an adult, Minecraft is the closest thing to lego I've come across. You can build anything, go on any adventure. Far more immersive than lego, but still crude enough that you need a bit of imagination to really get into it.

robbiep 12y ago
I've never played mine craft but my observation came about because when doing paediatrics terms a lot of sick kids will have their parents iPad with mine craft. I haven't seen the kind of deep social interaction that my brother sister and I had while playing lego though - more the way we all used to stand around while one of us played simcity 2000 (still social, but one driver of activity)
- ableal 12y ago
  Two kids can share the same Minecraft play area in two different tablets/PCs. One runs a local server, which the other connects to. State is saved between build sessions. I'm getting reports of a Bacon City and a Cake City being built connected by a railroad ;-)

bane 12y ago

Here ya go http://shop.lego.com/en-US/LEGO-Creative-Suitcase-10682?fromListing=listing http://shop.lego.com/en-US/LEGO-Creative-Suitcase-10682?from...

olavk 12y ago

You can still get generic sets of bricks as you have always been able to. It has been rebranded as the "Classic" line: http://www.lego.com/en-gb/classic/products?ignorereferer=true http://www.lego.com/en-gb/classic/products?ignorereferer=tru...

bmj 12y ago

So much love for Lego. Maybe Minecraft fills a similar role in today's kids? Yeah, LEGO is still a big deal. My older boy has participated in LEGO-based robotics competitions, and both of my boys still spend time just about every day building. My kids do like the kits, but generally those kits stay together for a month or so, and little by little, blocks are scavenged for other projects. My older son has a small handful of built kits that are sacred, but otherwise, the rest of them end up in the bin.

stinkytaco 12y ago

The fact that it's the toy of your childhood actually makes me wonder how effective the ad was at selling legos in 1981. The author says it would have him out the door and buying legos, but that's because he already knows legos and how they work. Would this sell to someone who didn't know legos, or would it just be weird?