THe PEOPLE THAT MAKE LEGOS EXIST
With the toy business being a perennially fad-laden industry, how has LEGO, a heavily tradition-based company, stayed afloat and grown to become the second largest toy manufacturer in the world?
Written by Kaess Smit
"Only the best is good enough," LEGO founder Ole Kirk's mantra, manifested itself in an internal perfectionism that functioned to create one of the strongest brand images of the 20th century. This early dedication to longevity led to a product so precise that a LEGO out of a box today would fit perfectly with a piece from 1953. A child born today will likely have parents, even grandparents with some fond memory of Legos, and an intense desire to share a similar experience with their children. Very few products enable and encourage creativity while simultaneously maintaining such a distinct and recognizable product and brand image, but LEGO does this with ease. The stark simplicity of each block provides an ever-intriguing contrast with the immensely beautiful complexity of any assembled whole. This juxtaposition has inspired enthusiasts worldwide for decades, and created a wide array of extremely passionate Adult Fans of Legos, AFOLs, that have be en providing LEGO a symbiotic relationship that has fostered the company's growth over the years. While it may seem counter-intuitive, a primary driving force behind LEGO's growth is brought on by the passionate enthusiasm within a community of older users and parents, as opposed to only the desire of children.
Unfortunate Trends among children in the 21st century: how lego adapted
According to most youth-based and generational studies conducted after 2000, children are changing, changing fast. Compared to 1981, children today have 10 fewer hours of free time per week (Baker). Even compared to 2006, children now spend 20% less time outside, and double the amount of time on the internet (Tandon 8). Overall, most data suggests that children are rapidly adapting to a much more electronic entertainment form. How can LEGO, a company that has always championed its tactile, spacial brick learning environment, keep up?
In 1998, LEGO introduced the Mindstorms line of products, a basic robotics kit targeted to all audiences. It featured programmable blocks that could be inserted into robots that were built by the players. Users could build, design, and program their own robots, or follow the guided instructions given with the kit. Mindstorm has only grown since introduction, now featuring a lush online database hat allows children and adult enthusiasts alike to share ideas in a very active community. Today, Mindstorm Ev3 utilizes Bluetooth and iOS apps to control the robots; clearly keeping up with kids' desires. Mindstorms kits have been incorporated in up to 50% of primary schools throughout the United States, and are extremely popular among adult populations, accounting for up to 50% of their sales. Initially, when the software was hacked and updated, Lego decided to open source the material, since their goal was to stimulate creativity, not stifle it. This proved to be extremely beneficial.
The change has led to a massive explosion of Lego robotics teams recently, with many children joining leagues and competing in competitions regularly. In Lidz’s perspective, it is teaching lessons that could never be learned in traditional curriculum, and is building a much more passionate, skilled set of future engineers. FIRST, a league created by the inventor of the Segway, Dean Kamen, was created to demystify engineering and create a more fun incentive to math and science for a nation full of children dropping out of technical programs. He wanted to foster a scientific environment of teamwork, which is rarely seen in classrooms today in the United States.
The Mindstorm set, which has exceeded LEGO's initial expectations of success, was founded with LEGO ideals of creativity and ingenuity in mind. Consumers were quick to recognize this, and the product caught on very quickly, and the enthusiasm for it quickly built. Once again, the success of the object was based on a symbiotic relationship with the enthusiasts. Because users are able to leave their own mark on LEGOs, and express their own self through the Mindstorm system, it becomes a cultural icon within the realm of enthusiasts and casual users alike. While LEGO adapted and strayed away from their original fundamental blocks, many of their design traits remained consistent, leading to the maintenance of an iconic brand that bring so many fans along with it.
In 1998, LEGO introduced the Mindstorms line of products, a basic robotics kit targeted to all audiences. It featured programmable blocks that could be inserted into robots that were built by the players. Users could build, design, and program their own robots, or follow the guided instructions given with the kit. Mindstorm has only grown since introduction, now featuring a lush online database hat allows children and adult enthusiasts alike to share ideas in a very active community. Today, Mindstorm Ev3 utilizes Bluetooth and iOS apps to control the robots; clearly keeping up with kids' desires. Mindstorms kits have been incorporated in up to 50% of primary schools throughout the United States, and are extremely popular among adult populations, accounting for up to 50% of their sales. Initially, when the software was hacked and updated, Lego decided to open source the material, since their goal was to stimulate creativity, not stifle it. This proved to be extremely beneficial.
The change has led to a massive explosion of Lego robotics teams recently, with many children joining leagues and competing in competitions regularly. In Lidz’s perspective, it is teaching lessons that could never be learned in traditional curriculum, and is building a much more passionate, skilled set of future engineers. FIRST, a league created by the inventor of the Segway, Dean Kamen, was created to demystify engineering and create a more fun incentive to math and science for a nation full of children dropping out of technical programs. He wanted to foster a scientific environment of teamwork, which is rarely seen in classrooms today in the United States.
The Mindstorm set, which has exceeded LEGO's initial expectations of success, was founded with LEGO ideals of creativity and ingenuity in mind. Consumers were quick to recognize this, and the product caught on very quickly, and the enthusiasm for it quickly built. Once again, the success of the object was based on a symbiotic relationship with the enthusiasts. Because users are able to leave their own mark on LEGOs, and express their own self through the Mindstorm system, it becomes a cultural icon within the realm of enthusiasts and casual users alike. While LEGO adapted and strayed away from their original fundamental blocks, many of their design traits remained consistent, leading to the maintenance of an iconic brand that bring so many fans along with it.
who are these fans and what do they do?
Adult Fans of Legos - isn't everyone a fan of LEGO? Surely, no large group has an extremely negative view on LEGOs. AFOLs, however, have an extremely positive view on LEGOs. Many have collections boasting millions of pieces, many times collections being worth several hundred thousand dollars. For much of the 20th century, however, most of this community was relatively isolated. Without the internet, communication amongst enthusiasts was sparse, and conventions were not nearly as commonplace as they are today. Now, enthusiasts of all ages and walks of life are inspired by AFOLs, who lead the way in creativity, development, and sharing of passion for LEGOS. Today, many organizations coexist, and LEGO's encouragement of creativity is paramount to their thriving.
"I do LEGO because I love it. Other people don't have to understand it or accept it," said Jason Ruff, pictured above, in an interview for AFOL: A Blocumentary. In the past couple decades, an acceptance of eccentric hobbies and interests has become much more common, according to many enthusiasts of LEGO. This has fostered a large growth in the community of AFOL, which Lego has come to develop a much closer relationship over the past 10 years. Lego realizes that these enthusiasts, with a steady income and unwavering love for almost anything that LEGO releases, are essential to the company's existence. Lego perpetuates it existence through the people that use it.
LEGO first released themed sets, Space, Castle, and City, to much acclaim. These themes allowed users to fully immerse themselves in whatever they built, and create complex worlds that led to more intense hobbyism developing in the late 20th century. Star Wars was LEGO's first licensed lego theme, and it proved to be very successful. Hobbyists from both fields began to overlap and swap ideas, and licensed themes started to become much more common. LEGO's ability to collaborate in design led to a much more rich canvas for enthusiasts to express their ideas on.
Wayne Hussey, one of these enthusiasts with hundreds of thousands spent on LEGOs, says that his "first 25 years of building were spent alone. Only in the past 15 years has the community really flourished due to conventions and the internet." Conventions, like Brickcon, feature models from hundreds of adult hobbyists, allow visitors to build their own models, host many competitions, and have a large marketplace of LEGO parts and sets. According to Ruff, “Brickcon is where you make friends, where you show off what you’ve built, see everything that you’ve been looking at online, but friends is the biggest takeaway always.” After LEGO nearly collapsing in 2003, while no significant community aspect of the hobbyist sector existed, it was clear that community was necessary. Their commitment to original content and going "back to the brick" proved to be very successful, because it fostered the creativity that was so valued by AFOLs. To many, such as Tom Rafert, "it's another art medium." This further displays the symbiosis between LEGO and its users, and how important the LEGO subculture is in the design of the bricks.
"I do LEGO because I love it. Other people don't have to understand it or accept it," said Jason Ruff, pictured above, in an interview for AFOL: A Blocumentary. In the past couple decades, an acceptance of eccentric hobbies and interests has become much more common, according to many enthusiasts of LEGO. This has fostered a large growth in the community of AFOL, which Lego has come to develop a much closer relationship over the past 10 years. Lego realizes that these enthusiasts, with a steady income and unwavering love for almost anything that LEGO releases, are essential to the company's existence. Lego perpetuates it existence through the people that use it.
LEGO first released themed sets, Space, Castle, and City, to much acclaim. These themes allowed users to fully immerse themselves in whatever they built, and create complex worlds that led to more intense hobbyism developing in the late 20th century. Star Wars was LEGO's first licensed lego theme, and it proved to be very successful. Hobbyists from both fields began to overlap and swap ideas, and licensed themes started to become much more common. LEGO's ability to collaborate in design led to a much more rich canvas for enthusiasts to express their ideas on.
Wayne Hussey, one of these enthusiasts with hundreds of thousands spent on LEGOs, says that his "first 25 years of building were spent alone. Only in the past 15 years has the community really flourished due to conventions and the internet." Conventions, like Brickcon, feature models from hundreds of adult hobbyists, allow visitors to build their own models, host many competitions, and have a large marketplace of LEGO parts and sets. According to Ruff, “Brickcon is where you make friends, where you show off what you’ve built, see everything that you’ve been looking at online, but friends is the biggest takeaway always.” After LEGO nearly collapsing in 2003, while no significant community aspect of the hobbyist sector existed, it was clear that community was necessary. Their commitment to original content and going "back to the brick" proved to be very successful, because it fostered the creativity that was so valued by AFOLs. To many, such as Tom Rafert, "it's another art medium." This further displays the symbiosis between LEGO and its users, and how important the LEGO subculture is in the design of the bricks.
A typical LEGO convention shown in video above.
Fans have recently branched out all over the internet, from Reddit, to Flickr, to LUGnet, a worldwide source for LEGO news and central hub for events and gatherings, or Brickipedia, a fan-run encyclopedia of all LEGO products, bricks, and sets ever made. Additionally, LEGO provides much of their content online, to allow for easy and instant access to all guides or any relevant information necessary for all builders. LEGO even offers a free program that allows users to build LEGO models on the computer in a 3D modeling environment. The fan-based websites, however, are even more thorough and enthusiastic. LEGOs are designed with the hobbyist in mind. Their extreme modularity and unparalleled precision is what allows for these unbelievably complex models to be constructed. Very few products enable and encourage creativity while simultaneously maintaining such a distinct and recognizable product and brand image.
Interestingly, a select few individuals worldwide are chosen by LEGO to represent the brand image. LEGO employs 40 Master Builders, who are responsible for constructing all of the projects at various LEGOLAND locations, and holding workshops and demonstrations of their skill. It is an extremely long and arduous road to achieve this status, and the selection process is unbelievably selective. LEGO Certified Professionals, of whom there are twelve, are extremely skilled freelance builders who operate a business to business relationship with LEGO. Many of them are widely respected artists, with their medium being strictly LEGO.
This complex, vivid network of enthusiasm leads to LEGOs having an extremely reliable secondary market value. Many marketplaces exist, but interestingly, many people also decide to steal LEGOs from retail stores and resell them. Because Lego was able to create such an iconic brand through their consistent design traits and ability to adapt to markets, essentially every Lego set produced appreciates in value overtime. For example, a Statue of Liberty set, originally released in 2000 for $200, is now listed for $10,000 on Amazon. Stealing Legos, or even just buying them from stores and reselling later, is one of the most reliable investments a person can make. Additionally, the Legos are relatively untraceable, since they are produced in such mass numbers and tolerances and dimensions are so precise that there are no distinct differences between batches. While many look at Legos as simple toys, they have been a consistent element of culture almost worldwide for the last half-century. This position as a cultural playtime centerpiece definitely explains the desire to steal and resell.
Interestingly, a select few individuals worldwide are chosen by LEGO to represent the brand image. LEGO employs 40 Master Builders, who are responsible for constructing all of the projects at various LEGOLAND locations, and holding workshops and demonstrations of their skill. It is an extremely long and arduous road to achieve this status, and the selection process is unbelievably selective. LEGO Certified Professionals, of whom there are twelve, are extremely skilled freelance builders who operate a business to business relationship with LEGO. Many of them are widely respected artists, with their medium being strictly LEGO.
This complex, vivid network of enthusiasm leads to LEGOs having an extremely reliable secondary market value. Many marketplaces exist, but interestingly, many people also decide to steal LEGOs from retail stores and resell them. Because Lego was able to create such an iconic brand through their consistent design traits and ability to adapt to markets, essentially every Lego set produced appreciates in value overtime. For example, a Statue of Liberty set, originally released in 2000 for $200, is now listed for $10,000 on Amazon. Stealing Legos, or even just buying them from stores and reselling later, is one of the most reliable investments a person can make. Additionally, the Legos are relatively untraceable, since they are produced in such mass numbers and tolerances and dimensions are so precise that there are no distinct differences between batches. While many look at Legos as simple toys, they have been a consistent element of culture almost worldwide for the last half-century. This position as a cultural playtime centerpiece definitely explains the desire to steal and resell.
What about people who just kind of like legos?
LEGO is extremely interesting in that it effectively bridges so many cultural gaps. Its longevity can definitely be lent to the fact that it appeals to so many crowds. While many toys only appeal to a distinct audience, hoping their sales will flourish based on the desire of certain child groups, LEGO knows that their products can appeal to everyone. This is because of their commitment to tradition in design, while balancing innovation to keep up with a changing landscape (Bender). Most hobby-based products only appeal to hobbyists. Most children's toys only appeal to children. Everyone has some sort of emotional attachment to LEGOs. The product's exalted place in global culture is due to "intergenerational links that exert strong influence on purchasing behavior: People want to pass on to their children the most intensely pleasurable play experiences they remember from their own childhoods" (Murphy).
Most developmental psychological studies show higher levels of connection and intergenerational gaps among parents and children than traditionally believed (Rossi). Most recent research on parenting emphasizes the importance of shared enthusiasm for objects or things (Bigner). As technology becomes heavily incorporated in children's lives, and many parents are left behind, a larger intergenerational gap can be created. LEGOs have been reached for as an effective bridge, something that all can take interest in, leading to shared passion amongst adults and children.
Many would argue that anything that functions to increase one's creativity is priceless. This fundamental aspect of Legos is an undeniable motivator in many purchaser's heads. Lego has almost always been on the right track in terms of designing to meet this need. Legos are designed in a way in which they come to define the people that own them, and vice versa. But the company couldn't possibly always be on the fast track to perfection. Some of LEGO's decisions actually led to hard times within the company, but the iconism of the product and the rich culture behind producing it eventually moved through, explained in the next section.
Most developmental psychological studies show higher levels of connection and intergenerational gaps among parents and children than traditionally believed (Rossi). Most recent research on parenting emphasizes the importance of shared enthusiasm for objects or things (Bigner). As technology becomes heavily incorporated in children's lives, and many parents are left behind, a larger intergenerational gap can be created. LEGOs have been reached for as an effective bridge, something that all can take interest in, leading to shared passion amongst adults and children.
Many would argue that anything that functions to increase one's creativity is priceless. This fundamental aspect of Legos is an undeniable motivator in many purchaser's heads. Lego has almost always been on the right track in terms of designing to meet this need. Legos are designed in a way in which they come to define the people that own them, and vice versa. But the company couldn't possibly always be on the fast track to perfection. Some of LEGO's decisions actually led to hard times within the company, but the iconism of the product and the rich culture behind producing it eventually moved through, explained in the next section.
Company Culture: Perfection, innovation, and emphasis on creativity
LEGO always strives to develop builders of tomorrow. With their "only the best is good enough" company motto and philosophy, LEGO's commitment to quality and their purpose showed them great success throughout the 20th century. LEGO was booming in the 1990's, but complacent at the same time. The company had not posted a loss in any memory. As children began to gain more interest in technology in the late 1990s, LEGO tried a lot of different things to adapt. "The problem lay not
with the product, but with the company's attempts in the Nineties to make
itself more modern and relevant in the age of video games. It had attempted to
broaden its appeal to the young female market; it had tried to become a
lifestyle brand with its own lines of clothes and watches; it had built more
theme parks. But in doing so it had neglected its core business," which was making simple, stripped down parts that fostered the creativity of the user (Delingpole). So, in 2004, LEGO's new and young CEO Jorgen Vig Knudstorp brought about a complete makeover of the company. Interestingly, the makeover was fundamentally centered around traditional values. Lean manufacuring, cutting costs, and primarily, making what they were good at - traditional LEGOs.
Finding a harmonious balance between things that felt completely new, but familiar enough to encourage comfortable play, was emphasized very heavily in LEGO's restructuring. Common concepts in design interestingly also apply to design for children. While some products are designed to an incredibly specific audience, LEGOs have functioned to shape the audience around the product over the years. LEGO completely redefined the process of innovation to crawl out of a financial crisis. Interestingly, LEGO now experiments on all its models with kids before they are released (Robertson). The main lessons learned from the crisis were to remain true to the original intentions of the product, because the success of a design is intricately woven in with the wisdom of the masses.
Finding a harmonious balance between things that felt completely new, but familiar enough to encourage comfortable play, was emphasized very heavily in LEGO's restructuring. Common concepts in design interestingly also apply to design for children. While some products are designed to an incredibly specific audience, LEGOs have functioned to shape the audience around the product over the years. LEGO completely redefined the process of innovation to crawl out of a financial crisis. Interestingly, LEGO now experiments on all its models with kids before they are released (Robertson). The main lessons learned from the crisis were to remain true to the original intentions of the product, because the success of a design is intricately woven in with the wisdom of the masses.
Conclusion
LEGO's success lies in its loyalists. This can be anyone ranging from a die-hard enthusiast to a parent who fondly remembers them and wants to pass the experience along to their children, to the children themselves. LEGO learned throughout the years that it saw the highest degree of success in the products that were simplified, true to original LEGO form, and encouraged creativity. The emphasis that LEGO makes on a symbiotic relationship between the bricks and the people is essential to its existence. The people, their designs, and the community that LEGOs creates are fundamental to the definition of LEGOs as a thing. No other toy can claim to have parts from 1949 be compatible with parts of today, while still captivating the imaginations and interests of children and adults worldwide.
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"How Lego Is Constructing the Next Generation of Engineers." Smithsonian. Smithsonian, Inc, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2014. <http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-lego-is-constructing-the-next-generation-of-engineers-37671528/?no-ist>.
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Pew Research Center. "How Young People View Their Lives, Futures and Politics A PORTRAIT OF “GENERATION NEXT”." Pew Research. Pew Institution, 9 Jan. 2007. Web.
"The Product Life Cycle: Lego." An Introduction To Business. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2014. <http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/an-introduction-to-business-v2.0/s13-07-the-product-life-cycle.html>.
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Rossi, Peter H. Of Human Bonding: Parent-Child Relations Across the Life Course. New York: Transaction, 1990. Print.
Tandon PS, Zhou C, Christakis DA. Frequency of Parent-Supervised Outdoor Play of US Preschool-Aged Children. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2012;166(8):707-712. doi:10.1001/archpediatrics.2011.1835.
"Welcome to LUGNET." LUGNET. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2014. <http://www.lugnet.com/>.
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