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From SBS.com.au
By Patrick Abboud
April 1, 2014
Adult Fans of LEGO: Why LEGO is fun at any age
Dean Niclasen and Shelly Timson are bonded by their passion for LEGO and there
are 25,000 Adult Fans of LEGO just like them across Australia. The Feeds
Patrick Abboud gets exclusive access to go inside the secret world of AFOL.
Dean Niclasen is 46 and Shelly Timson (otherwise known as brick bunny) is 36.
Theyre bonded by their passion for the plastic blocks otherwise known as Lego.
Theres 25,000 more Adult Fans of LEGO just like them across Australia and
globally theres around 250,000 people in the adult LEGO community.
Mr. Niclasen and Ms. Timson often go to AFOL meet-ups run by fellow obsessives
around the world.
Ms Timson says it was an amazing experience to discover that other adults were
still interested in LEGO. There is that thought... am I the only one out
there?, says Ms Timson. When I did find that there are adults doing displays
and building with LEGO it was a bit like a gay coming out of the closet... Its
one of those things you sort of go, Oh my god! Theres a whole world out there!
Im not strange. Im not alone. Im not weird so its been quite a relief.
I dont go a day where there isnt LEGO in my life.
Mr. Niclasen suffers from a hereditary condition known as Charcot-Marie-Tooth
disease which can affect stength and coordination.
But despite the challenges of his condition Mr Niclasen says it hasnt stopped
him from building things with LEGO.
LEGO only goes together in a precise way, which means that the lack of
coordination has no bearing upon my ability to make stuff out of LEGO, says Mr
Niclasen. It wasnt a single point that it turned from hobby to obsession... it
took a few years.
I would think conservatively I would have 200 or 300 thousand bricks available
in my own personal collection for building with, and thats still expanding all
the time.
Rob Deakin started an AFOL meet-up group where grown up LEGO lovers come to
construct to their hearts content.
Mr Deakin says AFOLs tend to be in their 30s when they start to build large
scale models.
LEGO to me is everything, says Mr Deakin. its great brain activity... its
so relaxing... and its a great way to meet people of like minds.
Think of it like soccer - its a major movement around the world and so
naturally... there are lots of adults that are still into it.
And to win respect every AFOL must learn to speak Lego fluently. Theres a large
glossary of terms that make up the official AFOL language,
For example: Dark Ages means that period in a LEGO fans life when he or she
sets aside LEGO in favor of school, dating, motor vehicles, and other non-LEGO
pursuits.
Sigfig translates to: The minifig version of a LEGO fan that he or she uses in
online communities as an avatar. Sigfigs may or may not resemble the person
physically, as LEGO fans used to interacting with each other online discover at
LEGO conventions.
SNOT refers to: Studs Not On Top. A building technique that places LEGO elements
on their sides or even upside down to achieve the shape or structure the builder
wants in their creation.
And the list goes on and on.
But Its not all fun and games though. Theres more than 150 huge international
conventions every year that AFOLs spend months work months prepping displays
for. Sometimes there are even cash prizes to help AFOLs with the purchase of the
expensive bricks.
Building with LEGO can be extremely competitive, says Ms Timson. There are
some out there who are just out to one-better other people.
its finding new uses for old pieces, which more than anything else, its a
real buzz to sort of get that and go, Oh, I can do this!
Theres a lot of talent out there.
(check the site for pictures)
www.sbs.com.au
SBS2Australia channel video: YouTube
-end of report-
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The Little Girl from the 1981 LEGO Ad is All Grown Up, and Shes Got Something
to Say
February 11, 2014
By Lori Day
In mid-January,
this
article on The Huffington Post hit my Facebook newsfeed like a Justin Bieber
deportation petition - it was everywhere. In it, HuffPost Family News Editor
Jessica Samakow writes:
Pay attention, 2014 Mad Men: This little girl is holding a LEGO set. The LEGOs
are not pink or made for girls. She isnt even wearing pink. The copy is about
younger children who build for fun. Not just girls who build. ALL KIDS. In
an age when little girls and boys are treated as though they are two entirely
different species by toy marketers, this 1981 ad for LEGO one of our favorite
images ever issues an important reminder.
Something about this piece with the iconic 1981 ad tapped the zeitgeist and it
became one of HuffPos more viral articles in recent memory, receiving over
60,000 shares. And along the way, the small world of Facebook led to a comment
thread on my wall where someone, upon seeing the little red-haired girl holding
her LEGOs, wrote, Hey, I know her! And now I do too, because thats the
serendipity of social media. Her name is Rachel Giordano, she is 37 years old,
and shes a practicing naturopathic doctor in
Seattle, Washington. Giordano agreed to talk to me about her childhood and the
ad, and to pose for a new Then & Now photo meme, which you see above in the lead
image.
As I was planning my interview with Rachel Giordano, I saw
this blog post by Achilles Effect, and knew immediately what Giordano should be
holding in the new version of the photo. Enter the Heartlake City rolling beauty
salon TV news van, one of the latest additions to the LEGO Friends line.
Advertising copy lets us know what being a news anchor involves for minifig
Emma:
Break the big story of the worlds best cake with the Heartlake News Van! Find
the cake and film it with the camera and then climb into the editing suite and
get it ready for broadcast. Get Emma ready at the makeup table so she looks her
best for the camera. Sit her at the news desk as Andrew films her talking about
the cake story and then present the weather to the viewers.
Cake? Seriously? And what-the-what is that when you look inside the news van?
Where is the equipment? Is it behind the gigantic makeup vanity? As Achilles
Effect blogger Crystal Smith notes, This toy had so much potential to inspire
young girls who think journalism would be a cool career. Instead, they get the
same message delivered just about everywhere else in the culture that surrounds
them: look pretty and smile for the camera.
Children havent changed, but adults who market to them have
What do we have
to lose, besides stereotypes?
So what did Rachel Giordano have to say about the LEGO news van when it pulled
up to her medical office in Seattle via Amazon and UPS? First things first: she
told me what it was like to be a child model for the Ford Agency in New York
City, posing for print ads and performing in commercials. On the day she went
into the studio to make the 1981 LEGO ad, she was given a set of original LEGOs
and an hour to play with them and make her own creationit is what you see in
the ad. (And those were her own clothesthe comfy jeans and blue striped t-shirt
and sneakers without a hint of pink that she wore in off the street.)
The news van kit struck her as really quite different. She does not have
children, so the change in LEGO represented by the Friends line was startling:
In 1981, explains Giordano, LEGO were Universal Building Sets and thats
exactly what they were
for boys and girls. Toys are supposed to foster
creativity. But nowadays, it seems that a lot more toys already have messages
built into them before a child even opens the pink or blue package. In 1981,
LEGO were simple and gender-neutral, and the creativity of the child produced
the message. In 2014, its the reverse: the toy delivers a message to the child,
and this message is weirdly about gender.
The original 1981 ad has been making the rounds in my girl empowerment blogging
circles for the past few years now, symbolic of the nostalgia that aint what it
used to be when it comes to childrens toys. The stereotyping of girls in their
world of play is an issue close to my heart and one that I address in my book
Her Next Chapter, because, as Maria Montessori notably said, play is the work of
the child.
Editors Note: What most recent articles about this inspiring ad have left
out, is the equally inspiring woman who created it. According to a January 21,
2014 Mashable piece, The What is Beautiful ad was created by Judy Lotas, who
was the creative director at SSC&B, a now-defunct ad agency
She had two young
daughters at the time, and gender equality was a big topic.
Over at Princess Free Zone, Michele Yulo has been writing about the change in
LEGO since the new LEGO Friends line dropped anchor in girls toy aisles all
around the world. Last year, says Yulo, I did my own homemade version of the
ad to show that it is not that kids have changed, forcing companies to adopt
separate but equal and pink marketing strategiesin fact, it is the other
way around. I didnt change the tagline except to say that What it is is still
beautiful. Because it is.
Thats Yulos daughter on the right side of the meme, holding her own unique
LEGO structure built with regularI mean boysLEGO.
Whats the problem with girl LEGO? Why is everyone against pink?, ask many
parents. Ill let Rachel Giordano answer that question: Because gender
segmenting toys interferes with a childs own creative expression. I know that
how I played as a girl shaped who I am today. It contributed to me becoming a
physician and inspired me to want to help others achieve health and wellness. I
co-own two medical centers in
Seattle. Doctor kits used to be for all children, but now they are on the boys
aisle. I simply believe that they should be marketed to all children again, and
the same with LEGO and other toys.
I couldnt help being curious about how Giordanos renewed fame first came to
her attention and how it was affecting her. I did so many advertisements as a
kid that this LEGO ad did not stand out in my memory, says Giordano. When it
resurfaced on the Internet all these years later, I was totally surprised, and
some of my friends asked, Is that you? Im super excited to tell my story!
Giordano has grown up, but shes still the same cheerful and creative person you
see in the original ad. As Yulos meme suggests, children havent changed, but
adults who market to them have. And LEGO? They sure are different. How about
this? Lets give all children a world of play that includes all colors and all
possibilities, and lets market it that way. What do we have to lose, besides
stereotypes? Gender-segmented toys may double corporate profits, but always seem
to result in for-girls versions that are somehow just a little bit less. I say,
lets give girls more. Any reason not to??
About This Contributor:
Lori Day is an educational psychologist, consultant, and parenting coach with
Lori Day Consulting in Newburyport, MA.
From:
WomenYouShouldKnow.net
HuffingtonPost.com
-end of report-
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The Little Girl from the 1981 LEGO Ad is All Grown Up, and Shes Got Something
to Say
February 11, 2014
By Lori Day
In mid-January,
this
article on The Huffington Post hit my Facebook newsfeed like a Justin Bieber
deportation petition - it was everywhere. In it, HuffPost Family News Editor
Jessica Samakow writes:
Pay attention, 2014 Mad Men: This little girl is holding a LEGO set. The LEGOs
are not pink or made for girls. She isnt even wearing pink. The copy is about
younger children who build for fun. Not just girls who build. ALL KIDS. In
an age when little girls and boys are treated as though they are two entirely
different species by toy marketers, this 1981 ad for LEGO one of our favorite
images ever issues an important reminder.
Something about this piece with the iconic 1981 ad tapped the zeitgeist and it
became one of HuffPos more viral articles in recent memory, receiving over
60,000 shares. And along the way, the small world of Facebook led to a comment
thread on my wall where someone, upon seeing the little red-haired girl holding
her LEGOs, wrote, Hey, I know her! And now I do too, because thats the
serendipity of social media. Her name is Rachel Giordano, she is 37 years old,
and shes a practicing naturopathic doctor in
Seattle, Washington. Giordano agreed to talk to me about her childhood and the
ad, and to pose for a new Then & Now photo meme, which you see above in the lead
image.
As I was planning my interview with Rachel Giordano, I saw
this blog post by Achilles Effect, and knew immediately what Giordano should be
holding in the new version of the photo. Enter the Heartlake City rolling beauty
salon TV news van, one of the latest additions to the LEGO Friends line.
Advertising copy lets us know what being a news anchor involves for minifig
Emma:
Break the big story of the worlds best cake with the Heartlake News Van! Find
the cake and film it with the camera and then climb into the editing suite and
get it ready for broadcast. Get Emma ready at the makeup table so she looks her
best for the camera. Sit her at the news desk as Andrew films her talking about
the cake story and then present the weather to the viewers.
Cake? Seriously? And what-the-what is that when you look inside the news van?
Where is the equipment? Is it behind the gigantic makeup vanity? As Achilles
Effect blogger Crystal Smith notes, This toy had so much potential to inspire
young girls who think journalism would be a cool career. Instead, they get the
same message delivered just about everywhere else in the culture that surrounds
them: look pretty and smile for the camera.
Children havent changed, but adults who market to them have
What do we have
to lose, besides stereotypes?
So what did Rachel Giordano have to say about the LEGO news van when it pulled
up to her medical office in Seattle via Amazon and UPS? First things first: she
told me what it was like to be a child model for the Ford Agency in New York
City, posing for print ads and performing in commercials. On the day she went
into the studio to make the 1981 LEGO ad, she was given a set of original LEGOs
and an hour to play with them and make her own creationit is what you see in
the ad. (And those were her own clothesthe comfy jeans and blue striped t-shirt
and sneakers without a hint of pink that she wore in off the street.)
The news van kit struck her as really quite different. She does not have
children, so the change in LEGO represented by the Friends line was startling:
In 1981, explains Giordano, LEGO were Universal Building Sets and thats
exactly what they were
for boys and girls. Toys are supposed to foster
creativity. But nowadays, it seems that a lot more toys already have messages
built into them before a child even opens the pink or blue package. In 1981,
LEGO were simple and gender-neutral, and the creativity of the child produced
the message. In 2014, its the reverse: the toy delivers a message to the child,
and this message is weirdly about gender.
The original 1981 ad has been making the rounds in my girl empowerment blogging
circles for the past few years now, symbolic of the nostalgia that aint what it
used to be when it comes to childrens toys. The stereotyping of girls in their
world of play is an issue close to my heart and one that I address in my book
Her Next Chapter, because, as Maria Montessori notably said, play is the work of
the child.
Editors Note: What most recent articles about this inspiring ad have left
out, is the equally inspiring woman who created it. According to a January 21,
2014 Mashable piece, The What is Beautiful ad was created by Judy Lotas, who
was the creative director at SSC&B, a now-defunct ad agency
She had two young
daughters at the time, and gender equality was a big topic.
Over at Princess Free Zone, Michele Yulo has been writing about the change in
LEGO since the new LEGO Friends line dropped anchor in girls toy aisles all
around the world. Last year, says Yulo, I did my own homemade version of the
ad to show that it is not that kids have changed, forcing companies to adopt
separate but equal and pink marketing strategiesin fact, it is the other
way around. I didnt change the tagline except to say that What it is is still
beautiful. Because it is.
Thats Yulos daughter on the right side of the meme, holding her own unique
LEGO structure built with regularI mean boysLEGO.
Whats the problem with girl LEGO? Why is everyone against pink?, ask many
parents. Ill let Rachel Giordano answer that question: Because gender
segmenting toys interferes with a childs own creative expression. I know that
how I played as a girl shaped who I am today. It contributed to me becoming a
physician and inspired me to want to help others achieve health and wellness. I
co-own two medical centers in
Seattle. Doctor kits used to be for all children, but now they are on the boys
aisle. I simply believe that they should be marketed to all children again, and
the same with LEGO and other toys.
I couldnt help being curious about how Giordanos renewed fame first came to
her attention and how it was affecting her. I did so many advertisements as a
kid that this LEGO ad did not stand out in my memory, says Giordano. When it
resurfaced on the Internet all these years later, I was totally surprised, and
some of my friends asked, Is that you? Im super excited to tell my story!
Giordano has grown up, but shes still the same cheerful and creative person you
see in the original ad. As Yulos meme suggests, children havent changed, but
adults who market to them have. And LEGO? They sure are different. How about
this? Lets give all children a world of play that includes all colors and all
possibilities, and lets market it that way. What do we have to lose, besides
stereotypes? Gender-segmented toys may double corporate profits, but always seem
to result in for-girls versions that are somehow just a little bit less. I say,
lets give girls more. Any reason not to??
About This Contributor:
Lori Day is an educational psychologist, consultant, and parenting coach with
Lori Day Consulting in Newburyport, MA.
From:
WomwnYouShouldKnow.net
HuffingtonPost.com
-end of report-
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LEGO® set 10241 Maersk Line Triple-E
The set was officially unveiled at LEGO Fan Weekend in Skærbæk.
Ages 12+. 1,518 pieces.
Build the Maersk Triple-E container vessel a true giant of the seas!
US $149.99
CA $179.99
DE 129.99
UK 109.99 £
DK 1199.00 DKK
Presenting the largest ship in the world the record-breaking Maersk
Triple-E. Built from over 1,500 bricks, the model recreates the real vessel in
amazing detail. Our LEGO® designers have included rare colors such as medium
azur, dark red, sand blue and sand green. There are rotating gold-colored screw
blades leading to the brick-built twin propeller engines, which you can view
through the window built into the port side of the ship. You can even customize
it by adding or removing the containers. This authentic set includes a display
stand and fact plaque with detailed information about the ship and, as a
finishing touch, theres the gold coin that is added under the mast of all
Maersk Line ships for good luck on their voyages. This model is perfect for LEGO
fans!
Features include rotating gold-colored propeller blades, brick-built twin
8-cylinder engines, viewing window into the engine compartment, adjustable
rudders, detachable lifeboats, removable containers, rotating crane arms and a
special good luck coin.
Includes rare medium azur, dark red, sand blue and sand green colored
elements Play with the model on carpeted surfaces or mount the model on the
display stand Building instructions also include interesting facts about the
real ship Includes 1,518 bricks
Ship (mounted on stand) measures over 8 (21cm) high, 25 (65cm) long and 3
(9cm) wide
LEGO channel. Video link: YouTube.com
Available for sale directly through LEGO® beginning January 2014 via
shop.LEGO.com, LEGO® Stores or via phone.
Source: LEGO
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In lugnet.animation, Abner Finley wrote:
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The LEGO Wire animation video.
If you remember the TV series The Wire, you might get it.
From YouTube.com The Wire - LEGO
Style
Enjoy!
Note: (The LEGO Group does not sponsor, authorize, or endorse this video.)
You play with toys in dirt, you will get dirty toys. - McNultly
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Here is another link to the video:
The Wire - LEGO Style!
-Enjoy!
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