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Subject: 
Re: A VERY interesting article on the Lego Business
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.space, lugnet.general
Date: 
Tue, 26 Dec 2000 06:45:10 GMT
Viewed: 
77 times
  
In lugnet.general, Jonathan Mizner writes:

After reading several replies to this post, I wanted to add my 2 cent
worth.  My question that I will continue to ask until I can no longer, is
what will happen to all the AFOL's in 20 years?  First, Lego might not be
around in twenty years.  Besides the obvious, that might not seem too
terribly bad.  But bricks are beginning to degrade.  Almost all the Classic
Space sets I own have severe wear on them.

I can't speak for your lego but my classic space is in bad shape because I
played with them and any unsealed sets have also been played with.  I doubt
the ABS is spontaneously degrading.

If Lego goes out of buisness in
10 years, what will happen to the bricks 20 years later?  By shear attrition
(accidental throw-aways, broken parts, losing parts indoors, etc) quite a
few would be gone after a few years.  Without anything new to replace them.

Only time will tell the demand for current sets and amount of playability
(sp? geez it looks horrible) that the current sets have undergone.  It's
like comparing the attrition of baseball cards from the 50's and 60's  or
Hot Wheels from the 60's and 70's to current issues.  A Ken Griffey Jr. or
Dodge Viper will never hold a candle to Mickey Mantle or the Hot Wheels '68
Custom Charger.

The second thing I have wondered for a while, is whether AFOL's now will
still be AFOL's in twenty years.  Remember, Space is only about 20 years
old, and that's roughly the same age as many other themes that created the
AFOL's of today.  How will 50 year old people be able to build if their
hand-eye coordination isn't as good as it used to be?  At what point do
people manditarily stop being Lego fans?  It does happen at some age (80?
90?).

If you have any question about senior citizen devotion to hobbies and the
issue of hand-eye coordination look at old people golfing, gardening, or
playing with model trains.  Go to a train club meeting or Greenburg's show
to see old people creating with balsa wood and paper mache mountains.

Also, how many people on Lugnet are children?  Admittedly, many
children are not allowed, or unable use the Internet.  I believe the true
reason is because the new sets are not appealing enough to attract, and
hold, the average modern child's attention for years, or even months.  Maybe
sets from 10 years ago could, but Lego isn't making Space Police any more.
Of course, it could just be because first-time Internet users don't know
where to find Lego sites on their own.

This may or may not be true.  I'm 27, my first exposure to computers was an
Apple, if/then go/to statements, and DOS based games.  I had and still have
zero attention span and still enjoy playing and building.  It's more fun
than work or fishing.  Lego will be around for a good while I think.  What
is uncertain is whether it will still be family owned or swallowed by Mattel
or Hasbro.



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: A VERY interesting article on the Lego Business
 
William Brumbach wrote in message ... (...) [...] (...) Classic (...) I own proof of this very principle... a 928 that sat in a display for twenty years and virtually never got played with. All of the bricks are literally like new. What's true for (...) (24 years ago, 27-Dec-00, to lugnet.space, lugnet.general)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: A VERY interesting article on the Lego Business
 
(...) worth. My question that I will continue to ask until I can no longer, is what will happen to all the AFOL's in 20 years? First, Lego might not be around in twenty years. Besides the obvious, that might not seem too terribly bad. But bricks are (...) (24 years ago, 26-Dec-00, to lugnet.general)

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