LEGO's Minifigure -- that iconic, four-brick-tall everyman whose yellow mug makes every new set feel complete -- turns 30 this week, and the company has launched a new site, Go Miniman Go!, to mark the celebration.
Among the freebies you'll find at Go Miniman Go! are a Miniman iGoogle theme and a handful of games featuring the LEGO Indiana Jones and Mars Mission Minifigures. You can also break out your wallet for some even sweeter swag, ranging from a limited-edition tee that makes you look like a Mini-person (my kids went bonkers for this one) to this awesome-looking set of vintage Minifigures 1978-2002:
LEGO has also opened up the party to anyone else who wants to contribute: Grab a free package of Go Miniman Go! files from the site to create your own videos, posters, wallpaper or image mashups to share with the world, or if you're feeling especially ambitious, enter Gizmodo's contest to create your own video short celebrating the Minifigure. The top three entries -- as judged by celebrated LEGO animators Nathan Wells, David Pagano, and Nate Burr -- will score some amazing prizes, including factory-sealed vintage Galaxy Explorer and Yellow Castle sets, which, from a collector's standpoint, are pretty much priceless.
By far the site's highlight, however, is the 60-second video depicting Miniman (and Mini-women, of course) at the center of some of the past 30 years' biggest pop-cultural milestones -- from Star Wars to the disco boom to the collapse of the Berlin Wall.
You can check it out here, but trust us: You'll want to visit Go Miniman Go! to grab the 3D and HD versions:
