Strollerderby : Legos

What Would Jesus Build Out of LEGO?

JeanneSager — Sat, 02 May 2009 19:28:00 GMT

If your kids get this into LEGO, you might want to sign them up for the nearest seminary.

Proving the theory that LEGOs are good for the soul, a Protestant Church in Sweden has built a life-size Jesus statue . . . completely out of the itty bitty bricks.

Whether kids were actually part of the band of forty volunteers who spend a full year and a half on the sculpture, they don't say, but the kids in the congregation were allowed to run their hands all over the mega Messiah when he was revealed.

Extra cool? The church used donated bricks from families - and they managed to use all the colored bricks to build the core. I don't know about your LEGO collection, but white blocks don't play heavily into ours - so the fact that they found that many to make an all-white savior is kind of a miracle unto itself!

Image: AP

Liveblogging Toy Fair: The Home Stretch

editors — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:14:00 GMT

Okay, so at this point, I'm no longer technically liveblogging Toy Fair. But there's so much I haven't shown you! The chandelier made of high heels in the Barbie room! The hipster action figure in the Lego city set! (Actually, he's the one in the photo at right. Don't you just want to read his blog?) So today, I'll be combing through the 2,000-odd photos that our amazing photo editor Lauren snapped during our two-day trek, and posting only the very best.

Next up: More 80s nostalgia than you can shake a Monchichi at! -- Gwynne Watkins

See all of Babble's Toy Fair 2009 Coverage.

All photos and video copyright Lauren De Luca and Babble.com. Please contact laurend@babble.com for permissions.

Lego Hip Hop Album Covers

Brett Singer — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Legos are one of the few toys that appear to have stood the test of time. If I were to make a list of the toys I played with as a child (even an overgrown child), I can't think of any that are still around. Yes, there are OTHER action figures, but Legos are essentially the same as they always were.

Many artists have made Lego-based animations, re-created famous landmarks using the plastic blocks, and so on. Now someone has re-made 20 of what they call "classic" hip-hop albums with Lego folks.

Some of them just don't work – Dr. Dre as a Lego piece just loses some of his essential Dr. Dre-ness.

But De La Soul's "Three Feet High and Rising" is great, as are the two Lego hands used for EPMD's "Back in Business."

A completely separate issue is which of these albums are in fact classics. (Kids – remember that "albums" are large black shiny things with a hole in the middle that old people like me sometimes use to listen to music. Like CDs. But different.) I would argue that "Three Feet High and Rising" is, whereas the Beastie Boys "Hello Nasty" is not their best work. (Although the Lego cover for that one works better than some of the others.)

Could this be a way to introduce your children to hip-hop? Probably not. Most of these discs aren't really appropriate for young kids. That said, De La Soul's "Me Myself and I" would probably be a hit in my house with the short people who live there. Maybe I'll dig that out and give it a try. I think I have it on cassette, though. (I feel old.)

To see the full collection, visit FormatMag.com.

Source: FormatMag via BuzzFeed

Working Parents Smackdown Part 2 – Dads With Jobs vs Moms With Jobs

Mix Rap With Kid Shows and Whaddya Get?

Is Miley Cyrus' First Photo Shoot Creepy?

Mini Baby Sculptures Not Edible, Selling Like Hotcakes

6-Foot-Tall Lego Man Washes Up On Beach

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:25:00 GMT

Somewhere in Europe, a giant Lego family is missing a father.

Children playing on a Brighton, UK beach were stunned and thrilled to find a 6-foot-tall Lego man washed up on the beach, looking like he'd taken quite a swim. No one knows where the Lego man came from, though there are theories that he may have ties to a Dutch artist named Ego Leonard.

The Lego company was as surprised as anyone, though the giant Lego man's timing was impeccable: this year is the 30th anniversary of the creation of the Lego man, bringing police officers, firefighters, astronauts, and more yellow-faced, smiling men into Lego constructions everywhere.

Last year, a similar Lego man washed up on a Holland beach, bearing a grammatically esoteric slogan:

Take heed: the Lego people have spoken.

Photo (Right): Kent News and Pictures

Man Makes A Six Figure Salary Playing with Legos

SunnyChanel — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 23:11:00 GMT

Forget about giving your kid a doctor’s kit, a fireman’s hat or other inspirational career toy. Just let them play with their legos. Why? ‘Cos if they get good, it could pay off big time. We're talking six figure big.

Nathan Sawaya, a 35 year old man from New York, makes over six figures from his lego art. He wasn’t always a Lego sculpture, in fact he had a pretty highfalutin career as a successful Wall Street attorney. To ease his stress after a long day, he’d create his own art at night creating pieces from clay and candy and finally finding his match with Legos. In 2004 he won a competition sponsored by the toy brick company to find the finest builder in the land. He won and became a “master model builder” working at Legoland in San Diego county, but was only making about $13 a hour. That proved to just be his training ground, paying his dues. He then took his polished building skills home to New York. Now, he racks in the dough with oodles of commissions such as recent projects like a 10 foot replica of the Dubai Trump Towers for the Donald, a four food bumble bee for Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz as a gift for his wife Ashlee Simpson and the above life sized sculpture of Stephen Colbert. Yeah, a career building stuff out of Legos. Who knew that was a job option? Next thing you know they’ll be offering a college course Lego Building 101.

(via Portfolio.com)

When Legos Become Art

Jen Chaney — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 19:21:00 GMT

And you thought Legos were just toys. Clearly you aren't familiar with the works of Mike Stimpson.

As noted in this very cool photo gallery on Wired.com, Stimpson is a British photographer and Lego lover who uses the bricks and figurines to recreate famous historical images. Once built, he then snaps his own photos of each scene, giving us Buzz Aldrin on the moon (in Lego form), Lunch Atop a Skyscraper (in Lego form) and --perhaps most disturbingly -- a well-known AP photo of a Viet Cong prisoner being executed (yes, in Lego form).

Perhaps this will inspire some artistic Lego endeavors that you can pursue with your own children. May I be the first to suggest building a Lego versionof Che Guevara? (Actually, I bet it's been done.) Or perhaps a Lego photo of Bigfoot? Not sure how to make Legos look furry, fake and blurry at the same time, but figuring that out will undoubtedly be half the fun.

Image: Mike Stimpson via Wired.com

What Your Kids Can Make From Legos

RetroFitted: Why Legos Will Never Go Out of Style

Let My People Lego

They Say: In Neighborhoods, Older Kicks Youngers' Behind

Adrienne Martini — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:00:00 GMT

It turns out that the key to health may be just under our feet. No, it's not cat hair or Legos or Polly Pocket's shoes, even though that's what's under my feet right now. It's more straightforward than that.

The key -- if you live in Utah, at least -- is to live in an older neighborhood that has sidewalks. Sure, the big starter mansions might have all of the mod cons -- but what they lack is place to walk where you won't get run over.

Now if they would just find a health-promoting use for all of this cat hair, my house in an older neighborhood with sidewalks could become a hot property and/or high-end spa. Does dodgy plumbing promote well-being? How about a shifting foundation?

No?

Crap.

Photo credit.

Working at the Lego Factory: Most Awesome Job Ever?

Jen Chaney — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:32:00 GMT

On the list of all-time greatest jobs, I'd probably include: animator at Pixar, taste-tester for M&Ms and, as evidenced by this, designer at the Lego factory.

Yes, Babble's own Gwynne Watkins took a tour of the U.S. Lego headquarters in Connecticut and got to see first-hand what people like Erik Varszegi -- a dude who builds massive, life-size heads of Al Roker and George Lucas -- do for a living. Of course, it's not all fun and games for Erik. Sometime he also builds Lego men on his computer.

I mean, seriously, can you imagine someone paying you to play with Legos all day? And when you apply for that job, does your resume mention your extensive experience building Lego houses in kindergarten?

Something to ponder. In the meantime, check out the rest of Gwynne's tour, which proves that having a job that lets you visit a Lego factory is pretty cool, too.

Let My People Lego

Brett Singer — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 17:00:00 GMT

This might be the greatest use of Legos ever -- The Brick Testament. I'm sure somebody could find this sacrilegious, but I'm not that guy. The webmaster even rates the sections N, S, V or C: Nudity, Sexual Content, Violence, and Cursing. Oh yes. We're talking about naked Lego people. And Lego-on-Lego violence. The Book of Exodus (where the Passover story is from) has three out of four (sorry, no cursing).

Here are a few sample images:

With Charlton Heston gone, this is my new favorite Moses.

*-*-*

Locusts -- well, Lego guns, actually. I guess there are no Lego locusts (um, hello? Lego company? Get on this, will ya?)

*-*-*

Aw! Isn't he cute in his little basket?

*-*-*

Maybe it's just me, but I think Lego Pharaoh looks quite a bit like Yul Brenner.

Testaments Old and New are on the site, and Exodus features all ten of the Plagues in full Lego glory. Check 'em out.

RetroFitted: Why Legos Will Never Go Out of Style

Jen Chaney — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:02:00 GMT

Legos don't seem like a retro toy. That's what makes them so brilliant.

Earlier this year, those ubiquitous, plastic bricks celebrated the 50th anniversary of being patented. In the 1960s, the Lego as we currently know it became a regular fixture in every American kid's toy box and has pretty much stayed there ever since. Although the company dealt with some major financial trouble just a few years ago, it managed to overcome that and bounce back strong.

Part of the toy's appeal lies in its simplicity. The fact that you can snap those pieces together, then use your imagination and a little manual dexterity to build bigger, better things is a timeless, universally appealing concept. But the folks at Lego have been smart in other ways.

Lego has kept the brand current by associating with pop culture phenomena like "Star Wars" and Batman. At a time when traditional toys face increasing competition from high-tech products, Lego has taken a beat'-em-and-join-'em approach, putting its name on video games like the successful "Lego Star Wars" and "Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures," coming out this summer after the next Indy movie hits the big screen.

The company also tries to engage its most devoted followers, giving them theme parks, like Legoland, and groups like the FIRST Lego League, which is participating this week in an Atlanta festival in which 800 middle-schoolers from around the world will attempt to create a Lego Robot. (Yeah, it's nerdy. But admit it: You also kinda want to see what a Lego Robot looks like.)

Legos also have maintained a hipness factor that few toys have been able to replicate. I mean, the White Stripes and Michel Gondry made a famous music video based on Legos. You can't say that about Tinker Toys or Lincoln Logs.

Of course, there's always room for improvement. The company acknowledges, for example, that it needs to do a better job of appealing to girls. But there is no question that Legos don't have to worry about RetroFitting into today's culture. They've always been there and, if the plastic bricks that build the future interlock just so, they always will be.

Photo: w3.com

RetroFitted appears on Strollerderby every Thursday morning.

Delicious Droolicious: Happy Birthday, LEGO!!

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 18:16:00 GMT

Posted by Aaron Burgess

Grab the kids and cut yourself a slice of LEGO cake, because at 1:58 p.m. today (the time of the the original patent's filing), the iconic building toy celebrates the 50th birthday of its original LEGO brick. Though it's slightly younger at 30, the LEGO minifigure is also celebrating a birthday this year, and considering that 4 billion of the little figures are presently spread throughout the world -- a stat that makes them the largest population group on Earth -- it's going to be a heck of a party.

All those years ago, the "LEGO System of Play," as it was then known, shipped its first set of bricks with instructions for building models; seen above, the original LEGO town plan is getting a comprehensive facelift as part of the brick's 50th anniversary. The retro-style 2008 Town Plan ($149.99), pictured below, packs 1,981 bricks and comes complete with a town hall, a movie theater, a gas station and car wash, and eight different minifigures to carpool in its two automobiles. Reprising his original role on the cover is a slightly older and richer Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, present-day owner of the LEGO Group and the grandson of its founder, Ole Kirk Christiansen.

Check out LEGO.com for a complete look at all the new sets that have rolled out so far in the big 5-0, and renew your Brickmaster subscription while you're there, as it looks like three member's-only mini-sets are also in the works for later this year.

More wonderful toys NOT filled with lead:

Lego My Ego! Nerd Builds Things ... Fast

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:59:00 GMT

Before I saw this video, I thought I was a Lego master, what with my flying buttresses and occasional A-frame house -- tricks I've mastered after playing all. day. long. At one point, I actually thought I had a shot at turning pro -- Lego Pro. Seriously, there are 40 of them worldwide, apparently (and they have all had exactly one date -- between them). Then I saw this video and gave up. Dude is a Lego master. It does, however, make me feel better to know I'm not the only adult who loves kids' toys, even if we are geeks.

Besides, Somebody's Going to Get Hurt

editors — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 20:30:00 GMT

My husband’s grandmother has been known for telling her children that she really enjoyed them once they could carry on a decent conversation with her, and I think that (bluntly, maybe coldly) says it all. Shelley Abreu talks about her lack of enthusiasm in playing with her kids in her Bad Parent essay, Game Over. But how bad is it to realize that at a certain point in life we put away the action figures and start interacting with adults intellectually, maybe even with a cocktail in hand? Games become a rarity, something you do in the winter when you can’t go outside; and something that makes you use your mind, not your jumping skills. After we have children we say goodbye to the intense focus on minutiae and unrealistically high energy levels of our youth and instead turn to multi-tasking followed by exhaustion. Is it wrong to prefer adult activities while leaving the kid stuff to, well, the kids?

Sure we all know those rare adults who practically fall on the floor beside your little one as she looks up at them with the big eyes while holding a dolly who needs a bottle. And I love those people; they can occupy my daughter any day of the week. But I’m not one of those people and it is now clear that this is why my offers of babysitting have rarely been jumped upon. Reading to my daughter is about as high energy as I get, but that, to me is much more critical and intimate than building a giant Lego building so she can pretend to be Godzilla and stomp it to bits. Letting your kids hash out their imaginary world with the dog while you enjoy a sit-down (or make dinner, or return a phone call) shouldn’t interfere with their early childhood development, at least not according to these guys. So carry on bad parents, let your little ones fend for themselves in the dragon-filled woodlands of their minds. Besides, in a few years, they’ll be taking you down on Scrabble night. - April Peveteaux

LEGO Cake Looks Just Like LEGOs!

Madeline Holler — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 11:48:00 GMT

I am very opposed to exerting more than pleasurable effort for children’s birthday parties. I think parents owe it to themselves to hold back, especially early on, because the inclination to ramp up a little more each year will leave you with no other options than to bus in strippers for Junior’s 13th birthday celebration.

This goes for cakes too – keep it low-key, keep it simple, keep it cheap. Granted, I’m religious about homemade cakes around here (read: saves money while faking maternal devotion!). But my lack of patience, talent and odd-shaped cake pans limits the outcome.

Thanks to Swiss Miss for pointing me to Betty Crocker (I'm as surprised as you are): the LEGO Cake. Hey! It looks just like a LEGO! All you need are square pans (check!) and cupcake pans (check!) and probably some skewers to hold everything in place until it’s frosted.

Think the cakes actually interlock?

Start the Holiday Shopping: LEGO Star Wars Walker

Karen Murphy — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 12:25:00 GMT

You know you want it.

Er, I mean, your kid wants it.

Maybe that's just in my house? Has the Star Wars LEGO goodness hit your house? Or did you never grow out of it (not that there's anything wrong with that)? But OOOOOH! A minifig-scale AT-AT walker. With motorized walking action. And look at the tiny wee Luke Skywalker hanging from it!

Me, to my 11-year-old son: Look at this thing!

Son: Is that the [unintelligible; lots of numbers/letters] or the [also unintelligible]?

Me: Uh...look! It has a tiny Luke Skywalker hanging from it!

Son: Oh, then it's the [unintelligible].

It's available by preorder for $130, which is a lot for a bunch of hunks of plastic that are just going to get stepped on, but it makes a great pairing with the [homemade, so start now] AT-AT stroller that Alisyn's husband would quit his job for.

[via Spacemonkeypants]

What Your Kids Can Make From Legos

Karen Murphy — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 20:41:00 GMT

I remember being so excited when my first-born was old enough finally to play with Legos, because it meant that I was going to get to play too! My kids now are into Legos, but with them it's more the Star Wars variety with those annoying little mini-figs and the light sabers that keep getting lost or stepped on. You know what I'm talking about.

So running across this little tidbit about an 8-foot Lego man being found bobbing about at the Dutch seaside made me wonder what else has been made from Legos. You know, to give my kids some motivation. It turns out, quite a few interesting things:

A full-sized Volvo XC90 (I would have made a different car choice, but hey, Legos and Volvos are both Swedish).
A working harpsichord.
A functional knitting machine.
An air conditioner! That works!
A working pinball machine (too bad the ball couldn't be made from Legos too).

As Kelly pointed out recently, a simple search can reveal LOTS of, uh, interesting stuff made from Legos. So get your kids to work and see what they can build (Pictured is Han Solo encased in carbonite along with the guy who spent months to create it. See what you can do with a little time on your hands?)

Art in LEGOS Rocks

Kelly Mills — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 15:19:00 GMT

I love tweaking around Google images for funny little LEGO tableaus, because loads of folks have done some great stuff using those little bricks you keep stepping on in bare feet. There's plenty of funny, sick, tragic, amazing stuff out there, including lots of hilarious ones I can't post on a family blog. It all makes the spaceship we just built look like a might poor effort. I've loved this Escher's "Relativity" creation, and I just fell for this nice LEGO version of Brokeback Mountain. If you know of any brilliant LEGO work I ought to see, please do send it along.

LEGO Creativity Awards: You Might Win

Kelly Mills — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 13:02:00 GMT

Ooooh, I love a contest. LEGO is sponsoring their first annual Creativity Awards, where ten kids will win $5000 towards future creative endeavors. To enter, just submit an essay for a child between the ages of 6 and 13 detailing how they have been creative at home, at school, or in the community, and how it made them feel. "This essay contest encourages children to think of creativity as more than just practicing art or music; it is also about taking a new approach to everyday challenges." You have until September 17, 2007 to enter.

Hey, $5000 can go a long way towards funding your budding artist or engineer. Give it a shot.

Metric A*s Ton of Legos Create Map of US

Melissa Summers — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 11:32:00 GMT

Imagine how many Legos you'd have jammed into your foot if your kids attempted this project at home. To celebrate World Children's Festival, LEGO created a set up for kids to create individual Lego mosaics which, when put together create a map of the United States.

The finished product was the size of a basketball court used 9500 base pieces and over one million bricks. I shudder to think of finding "The red one with the two dots, no NOT THAT ONE, the other one!" in that pile up.

Boing Boing offers a rather large image of the final product but I think this is the type of thing you have to see up close to truly appreciate. Also my home state, Michigan looks really weird without Canada. Like peas in a pod Canada and Me.

The Top Eight Toys in My House

Karen Murphy — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 14:54:00 GMT

Having a houseful of kids (mine are 11, 7, and 3) often means that there's a houseful of toys as well, but we've managed to (sort of) keep things streamlined in our house. Although I cave in from time to time on the impulse purchases, when I think about it, I see a definite trend in what's actually being played with. Here's our top eight (in no particular order):

1. Wooden trains and track. I am almost embarrassed to say how many of these we own, and while I tried, for a while, to avoid the commercialized Thomas trains, who can resist trains with faces and personalities? Not my kids. And are they relentless! So, yeah, I caved. Again and again. And we have the track to go along with it, having added more through the years as my older son got older. He doesn't play with it as much anymore (but his sister does), but it'll all be there for little Eric one day when his interest in piqued.

2. Wooden blocks. These make great....everything. They help build elaborate train tracks, they go with Matchbox cars, they build horse stables. Enough said. You all know the power of blocks.

3. Playsilks. This admittedly Waldorfy item is almost indispensable in our house. We've dyed some silks ourselves (blanks and dyes can be found here, or there's always good old Rit dye, or you can try natural stuff like onion skins and flowers, or beets, or tea, or...) and have purchased many and they make slings for hurt animals, beds, clothing, and covers for dolls and animals, tents, capes, hats, you name it. And they don't take up much space (yay for that!).

4. Drawing paper and art supplies. We love the colored pencils like these and the beeswax crayons like these (once you've tried them, I swear you won't go back to Crayolas!). There have been months when my children drew every day. I wish I had time to draw every day!

5. Legos. Nope, I'm not completely Waldorf. We have plenty of plastic in the house, and these, of course, are wonderful. Star Wars sets for 11-year old Nathaniel (and little copycat sister who also likes to build houses), and Duplos for 3-year-old Eric who likes to throw them.

6. Breyer horses. Seven-year old horse-lover Serena loves these. She has homes for several, and while they are somewhat fragile, she'll have them for years (she'd better; they're amazingly expensive and make great grandparent gifts). I still have mine from when I was her age, my last vestige of childhood reduced to one box.

7. Stuffed animals. While these admittedly do have the tendency to breed when no one's looking, in them my children have friends and comforts that have become indispensable, and I love their unique choices (Nathaniel = wild animals like cheetah and monkeys; Serena = cute animals like dogs. Eric = doesn't care; throws them). I'll let you know if any make the trip to college.

8. Outside. Anything outside. Bikes, stilts, feet, rocks, sticks, a wagon. And with them a coat, a hat, mittens, rain boots. Just send 'em out.

What toys make the cut in your house?

Strollerderby : Legos

What Would Jesus Build Out of LEGO?

Playmobil Sues Priest For Playing With Toys

Ten of the Best Lines from Kiddie Lit

Will Kids Lose Their Crocs?

Liveblogging Toy Fair: The Home Stretch

Lego Hip Hop Album Covers

Miss Piggy Wants a Bailout For Christmas

Working Parents Smackdown Part 2 – Dads With Jobs vs Moms With Jobs

Is Miley Cyrus' First Photo Shoot Creepy?

Mini Baby Sculptures Not Edible, Selling Like Hotcakes

6-Foot-Tall Lego Man Washes Up On Beach

Man Makes A Six Figure Salary Playing with Legos

When Legos Become Art

What Your Kids Can Make From Legos

RetroFitted: Why Legos Will Never Go Out of Style

They Say: In Neighborhoods, Older Kicks Youngers' Behind

Working at the Lego Factory: Most Awesome Job Ever?

Let My People Lego

RetroFitted: Why Legos Will Never Go Out of Style

Delicious Droolicious: Happy Birthday, LEGO!!

Lego My Ego! Nerd Builds Things ... Fast

Besides, Somebody's Going to Get Hurt

LEGO Cake Looks Just Like LEGOs!

Start the Holiday Shopping: LEGO Star Wars Walker

What Your Kids Can Make From Legos

Art in LEGOS Rocks

LEGO Creativity Awards: You Might Win

Metric A*s Ton of Legos Create Map of US

The Top Eight Toys in My House