Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Leave It To Jesus


Jesus Diaz, that is - Gizmodo contributor and serious Lego geek. Somehow, he scored an exclusive tour of the Lego factory, and you can check out the entire video series here, plus everything you always wanted to know about Lego.

Some fast Lego facts:

Approximately, how many bricks they've ever made since Lego started to produce them?
More than 400 billion Lego bricks have been produced since 1958. There are about 62 Lego bricks per person of the Earth’s population.

What country buys the most Lego sets per person?
Germany is the number-one Lego market, in fact, Lego is the number-one toy company in Germany. The top-selling lines in Germany are Lego TECHNIC and Lego CITY. The U.S. is the second largest market, with the top-selling lines being BIONICLE and Lego Star Wars.

What theme is the best seller, excluding Basic sets and town?
Every country has a different best-seller and as we rotate themes in and out different themes rise to the top. Over the last 50 years we have seen that Town, Space, Castle and Pirates are the evergreen themes that seem to always have a place in the hearts of Lego fans. Right now, Lego CITY is the number-one theme around the world, and other global best-sellers include Lego Star Wars, BIONICLE and Lego Indiana Jones.
And my personal favorite ...

Why is Lego so expensive?
Quality and safety are the top concerns for the Lego Group. To ensure the best and safest products, Lego bricks are made with the highest quality materials, which does factor into the cost. Using premium materials ensures that the product is not only safe, but that it is durable enough to hand down from generation to generation. [I was told in the factory that their tests show that no bricks have ever decomposed or released any chemical substances. -J]
Check it all out here. Andy, I suggest you start saving money now.

3 comments:

Mike said...

The manufacturing process is interesting, but I'm still not buying the cost argument. But enjoy it while you can, Legos are still a lot cheaper than iPods and Xboxes.

Andrew said...

Since when has imperviousness to decomposing been a sign of safety?

Jay said...

Since 1958, obviously.

My son is already asking for a Nintendo DS, Lurker. God help me.