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How Lego Became the Apple of Toys (2015)

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Re: How Lego Became the Apple of Toys (2015)

#21

Post by racl101 »

Apocryphon wrote: post #11
loughnane wrote: post #9

I like lego, but the magic that made them what they are is waning. The capitalized big on partnerships with entertainment brands, but that's feeling played out. When parents pick up gifts for birthday parties they'll get lego star wars or lego ninjago gifts because the birthday boy is into star wars or ninjago, lego is secondary. Lego is still great, but their lack of emphasis on the creativity that has been the prom…

What happened with Legos? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVCOAFKjaoY

lol. OK, that's hilarious. Is that Community TV show any good?

Re: How Lego Became the Apple of Toys (2015)

#22

Post by globalise83 »

kleiba wrote: post #8

Lego is still quite amazing but not quite as cool as it used to be. I suppose the various boxes were always meant to be such that you could build that one really cool building/vehicle/etc. with it. Sometimes with a predesigned variation, too. But today it seems that the purpose of most boxes is to do only that - and then, what, put the object into a display case? Or, more likely, play with it for a while and then for…

You are right, there is a fine balance between just enough variety to be able to achieve your vision without leaving Minecraft-style jagged edges and too much variety and specialisation so that you cannot build anything novel at all. But we also live in a time where you can easily buy boxloads of generic Lego bricks second-hand (some of it probably 20 or more years old) for almost nothing at yard sales or on a local buy-and-sell website. Lego bricks are good for 2 or 3 generations of children.

Re: How Lego Became the Apple of Toys (2015)

#23

Post by unfunco »

pdpi wrote: post #10
kleiba wrote: post #8

Lego is still quite amazing but not quite as cool as it used to be. I suppose the various boxes were always meant to be such that you could build that one really cool building/vehicle/etc. with it. Sometimes with a predesigned variation, too. But today it seems that the purpose of most boxes is to do only that - and then, what, put the object into a display case? Or, more likely, play with it for a while and then for…

> there are so many special pieces that it does not spark your own creative fantasy (in my opinion) but limits it. Those pieces aren't anywhere near as limiting as you think. The Saturn V model uses the 64951 tub/barrel pieces as thruster nozzles. The LEM uses the 64644 telescope/spyglass piece for the legs. That's the immediately visible bits in the model I have handy, I remember seeing a bunch more of those on my f…

The 31129 Majestic Tiger uses a 1x1 pink flower plate as a butthole.

Re: How Lego Became the Apple of Toys (2015)

#24

Post by racl101 »

I remember when I had Legos I had to build whatever my mind came up with using the pieces available. We'd play with it. Then a new idea would pop in our brains about how to improve the design and we'd tear down and build back up only bigger and better. And if we got more legos or new pieces, suddenly so many new possibilities for designs. What a difference a few new pieces made.

Now they feel like model Kits. My nephew asks for Star Wars Legos, or some other franchise based legos, builds whatever the structure is according to the manual, but then doesn't take it apart and it just sits on his book shelf. Never to be touched or rebuilt, even just for the heck of it. And why should he rebuild? It's like coding the same program out of a text book in exactly the same way. Been there done that.

Re: How Lego Became the Apple of Toys (2015)

#26

Post by kawogi »

I'm still mad that they discontinued Mindstorms. My school isn't able to replace their components if they break and I cannot get additional motors for my projects any more.

Does anyone know how good their "LEGO® Education SPIKE™" stuff is? Is it as open as the NXT-bricks? Are these somewhat compatible? Linux IDE available?

I wish someone would offer a replacement for those who have a 3D-printer, rp2040 and some soldering experience. I'd help the school to re-stock their supply.

Edit: 35 € for a 2 A USB power supply is definitely Apple-ish. And those peripheral connectors look like they're … unique. Mindstorms just had standard RJ-something plugs.

Re: How Lego Became the Apple of Toys (2015)

#27

Post by bombcar »

kleiba wrote: post #8

Lego is still quite amazing but not quite as cool as it used to be. I suppose the various boxes were always meant to be such that you could build that one really cool building/vehicle/etc. with it. Sometimes with a predesigned variation, too. But today it seems that the purpose of most boxes is to do only that - and then, what, put the object into a display case? Or, more likely, play with it for a while and then for…

I've seen this sentiment time and time again, but careful examination of the actual pieces and sets, excluding the obviously marketed to adults sets shows them just as adjustable and combinable as I remember them being when given to kids.

My ability to see what is latent and possible in the pile has decreased, but my kids have what seems to me to be quite the same amount of fun I did when I ways young.

There's even now an entire Lego line dedicated to "3 in 1" where the parts have three possible buildouts: https://www.lego.com/en-us/themes/creator-3-in-1

My pirate ship never came with alternate models with instructions https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/pirate-ship-31109 though some of the sets would have an alternate model or two pictured on the box.

Re: How Lego Became the Apple of Toys (2015)

#28

Post by jltsiren »

kleiba wrote: post #8

Lego is still quite amazing but not quite as cool as it used to be. I suppose the various boxes were always meant to be such that you could build that one really cool building/vehicle/etc. with it. Sometimes with a predesigned variation, too. But today it seems that the purpose of most boxes is to do only that - and then, what, put the object into a display case? Or, more likely, play with it for a while and then for…

That trend has been going on a decades. When I was a kid in the late 80s, I always grabbed the annual Lego catalog from the local toy store. Every year, there were more and more big colorful special-purpose parts that were required to build that one cool object. But there were never enough of them in the boxes to really use them in my own designs.

Re: How Lego Became the Apple of Toys (2015)

#29

Post by bombcar »

racl101 wrote: post #24

I remember when I had Legos I had to build whatever my mind came up with using the pieces available. We'd play with it. Then a new idea would pop in our brains about how to improve the design and we'd tear down and build back up only bigger and better. And if we got more legos or new pieces, suddenly so many new possibilities for designs. What a difference a few new pieces made. Now they feel like model Kits. My neph…

I think this is one of the disadvantages of things like Star Wars Lego - you have something extremely well known to compare it to, and there's not really a point in rebuilding it, because that's the "best it can be".

Whereas my early sets, focused mainly around City, were nice, but I could build something else "City-like" out of them and not feel it was vastly inferior.

But, I think a bigger part is just kids are different. Some like building and then leave it, others build it and it goes into the pile of Lego quite quickly.

Re: How Lego Became the Apple of Toys (2015)

#30

Post by bombcar »

roomey wrote: post #12

Oh my god, do people commenting here not realise it is they who are getting older, less cool, less creative? Oh back in my day we had 10 Lego bricks and we were _greatful_ because of it!

This is mainly it - though I do remember as a kid having "The Collection" was always important - your little pile of "special bricks" like headlight bricks, anything printed, etc, that were "rare" and you'd want.
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