Today I would like to introduce you to an excellent series of articles by a LEGO fan from the UK, who goes by the name Big Sal. The reason I like these articles is because they address some very common misconceptions, rumors, or beliefs about LEGO that are either not true at all, are only partially correct, or true for some time periods but not for others. So let’s take a look if what we remember from our childhood is actually true. 🙂
As an introduction to these three articles Big Sal writes: “If there are three things you’re guaranteed to see in the comments section of any mainstream news or comment article about LEGO, it’s these: “When I was a kid, it was all just basic bricks”, and its related cousin, “All the sets come with instructions these days, and you can’t make anything else with them”, and “LEGO is too expensive these days”. Is this a problem? That depends on whether or not these claims are true…”
➡ IT WAS ALL BASIC BRICKS IN MY DAY – PART 1: In the first article Big Sal takes a look at the claim that more sets come with instructions than in the past and/or you can’t get basic brick boxes/buckets these days. This is something that you see extremely often on social-media websites where people leave comments about LEGO. It’s is especially surprising because LEGO sets with basic bricks have always been available. My suspicion is that this misconception has a lot to do with how LEGO sets are displayed on store-shelves. While at official LEGO shops you will find the full selection of what LEGO has to offer at any given time, department stores have limited shelf-space and will focus on the LEGO sets that sell the best.
I have also noticed an interesting phenomena where while older people complain that in their days LEGO was more simple and creative, given the choice (and when nobody is looking) they will pick the more advanced and complex sets. I have recently saw this at Toys’R’Us where a couple with two elementary-school age boys were talking to a store employee complaining about the store’s LEGO selection, and that in their days there were only simple brick boxes which were much better and much more educational. After hearing out their accusations, the nice employee promptly walked this couple over to the LEGO Classic sets, which only include basic elements. The store had a full selection of the LEGO Classic and LEGO Creator sets, so it became obvious to the couple that there was nothing to complain about. They thanked the employee, and put two of the LEGO Classic sets in their cart. But than the dad turned and saw the LEGO Galaxy Squad sets and he exclaimed “Look at that spaceship!” Both him and the two boys were talking excitedly and looking at the different sets. About ten minutes later this same family was behind me in the checkout line. Gone were the two LEGO Classic basic brick boxes from their cart, and they were replaced by LEGO Galaxy Squad and LEGO BIONICLE sets. 🙄
So while basic LEGO brick boxes have always been available they are often outshined by themed sets, and perhaps this is what gives people the impression that they are no longer in production. Perception is a very interesting thing and can definitely mess with how and what people remember. In his article Big Sal will show you in detail with numbers and charts the ratio between basic brick sets and themed sets, as well as how many sets came with and without instructions through the years. His research and conclusions are very interesting. You can read the full article at the following link: IT WAS ALL BASIC BRICKS IN MY DAY – PART 1
➡ IT WAS ALL BASIC BRICKS IN MY DAY – PART 2: In this part Big Sal looks at the claim that sets these days are filled with specialized pieces that can only be used for one thing. If you hold this belief it is worth browsing through the earliest LEGO sets in the BrickLink catalog. You will be surprised by how many specialized pieces appear in the earliest LEGO sets. In fact, some of them like trees, vehicles, and people don’t even look like LEGO by today’s standards. In addition LEGO fans with a creative mind will always find multiple uses even for those LEGO elements that seem to be specialized. However it is still worth looking at the ratio of LEGO elements that are so specialized they were only included in a few sets, because it can tell us about LEGO’s fascinating history. Here again Big Sal included some very helpful charts and other data. You can read the full article at the following link: IT WAS ALL BASIC BRICKS IN MY DAY – PART 2
➡ IT WAS ALL BASIC BRICKS IN MY DAY – PART 3: In this article Big Sal summarizes his conclusions with a few more interesting charts to show you that LEGO sets these days are not full of overly specialized parts, but are in fact the least specialized they’ve ever been. After a bumpy ride in the 90’s and early 2000’s when LEGO almost went bankrupt, much stricter controls have been put in place to streamline LEGO set design and production, and thus LEGO designers can now only use standard universal LEGO elements and can only introduce a limited number of specialized parts per new set or theme. There are some other interesting thoughts Big Sal shares here to conclude his research. You can read the full article at the following link: IT WAS ALL BASIC BRICKS IN MY DAY – PART 3
To help with the persistent claim that LEGO no longer offers basic brick boxes, LEGO recently launched (or more accurately; re-launched) the LEGO Classic line. Previously these basic bricks sets were listed under the LEGO Creator theme, which include a great variety of sets. So to make shopping easier, now all basic brick boxes are under the LEGO Classic theme. This should make it much easier to remember them and ask for them while shopping. And if you are looking for other sets that include mostly basic models, I would also recommend the LEGO Creator 2-in-1 and 3-in-1 sets which contain several alternate models, and the LEGO Minecraft line that mostly include basic bricks in earth-tone colors. You can find them all at the Online LEGO Shop at the following links:
- LEGO CLASSIC AT THE ONLINE LEGO SHOP
- LEGO CREATOR AT THE ONLINE LEGO SHOP
- LEGO MINECRAFT AT THE ONLINE LEGO SHOP
So what do you think? Did you find the articles by Big Sal interesting? Anything new that you have learned you didn’t know about? Do you prefer to build with the most basic LEGO bricks, or do you like to work with more interesting LEGO elements? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below! 😉
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