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LEGO and IKEA Storage Solution Press-Release

by Thita (admin) on August 29, 2020

You might remember our previous discussions (see links at the end of this post) about BYGGLEK, a new creative solution that intertwines play and storage developed in partnership between the LEGO Group and IKEA. A couple of days ago, the product line was officially announced in the following press-release.

August 27, 2020: Today, IKEA of Sweden AB and the LEGO Group reveal the long-awaited outcome of their collaboration. The two brands have joined forces to create a playful storage solution called BYGGLEK. Consisting of a series of storage boxes with LEGO studs and a special LEGO brick set, the new BYGGLEK collection aims to encourage play and infuse more fun into storage around the home. The BYGGLEK collection will start to be available in existing IKEA retail channels throughout Europe (except Russia) and North America from October 1, with global rollout following later. (Check online for local availability).

With a strong belief that play makes both the home and the world a better place, IKEA of Sweden AB and the LEGO Group set out to remove barriers to play in daily life, whilst creating a practical yet playful experience that children and adults could enjoy together.

Play is the most intuitive and powerful way for children to learn and grow. However, children and adults sometimes have different views when it comes to play and creativity at home. Where adults often have a need to create structure and organize, children see a stimulating and creative environment in which they naturally want to play, pause and then replay.

In the IKEA Play Report, IKEA asked children what they want and 47% of them said that they want more playtime with their parents. At the same time, 90% of the asked parents believe play is essential to wellbeing and happiness, building on the belief that play is important. In the LEGO Play Well Study 2020, parents recognize the importance of letting kids play. With 8 in 10 admitting messy play makes children feel free and helps develop their creativity (85%). Yet, 1 in 2 parents worry about their child making a mess when playing and feel a compulsion to tidy up around their kids even while their child is still playing (51%). 9 in 10 children confirm this reality, saying their parents tell them to tidy up while they are still playing (90%).

What do you think? How do you like the BYGGLEK products so far? Are you planning to get any of them? How would you use them? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below!

And you might also like to check out the following related posts:

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Update on the Availability of LEGO Braille Bricks

by Thita (admin) on August 28, 2020

in Other News & Updates

You might remember from last year’s press-release (see: LEGO Braille Bricks for Visually Impaired Kids) that the LEGO Foundation and the LEGO Group teamed up with associations of the blind and visually impaired to introduce a new product called LEGO Braille Bricks. The concept was first proposed to the LEGO Foundation in 2011 by the Danish Association of the Blind and again in 2017 by the Brazilian-based Dorina Nowill Foundation for the Blind. It has since been further shaped in close collaboration among blind associations from Denmark, Brazil, UK, and Norway. The LEGO Braille Bricks toolkit features 2×4 bricks with studs that are laid out like the classic Braille raised dots, and are now available free of charge to various institutions. Below are the details.

The LEGO Braille Bricks concept is a play-based methodology that teaches Braille to children who are blind or have a visual impairment. Each brick in the LEGO Braille Bricks toolkit retains its iconic form, but unlike a regular LEGO brick, the studs are arranged to correspond to numbers and letters in the Braille alphabet. Each brick shows the printed version of the symbol or letter, allowing sighted and blind children to play and learn together on equal terms. This ingenious combination of features opens up a whole new world of playful learning that teaches children Braille in an enjoyable and tactile environment.

The LEGO Braille Bricks toolkits are distributed free of charge to select institutions, schools and services catering to the education of blind and visually impaired children. In each country where LEGO Braille Brick is launched, the LEGO Foundation works with an official partner in the blind community. This partner handles both distribution of the toolkits and support localization and training of the teaching concept presented at the LEGO Braille Brick website.

The LEGO Braille Bricks toolkit contains a minimum of 300 bricks in five LEGO colors, three baseplates on which to work, and a brick-separator. In addition, the box cover contains a helpful overview of the alphabet and symbols in the particular national Braille language. The five signature LEGO colors are randomly used for the bricks – only math symbols are all white.

To get access to the LEGO Braille Bricks toolkits, you must be eligible to receive it. For more information, you can contact the official partner in your country listed at the LEGO Braille Brick website. Should your country not be mentioned on the list, then LEGO Braille Bricks cannot be provided to you at this point in time. The LEGO Foundation and the LEGO Group plan to introduce LEGO Braille Bricks in more countries in the years to come, so stay tuned for more information at LEGOBrailleBricks.com.

What do you think? How do you like the idea of LEGO Braille Bricks? Do you know someone who could benefit from it? Would you purchase the set yourself? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below!

And you might also like to check out the following related posts:

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LEGO and IKEA Storage Solution Press-Release

Update on the Availability of LEGO Braille Bricks

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