The FINANCIAL — When the world paused due to the recent lockdown it didn’t put a stop to the creativity and resilience of children. Now, to celebrate the endless imagination and unique ingenuity that kids possess, the LEGO Group has unveiled an awe-inspiring installation – a 13ft globe – which showcases creations from around the world.
The globe, which is on display at LEGO House in Billund, Denmark, took 2,700 hours to build and uses over 350,000 LEGO® bricks and elements. With LEGO creations sent in from all over the world, the globe acts as a joyful symbol of hope and positivity. Kids used their powerful imaginations to make sense of the world, and now the LEGO Group is giving us the opportunity to see the world through their eyes.
Children’s creations are displayed in five categories – nature, vehicles, fantasy creatures, objects and places. Examples include:
- Farming Hope – a sustainably powered farm with crops, a stream and an ever-present rainbow of positivity
- Mobile Corn Man – fancy some vitamins? This veg patch on the move provides kids with instant carrots and corn deliveries
- Magical Owlicorn – a mysterious, blue horned creature… who knows what mystical powers he possesses?!
- Dream Hospital Treehouse – bringing joy to children in hospital, this room in the treetop canopy even has a built-in doughnut bar
And it’s not too late to be part of the process. Families worldwide can contribute their own LEGO creations on a digital version of the globe by submitting them at lego.com/rebuild-the-world. People can also explore the stories behind some of the builds on the website, including amusing insights into kids’ creative process.
New research from the LEGO Group shows that children want more family playtime(1) and parents saw play as providing a vital role in keeping the whole family entertained during the COVID-19 pandemic(2). 94% of parents globally also believe that play helps develop creative skills(3), with resilience viewed as one of the most important skills for kids to learn for their future success(4).
Julia Goldin, Chief Marketing Officer, EVP, the LEGO Group, said: ‘The LEGO System in Play has long been the ultimate platform for playful expression, unlocking kids’ endless creativity and inspiring a constant cycle of building, unbuilding and rebuilding. We are delighted about the positive impact LEGO play had on kids’ creativity and families’ wellbeing this year and we hope the world is as inspired by their lockdown creations as we are.”
Libor Udržal, LEGO Model Specialist, who was involved with the creation of the installation, said: “This project really emphasised the magic of LEGO play for me. It has been inspiring to recreate children’s creations and hear the diverse thought processes and influences behind each piece we’ve re-built. I’ve been a Model Builder for 20 years now and yet they’ve taught me new methods of building, their creativity knows no end!”
The installation will be showcased at LEGO House from 6th October to 6th November.
A global study on play by the LEGO Group, building on the 2018 LEGO Play Well Report findings, which presents parent and child perceptions on the benefits of family play, children’s play preferences, future-oriented skills and learning through play. All findings from the report, unless otherwise referenced, were gathered from a total of 18,117 parents, and 12,591 children aged 5 -12 through a 20 minute online quantitative survey conducted across 18 markets (Australia and New Zealand, Brazil, Canada, China Mainland, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Mexico, Romania, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Ukraine and United States of America) between May and June 2020.
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