THE ULTIMATE LEGO BOOK; 125 Pages; DK Publishing $19.95.
Over the years, there have been many creative toys for youngsters; Tinkertoys, erector sets, Lincoln logs. But none has the lasting effect of LEGOs, the small plastic bricks that fit together making myriad designs and toys."The Ultimate LEGO Book" is a visual demilune to these miniature building pieces from their inception in a humble carpenter shop to the remarkable designs -- and even the villages and theme parks -- constructed with LEGO bricks. For anyone who has fiddled with the pieces (you can't be around them and not become addicted!) this is the book; just like it's title suggests, the ultimate.
"This book is not about a toy," explains Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, president and CEO of the LEGO Group, whose life-size portrait designed entirely from LEGOs accompanies a forward, "It is a book about an idea, a set of values and a long-term commitment to empowering children to use their creativity and build their imagination."
It began when Kristiansen's grandfather, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, designed wooden toys in the 1930s and 40s for his small company called "LEGO," which comes from the Danish for "play well" ("LEg GOdt"). Incidentally, "lego" is the Latin word for "I assemble," or "I put together," which truly is exemplary of what LEGOs offer children.
In 1949, after the war when technology provided new plastics, LEGO began producing the first LEGO pieces. These prototypes did not have the holding power of the later bricks, and the colors tended to fade, but a new system of toy had been invented that would change the way children used construction as creative play. It was a small business. "Everyone knew each other, and almost everyone met for a short prayer meeting before work." As a boy, Kjeld's picture appeared on the first boxes of bricks and the vehicles and axillary parts that were marketed as themes, such as towns, farms and homes.
A fire that destroyed the original company, and development of new ideas such as wheels, motors and tracks, resulted in expansion of the LEGO Co. In 1963, cellulose acetate, the plastic-like manufacturing material, was replaced with ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), assuring a more stable, color-fast toy that could be molded with greater precision. What followed were hinges, couplings, propellers, gears and LEGO people that fit into the trains, buses and boats made of the tiny bricks. Larger models, called Duplos, were developed for younger children, and when they adapted to the smaller bricks, there was no limit for age and stage of play. The Duplos did not get left behind when children began building with more sophisticated ideas.
LEGO Technic's (a trademark) followed, which launched motorized mechanical models and robots controlled via computers. Using the microchip, computer-literate children can design, build and program their own working robots entirely of LEGOs.
Fiber-optic elements and outer-space characters have been added to whet the appetite of science-fiction aficionados. Recently, computer games (LEGO Island, LEGO Creator, LEGO Loco and LEGO Chess) made a worldwide market take notice of the company founded by Christiansen, who pledged more than 65 years ago to empower children to use their creativity. There seems to be no limit to the LEGO books, which provide educational programs and model design.
One section of "The Ultimate LEGO Book" shows LEGO master builders, who are professional LEGO modelmakers, with some of their designs, such as bowls of fruit and a portrait of the Mona Lisa. Future sculpture possibilities seem incredibly technical, but given the creative power of children, they are wonderful challenges.
The LEGO Co. meets other needs by providing sports clothes (with reflecting strips), backpacks and watches all totting the LEGO trademark. And for families seeking a new vacation outing, LEGOland, Calif., is a spanking-new 128-acre theme park in Carlsbad (30 miles north of San Diego) designed like the LEGOland Windsor near London and the Original LEGOland in Billund, Denmark.
The U.S. LEGOland in California features more than 40 rides and attractions designed especially for children ages 2 through 12. The park is divided into "blocks" similar to the themes that are developed in the boxes of LEGO bricks. Children can climb towers, use pulleys, try the driving school and enter a 19-foot-tall Technic T-Rex.
The Miniland is a showland of models made entirely from LEGOs; for example, a 20 million LEGO brick model of New York City (complete with the Statue of Liberty, Times Square and Grand Central Station). There are models of harbors, coastlines, Mount Rushmore, the Sydney Opera House, the Taj Mahal and other international landmarks. There's even a Safari Trek, where ferocious LEGO lions growl at passers-by.
If you and your children enjoy LEGOs now, you will certainly find greater appreciation after reading "The Ultimate LEGO Book." And just a hint. What a great idea this book would be for an upcoming holiday gift.