LEGOLAND: A New World Record
Legoland Japan recently broke a world record by building the largest cherry blossom tree – completely out of LEGO blocks! The tree was built using 881 470 Lego bricks, and while it was assembled in Nagoya, Japan, it was actually built at the LEGO factory in the Czech Republic. This earned them a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records. Why do these small pieces still fascinate the world, and is LEGO still as popular today as when it was founded in 1932? Let’s find out!
About LEGO
LEGO was founded in Denmark by Ole Kirk Christiansen in 1932. After his wife died, and he was left to raise his four sons, he started building small wooden duck toys. As his sons loved it so much, he started putting the ducks into production. Unfortunately (or fortunately), a fire broke out at the factory, and Christiansen had to rebuild – as he worked as a carpenter, he made miniature versions of everything (houses, the factory, etc.), and soon after moved to plastic instead of wood. He decided to call the name of his company LEGO, which is derived from the Danish word “leg godt” and means “play well”.
Fast forward more than 80 years, and LEGO is still as popular today as it was when it was founded in 1932. In fact, it was revealed in 2017 that LEGO is still the top-selling toy brand on Amazon, despite a drop in market share. Following behind was Fisher-Price, Melissa & Doug, Little Tikes and Step2. It’s no wonder, then, that people try to do as much with LEGO as they can, including setting Guinness World Records!
LEGOLAND
What would LEGO be without its own theme park? The first LEGOLAND was opened in 1968 in Denmark, which was followed by the LEGOLAND Windsor Resort in the United Kingdom in 1996. Other LEGOLAND theme parks can be found in Germany, Japan, Dubai, California, Florida and Malaysia. Parks in South Korea, New York and Shanghai are currently under construction to be opened in the near future.
So what can you expect to find at LEGOLAND? The theme parks are obviously aimed at younger children (11 and younger) and, although it includes roller coasters, they are not as extreme as those in other parks. These are not the main attractions though – it is LEGOLAND after all, so you can expect to find… LEGO! Which you do, because all the theme parks include a LEGO mini-land, which is a miniature village of landmarks and scenes from around the world, made from millions of genuine LEGO bricks.
The LEGO Franchise
LEGO has become a world-wide phenomenon, so much so that you can now find LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Jurassic World, LEGO Disney, and LEGO Angry Birds. And, of course, if you want to stick to the original blocks that your grandfather used to play with, you can still do that!
Even a LEGO movie has been created, with the talented voices of Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell and Elizabeth Banks. While this animated, LEGO blocks, movie had a budget of around $60 Million, it took $469.1 Million at the box office – can we say “Everything is Awesome!”
Final Thoughts
LEGO will always be part of our lives, but let’s face it: it will always be something to keep the kids occupied. What about the adults? Well, you can set your own world record at Spin Palace Casino. Not only could you play progressive slots and maybe become the highest jackpot winner ever, but you also have table game options like blackjack, roulette and craps. So, while the kids play LEGO, you can relax on your PC or mobile with some table games at Spin Palace. But be careful when you get up – LEGO pieces still hurt like hell when you step on them!
Reference:
https://mashable.com/2018/04/24/lego-cherry-blossom/?utm_cid=hp-h-1#0BTY0wK5oOqO
