Little Coloured Bricks

Recreation.Southwindsor.org

From it’s humble beginnigs in Billund, Denmark, back in the 1930′s, nobody really knew that a mere building block would turn into an infinitely fun toy that would spark the imaginations of people of all ages and cultures. The Danish bricks became one of the most loved toy we all know today as Lego.

Lego was the brainchild of a Danish carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen and was continued by his son Godtfred Kirk Christiansen who also introduced many innovations and his own ideas into the toy we know today. And as its success went worldwide, it was only a short time for it to reach the Philippines.

As far back as he can remember, 21-year old Jeffrey from Davao City, Philippines says he’s never preferred any other toy to spend his time on than Lego. The best gift he would receive for Christmas or his birthday isn’t a new phone, a cool laptop, or even a new cymbal for his drum kit. Even the simplest Lego piece or set to add to his large collection would make him smile that would last for an entire day.

Jeffrey is what you might call a Lego addict. Once you step into his room, you’ll already begin to think you were in Legoland will all the buckets of Lego bricks. “Lego never bored me,” Jeffrey says, holding a handful of colored bricks. “It’s always fun, no matter what you want to try to make out of a few blocks and an idea in your head.” Lego is infinitely fun. That was actually part of Godtfred Christiansen’s vision for the Lego blocks when he took over the company after his father’s death. Even Jeffrey agrees saying, “only your imagination can deter you with what you can do with Lego and since the imagination is infinite, almost, you are sure not to run out of ideas, ever.”

As a pass-time and a means to develop a child’s imagination, Lego is more than just a cure for the bored. As Lego became a world-wide phenomenon, even scientists and psychologists admit that Lego can help stimulate a child’s brain development. Just look at the many books and published works on the effects of Lego on children -and even on grown-ups! “This is definitely something I can’t part with when I get older,” Jeffrey adds. “I might just give up my other collections and hobbies, but I’ll forever stick with Lego. It’s better than any stress medication a psychologist can prescribe.”

Creating an object out of Lego bricks gives a lot of satisfaction to people. Jeffrey, enjoys this kind of satisfaction. This fulfillment is what keeps Jeffrey hooked on the colorful bricks since the day he got his very first Lego set. “I remember playing with my very first bucket of bricks. They were the big blocks, a version of Lego for small kids.  After that, I just kept collecting and creating Lego figures.”

Just graduated from college, Jeffrey sees himself in the business world sometime in the future. He envisions having his own business and franchises, with his own house and car. “I can definitely do with a bigger room,” Jeffrey says, “more room for my Lego!”