Little Coloured Bricks

You might have, at a certain point in time, wondered to yourself, “Where oh where have all the Asians gone in Lego?” Well, ponder no longer, for we have found them right here, all present in a small but magical place called Lego Duplo Town. The Lego Duplo World Set offers a variety of mini figures or minifigs in different skin tones, hair color and even thematic clothing.

So now you know where all the Asians are in Lego but what you don’t know is where all the Lego is in Asia.

In 2007, Lego launched its first ever Lego League Open Championship, a series of contests involving robotics featuring 66 teams from all over the globe. Although it had European in the title, ironically enough, a group from China won first place. Team Compass was the first champions with the theme Nano Quest.

But that’s not the only place Lego-fever struck. In Taipei, Taiwan, a producer that goes by the name of Danny Lim decided to build his career with the bricks themselves. One of the most watched producers of our time, he has worked with Warner Bros. on blockbuster films such as “Terminator Salvation” and “Sherlock Holmes”, and will be doing so again with his latest pièce de résistance – an action-packed adventure set in the Lego world that should be another hit with families across the globe. Previously the Lego group had turned down most movie offers, but with Lim it was another story, since he promises to deliver them a movie that would reflect what they stand for: inspiring kids and adults alike to the ideals of limitless possibilities, unbound imagination, and a whole lot of fun.

And speaking of inspiration, see how Lego and Asian culture play hand-in-hand with creativity. DJ Ritu, the international pop sensation that was one of the pioneers of Asian music proliferation, credits her success story to the fusion of her early exposure to the doors of endless creativity that Lego opens, and her love for Bollywood. “Music,” she shares, “like LEGO bricks, doesn’t have the restriction of language or culture. That’s why they are both great tools for bringing people together.”[1]

Another example would be the recent partnership of Lego and Muji, the Japanese company based on their traditional ideal of simplicity, the harmony of quality and necessity, and the achievement of the extraordinary in the pursuit of the ordinary. With only a box of lego blocks, sheets of colored paper and a unique 4-hole puncher, see for yourself how these mundane things, when put together with creativity and passion, can create wonderful things that are only limited by one’s mind.

There’s also Lego and Asian history, as seen with people like Jumpei Mitsui, who built a huge 22 ft. long replica of the legendary Battleship Yamamoto with nothing more than a huge quantity of Lego bricks, diligence as well as patience that would last for about six years and four months.

Then there are people who like to recreate historic events with Lego rather than artifacts, such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square:

Or even significant places, like parts of Beijing as they hosted the Olympics.

And even though you’re not a hardcore fanatic like the guy who built the exact replica of Mario using a 3D scanner and Lego blocks, you’d still be able to appreciate this article, because that’s just the beauty of Lego – and we have no other choice but to watch in awe.

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[1] Taken from http://www.lego.com/eng/info/default.asp?page=dj