Top 20 Surprising LEGO Facts
Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 20 surprising Lego facts.
#20: The Company Makes and Sells a Lot of Lego
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No duh, right? But do you know exactly how much Lego is ushered out the door of its factories and stores? Well, it’s estimated that Lego produces around 80,000 to 100,000 pieces every minute. That’s around 6 million pieces an hour, and 144 million a day. Times that by 365 and you’re looking at around 50 to 60 billion pieces produced every year. That’s a lot. And it has to be, given that Lego sells around 220 million Lego sets a year - or seven sets every second.
#19: LEGO is on Spotify
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No we’re not talking about the soundtrack to the movie - although yes, that is on Spotify - we’re talking about ASMR-style, white noise Lego. Yep, you can find an official Lego playlist on Spotify tailored to those who like to listen to the rustling of packets, pouring of pieces and clicking of bricks. In fact, the official Lego White Noise playlist has a wide variety of ASMR entries - there’s “The Waterfall”, “Big Hearted Bricks” and “Search for the One (Brick)” to name but a few. It adds a whole new meaning to Spotify Wrapped.
#18: LEGO means "Play Well"
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The LEGO brand dates all the way back to 1932, where it was founded by Danish carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen. He settled on the name Lego, which is derived from the Danish words “leg godt” meaning “play well” - and it’s a very appropriate message, don’t you think? The Lego brand motto is also very appropriate, as it roughly translates from Danish to “only the best is good enough”. Given the brand’s strict and on-point quality control, more on that later, that motto is absolutely on-point.
#17: It Would Take 40 Billion Bricks to Reach the Moon
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Another number dump for you next - and it’s for those who have ever wondered “hey, what if I wanted to build a Lego tower all the way to the moon?”. Mathematically, you’d be looking at 40 billion Lego bricks stacked one on top of another - which would take one helluva ladder, and a very, very steady hand. Implausible feats aside, a standard Lego brick can actually take almost 1,000lbs of force before buckling, which means you could, in theory, build an actual Lego brick tower around 11,500 ft before the bottom brick gave way. But come on, who is really going to build a lego tower that high? Well…
#16: The Tallest Lego Tower Was 117 Foot
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Okay, so 120 feet is nowhere near the brick-buckling capacity we just mentioned, but it’s still pretty high. Who actually holds the official record is a little unclear, with Guinness World Records stating that LEGO Italia takes the accolade for its 114 ft structure that was erected in Milan. However, the unofficial record seems to be the tower constructed in Tel Aviv back in 2017, built in memory of the 8-year old Israeli boy Omer Sayag. The tower was made up of half a million bricks and measured 117 ft high.
#15: LEGO Has an Underground Vault
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They keep gold, religious texts and seeds in underground vaults, so why not Lego bricks? Lego calls this vault memory lane and it's under the Lego idea house in Denmark. It holds over 4,700 LEGO sets, almost every Lego set ever manufactured in its 90 plus year history. Like all vaults built for precious goods, the facility is temperature and humidity controlled, and fireproof. It sounds like fun, until you realize every single set must remain unopened and therefore completely inaccessible, creating the perfect metaphor for your childhood.
#14: Yoda Was the First "mini" Minifigure
Lego is always diversifying its core piece elements, and although Lego minifigures have been around for ages - with the first being a police officer figure from the 1978 LEGO “Town” set - it wasn’t until 2002 that the first minifigure of a different height was created - and it was a Yoda. Minifigures have had lots of different stages of evolution - a Jar Jar Binks figure was the first to feature a specially molded head and Harry Potter’s Professor Quirrell was the first minifigure to feature a double-sided head. As of 2020, it’s estimated that there have been 4 billion minifigures produced. So don’t worry, if they ever rise up, we still outnumber them 2 to 1.
#13: You Can Pitch Your Own LEGO Sets
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Although you’ll be facing a lot of stiff competition from other diehard Lego fans, getting your own Lego set on store shelves isn’t all that difficult, in theory anyway. To make that dream a reality, you have to choose a unique design, build it, get at least 10,000 people to back your design, and then your build will be reviewed by the Lego experts. If they approve it - boom - you’re in. Some previous success stories include the Disney Steamboat Willie set and the Flintstone’s House.
#12: The Biggest Lego Build Has 6 Million Pieces
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We’re back to big builds next, this time focussing on the set with the largest number of pieces. That Guiness World Record accolade goes to this 42 foot high London Tower Bridge model, which is made up of 5,805,846 pieces. This colossal build took five months to put together and it was actually built for the launch of the Land Rover Discovery in 2016. Unfortunately it isn’t available as a set in stores - presumably because the box wouldn’t fit in a bag, or out the store door.
#11: Planet Earth Has a lot of Lego
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We’ve already talked brick production, set sales and minifigure minion numbers. But just how much Lego is there on planet Earth right now? Well, it’s thought that there are around 400 billion Lego bricks on the planet - which means that on average, every person owns around 50 Lego bricks. And if 400 billion Lego bricks is difficult to picture, just think of 67 record breaking London Tower Bridge models instead. Is that easier?
#10: Star Wars Broke the Lego Set Mold
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As mentioned, Yoda was the first to change things up on the mini-fig production line, but Star Wars was also the very first franchise to be Lego-ised. The first Star Wars set was the 7140 X-wing Fighter, released in 1999, and it signified a new era for the Lego brand. Other huge franchises followed shortly after, with Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings also getting the brick treatment. In fact, as of October 2023, the Lego Star Wars name boasts a total of 910 Lego sets - big and small - and a whopping 1,386 minifigures.
#9: There Are Around 4,000 Different LEGO elements
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Anyone who has ever built a Lego set before will know that it takes more than just bricks to create nuanced buildings, characters and vehicles. It’s an art form, with some ridiculously intricate pieces that can help create some of the most detailed models around. In total, there are around 4,000 unique Lego elements, further strengthening the infinite possibilities credo that usually accompanies Lego. Actually, fun fact, just six eight-stud Lego bricks can be combined 915,103,765 different ways. So considering every human in the world owns 50 bricks each, you should never have an excuse to say you’re bored ever again.
#8: LEGO is Well Aware of Choking Hazards
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Whether it's on toy bricks or cold cuts, choking is no joke. The Lego design team stated that when they redesigned the head of their minifig, they intentionally left the top hole open. That way, if the piece were to become lodged in a child's windpipe, it could function like a straw instead of a cork. Smart. Despite this forethought though, somehow, Lego approved the sale of Lego fun snacks in 2007. These corn syrup diabetes hazards were shaped just like their petroleum product choking hazard counterparts. They could even attach to actual Lego bricks. Parenting blogs must have made enough of a stink because they haven't been sold for a few years.
#7: LEGOLAND Attractions Have Master Model Builders
The topic of the world’s greatest job often comes up in conversation - and Lego Master Model Builder has got to be up there. Whenever you visit LEGOLAND attractions, you will no doubt see huge models and structures built entirely from Lego bricks. But who actually builds them? Well, these guys do. Lego Master Model Builders are absolute masters of their craft, employing their vast knowledge of Lego elements to build mind-blowingly intricate mega builds. And anytime you see a huge master build, know that it’s made up of Lego elements that are available in off-the-shelf sets, no specially-engineered parts in sight. So in theory, yes, you could build that model you saw at LEGOLAND yourself.
#6: LEGO Has Started Making Plant-Based Pieces
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We know, 400 billion Lego bricks on Earth… that’s a lot of plastic. Well, in 2018, Lego started the ball rolling with its plant-based Lego elements made from Brazilian sugarcane. Lego makes various different elements from this plant-based material, stating that about half of all Lego sets feature at least one of them. And naturally, Lego started with the botanical-themed elements first. Are these sugarcane pieces biodegradable? Well, no. But they do represent a much more sustainable way to make Lego. Imagine that, growing your own Lego. If only.
#5: James May Built a Real LEGO House
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Former Top Gear presenter James May once spearheaded the build of a 20ft Lego house made of over three million pieces. The house had a working toilet, shower, bath and featured two stories connected by a staircase. 1,000 volunteers stepped forward to form a brick-building chain gang. When it was finished, May even spent the night on a bed made of Lego bricks. Spoiler alert, it was as uncomfortable as you can imagine, and no, the house wasn’t waterproof. And unfortunately, after nobody came forward to claim the house as their own, it was demolished, brick by brick, by brick, by brick.
#4: LEGO is the Biggest Producer of Tires
Move over Michelin, because Lego is actually the biggest manufacturer of tires on the planet. True, these tires wouldn’t be much use if you were to break down on the side of the highway - but they do help make some pretty cool models. In 2010, Lego reported that it produced a whopping 381 million toy tires. In contrast, a rubber tyre giant like Michelin produces around 200 million a year. Not even close. Sure, Michelin makes bigger, more complex tires, but it doesn't make any Harry Potter Castles or Millennium Falcons, does it? Boring.
#3: LEGO Bricks Haven't Changed Since the 50s
In 1958 the modern Lego brick as we know it was patented. Since then, Lego has followed the same mold and stuck to extremely stringent quality control parameters. Each Lego brick is made to be accurate to within two-thousandth of a millimeter. In fact, it’s believed that for every one million Lego bricks created, only 18 will fail the quality standard tests. Using the same mold for so long, together with impressive quality assurance measures, means that the bricks you buy from the store today will, in theory, be able to be used easily with bricks made nearly 70 years ago.
#2: Thieves Love Lego
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Lego sets are some of the most resalable stolen goods. Apparently their value goes up quickly and they are as untraceable as cash. At least one drug dealer in the Netherlands was actually accepting Lego sets instead of cash. In 2014 police in Phoenix Arizona arrested four people who allegedly had storage units filled with $200,000 in stolen Lego. No wonder Lego has that vault.
#1: Lego Evidence Solved a Murder Case
In 1991 an elderly woman was killed in her Salt Lake City home. Investigators were baffled and no suspects were ever charged. In 2013, they reopened the case and found usable fingerprints on some Lego bricks found at the scene. Apparently, the murderer brought his son with him and left him to play with some Lego in the other room. Using the fingerprints and some fingernail scrapings as DNA evidence, they linked the crime to a death row inmate serving time in another state. So a full 23 years after the murder, Lego bricks helped the police put the pieces together, and now the prosecution can build a solid case.
