Lego has relented on a policy to not allow bulk purchases of its toy bricks after a Chinese artist was declined an order because his project had a 'political agenda'.The Lego Group last year refused a bulk order for the toy bricks for an exhibition of Ai Weiwei's in Melbourne, Australia, in a move he labelled 'an act of censorship and discrimination'.However, yesterday the company has now announced that it would no longer enforce its decades-old policy of enquiring what 'thematic purpose' of a project is. Lego has ended its policy of refusing to sell bulk orders of its toy bricks for projects with a 'political agenda' Lego pieces donated to Ai Weiwei after he was initially refused the order are pictured in a car in London The artist launched a campaign to crowd source toy bricks for his project after the company would not accept his bulk order purchaseInstead, customers who intend to display their creations in public will be asked to make clear that Lego does not support or endorse them.
Asked whether the reversal was in response to the backlash it suffered over Ai's case, the toy-maker said it had been asked whether it supports human rights and freedom of expression.In an email, spokesman Roar Rude Trangbaek wrote: 'We always have and continue to do - this is at the heart of what Lego play is all about.'We hope the new guidelines will make it more clear what we stand for.'Ai's supporters had donated Lego bricks to him in various countries, and the artist said discussions online about Lego's refusal to sell bricks for the Melbourne artwork had pressured the company.He said the new policy was a 'good move,' and a victory for freedom of expression.He said: 'Lego is a language which everybody can appreciate and should be able to use it according to their will, and that's what all freedom of expression is about.'The Melbourne exhibition, which opened in December, was to feature 20 portraits of Australian pro-freedom figures made from Lego bricks. Instead, it used similar bricks from a Chinese company.'I couldn't tell much difference and the price is much, much lower,' he added.
Ai had previously used genuine Lego bricks to form the portraits of political prisoners and political exiles in a 2014 exhibition at the former island prison of Alcatraz in the San Francisco Bay.He claimed Lego had raised no objection then.Good news for Lego lovers. They have done away with the policy where if a buyer wanted to make a bulk purchase, they would have to tell the company the purpose of their purchase.This change in policy comes after Chinese artist Ai Weiwei had accused the Danish company of refusing a bulk order on political grounds in October 2015.The toy became embroiled in controversy when Weiwei, who used the bricks to create portraits of political activists from around the world for a US exhibition in 2014, said the firm had told him it would not sell directly to users with "political" intentions.This had created a huge uproar on social media. People from across the world had sent Weiwei Lego blocks with which he was able to complete his project.According to BBC, he ended up "using bricks donated to him by the public for an exhibition in Melbourne, Australia".
Announcing the change of policy, Lego announced on its website on Tuesday:"The LEGO Group has adjusted the guidelines for sales of LEGO® bricks in very large quantities.Previously, when asked to sell very large quantities of LEGO® bricks for projects, the LEGO Group has asked about the thematic purpose of the project. This has been done, as the purpose of the LEGO Group is to inspire children through creative play, not to actively support or endorse specific agendas of individuals or organizations.However, those guidelines could result in misunderstandings or be perceived as inconsistent, and the LEGO Group has therefore adjusted the guidelines for sales of LEGO bricks in very large quantities.As of January 1st, the LEGO Group no longer asks for the thematic purpose when selling large quantities of LEGO bricks for projects. Instead, the customers will be asked to make it clear - if they intend to display their LEGO creations in public - that the LEGO Group does not support or endorse the specific projects."
Earlier, after the public backlash over Weiwei, Lego had told Guardian, "As a company dedicated to delivering great creative play experiences to children, we refrain – on a global level – from actively engaging in or endorsing the use of Lego bricks in projects or contexts of a political agenda. This principle is not new."An op-ed in the Chinese edition of the Global Times, affiliated with the Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily, had praised Lego for "refusing to be implicated in a political statement" and being motivated by "good business sense".Weiwei has been targeted by authorities for his advocacy of democracy and human rights as well as other criticisms, including the aftermath of the deadly Sichuan earthquake in 2008.He was detained for 81 days in 2011 and subsequently placed under house arrest, with his passport taken away. The document was only returned in July this year, enabling him to travel to Europe.With inputs from agenciesThis year, I have been slowly building my first Lego collection.
My kids and GeekMom Jenny each have tubs of Lego bricks that belong to them individually. I felt left out after visiting Legoland with Jenny, so I started my own collection. When I started buying, I did a lot of research, so that I could get the most out of my investment in a fairly expensive hobby. The first thing I needed, no argument, was bricks. There are many ways to get a bunch of bricks at once. I started with the Lego Build and Play Box. It’s a great starter set, highlighted by its large storage box, but I’ve found some cheaper options. Here is a breakdown of the average prices I could find: 884 piece Lego Education Brick Set 779384 = 6.1 cents per brick 650 piece Lego Bricks & More Builders of Tomorrow Set 6177 = 6.3 cents per brick (discontinued and no longer available, as of 11/2016) 1,000 piece Lego Build and Play Box 4630 = 11.6cents per brick 650 piece Lego Creative Building Kit 5749 = 7.1 cents per brick 1,600 piece Lego XXL Brick Box 5512 = 13.4 cents per brick (this one has been discontinued, hence its elevated price)
As you can see, the Lego Education Brick Set has some serious bang for its buck. It’s a medium size kit, with 11 sizes and 9 colors. The bricks are pretty basic, but that’s the best place to start. I get the most use out of basic shapes, because they are so versatile. Specialized pieces often have just one purpose, and don’t get used as much. The next thing I needed was a plate. Plates are the foundation that you build your creations on. It’s possible to build on a table, but plates make the whole experience simpler and more fun. Lego makes two 10″ plates, one in green for general use, and one in blue for water scenes. Generally you can find one for about five bucks. There is also an XL gray plate, which measures 15″, but it runs around $15 right now. I own just one green plate, and it is worth its weight in gold. Honorable mention goes to the Brick Separator. Another thing that is invaluable. Saves me so much trouble when disassembling. Though these are often included in specialty kits for free.
The last thing I needed was minifigs. There are hundreds of options. As a matter of fact, according to xkcd, there will be more minifigs in the world than people by the year 2019! Where to start then? This is definitely not a case for the basics. I wanted my minifigs to be special, ones I’d like looking at forever. Since Rory is my favorite character in (I mean, how could I not like a total dork with the same name as me?), I got the Series 10 Roman Commander (read: Centurion). The kids then surprised me with a pile of parts from old minifigs that they didn’t want any more. This was great because I was able to make a few that I liked, and have the ability to change things up. After that, the sky (read: wallet) was the limit. There are so many themed kits it would take an enormous amount of money to get them all. I suggest ignoring sets like the ones, for example, because the scenes are not versatile at all. This makes me sad, because I love everything. I just don’t have room in my house for a permanent installment of Krang’s Lab, and it’s not fun (for me) to keep building the same thing over and over again.
There are a couple of exceptions. If you love one of the kits so much that it’s worth its own place in your home, buy away. GeekMom Jenny has three Lego Architecture sets that have their own shelf in her office. Also, Lego Creator sets are somewhere between free form and regular kits. Each of them makes three things officially. I love the LEGO Creator Fierce Flyer 31004, which has three official builds: an eagle, a beaver, and a scorpion. The only rule of buying Lego products is to never buy something you won’t use. If that means you never buy basic kits because you’d prefer to build a Lego Delorean, that’s okay! Buy things you love, so you will get the most out of them. One last thought: If you are buying for your kids, let them help pick out the pieces they want. Our kids keep a running list of which sets they might like to have. This is mostly so they know what they want to buy with monetary gifts, and so we know which sets to buy them as a surprise or as a gift.