Children might be small in stature, but let's be honest, they can be rather destructive when left to their own devices. Such is the case with a young Chinese boy, who single-handedly pushed over a giant fox figurine of Nick from Zootopia on Sunday at the LEGO Expo in Ningbo, China. It so happened that it was the first day of the exhibition and the display had been open to the public for no more than an hour when the incident occurred. SEE ALSO: Search for 7-year-old boy left in forest by parents as punishment enters 4th day According to Zhao, the artist who spent three days and nights painstakingly piecing together the figurine, the parents were very apologetic over the mishap. The LEGO figurine is said to cost more than 100,000 yuan ($15,170). The finished $15,000 LEGO figurine did not stay as so for long.Zhao declined compensation as he insisted the child had not meant to break the figurine. The artist went on to post pictures of the broken figurine on his Weibo account, but did not elaborate about what had happened except to say he was heartbroken to see his hard work destroyed.
Zhao proudly poses with his work before it was destroyed.This LEGO fiasco is a far cry from another incident involving children, which took place on May 17, at the Shanghai Museum of Glass. Two young boys were caught on security cameras entering a restricted display area and breaking off the wings of a glass angel sculpture by Chinese artist, Shelly Xue. The boys were chaperoned by two adults who not only stood by and watched the boys wreak havoc, but also whipped out their phones to film the boys. After the footage of the glass incident went viral, netizens called for parents to keep their children in check and also for galleries to ban children from entering. Can you find the potato in this sea of hamsters? A photo posted by Mashable Watercooler (@watercooler) on Apr 1, 2016 at 7:30am PDT Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments. Sign up or log in to customize your list. Here's how it works: Anybody can ask a question The best answers are voted up and rise to the top
What percentage of a LEGO set's price goes toward research, design, manufacturing, marketing etc. It's just my curiosity since all my minifigures (from Series 3) are made in China and I don't know if LEGO has factories in China or they just outsources it to other Chinese manufacturers. The 2012 annual report on the LEGO Groups site states the following: Research and development activities Each year, new launchings account for approximately 60% of the LEGO Group’s sales to consumers. Therefore, the Group has considerable development activities, comprising anything from trend spotting and anthropological studies to the actual development of specific products and campaigns. Approximately 160 designers from about 20 different countries make up the creative core of product development that is mainly based at company headquarters in Billund, Denmark. It's hard to quantise exactly how much of each set goes into the various different aspects you're asking about as different sets will have different margins on them.
Taking some of the numbers in the report however, you can see things like: On Revenue of 23,000mDKK: 6,800m was spent on "production costs" (about 30%) - these are defined as "raw materials, consumables, direct labour costs and indirect production costs such as maintenance and depreciation, etc.". These are further broken down to include: 4,400m on Raw materials and consumables 1,500m on Licence and Royalty expenses 1,200m was spent on "other operating costs" (about 5%) - these are defined as "[including] royalty and research and development costs". This is further broken down to include: 451m on Research and Development 6,100m was spent on "Sales and distribution expenses" (about 27%) - these are defined as "costs in the form of salaries to sales and distribution staff, advertising and marketing expenses as well as depreciation, etc." In terms of where parts are made, this answer covers most of it, but as you rightly note, Minifigs, and some painted parts now come from China.
In terms of R&D, this answer talks about how new pieces could come about. Updated: Some of the actual break-downs in here come from the "2012" columns in the 2013 report. Sign up or log in Sign up using Google Sign up using Email and Password Post as a guest By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service. Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged manufacturing lego-group or ask your own question.Lego CEO Jorgen Vig Knudstorp has told CNBC that China offers "a unique opportunity for growth," claiming that his firm is well-positioned to become the country's number one toy brand. His comments come as the Danish toymaker prepares to step up its operations in China. Lego will open its largest retail store in the world near Shanghai later this year and is due to complete work on its first Chinese factory in 2017. The toymaker faces a myriad of challenges as it tries to grow sales in the world's second-largest economy.
Lego sparked controversy back in 2015 when it refused to sell in bulk to dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, with critics accusing the company of not wanting to wrong-foot the Chinese government. Rebuffing those claims, the Lego CEO gave his explanation for why Ai Weiwei's original sales request was denied, saying: "We've seen people building concentration camps out of Lego and pictures of the Prophet Muhammad." "We noticed a huge sensitivity to so-called 'political topics' and in this case one of our staff members in Australia found the purpose suggested by Ai Weiwei was too sensitive and so the order was refused," he added. Lego has since changed its policy and no longer requires customers buying in bulk to specify how they're going to use their bricks. Political sensitivities aside, Lego is aware it needs to bridge cultural divides to gain market share in China. A key part of Lego's appeal for western parents is its educational value. However, the concept of "learning through play" isn't so well-established in China.
In a bid to change attitudes, the Lego Foundation is pouring millions of Danish krone into research focusing on the cognitive benefits of play. The foundation funds "Lego professors" and is partnering with a leading Chinese university "to support creativity and play in Chinese schools," according to a press release in January. As part of Lego's plans to grow sales in China and Japan, it's also updated its play kits to include more Asian characters and settings. Its revamped it "Ninjago" range - featuring dragons, ninjas and a tea-drinking sage. Lego is aware, however, that small-scale product updates won't be enough to assure its success in China, one of the world's most advanced markets for online gaming. When asked if Lego would consider launching a virtual reality product, the company's CEO replied "absolutely". While stressing that Lego's plastic bricks remain the company's core product, Jorgen Vig Knudstorp said he saw huge opportunities in developing the group's range of apps and mobile games.