Amazing Toys

“Massive scale” takes on a new meaning with James May at the helm because in August 2009, James, along with 1,000 volunteers, built the world’s first and largest fully-functioning, two-story Lego House. From Lego furniture and groceries to pets and even a working toilet, believe me when I say this house was built for living – living an exciting life in the house of every Lego lover’s dreams!

Built as part of his BBC program “Toy Stories” on a section of the Denbies Wine Estate in England, the Lego House was constructed from approximately 3.2 million new Lego bricks! Like any enthusiastic architect, James planned to live in his dream Lego home after it was finished, but sadly he never had the chance.

Unfortunately for this legendary Lego lover, the Denbies Wine Estate decided to take back its borrowed land, leaving the Lego House “homeless.” A large support campaign lobbied for the infamous LEGOLAND in Windsor, UK to add the house to its “hall of fame,” but apparently re-construction costs were too high to do so – approximately $80,000 too high. In my opinion, the $80,000 difference in reconstruction cost is a small price to pay for a piece of Lego History, especially when they’re getting a unique masterpiece for free. Sadly, the Lego House was demolished on September 22, 2009.

But, although the Lego House is lost, all hope for Lego lovers isn’t lost. LEGOLAND did take all of the Lego bricks from the house for use at an annual building event that supports The National Autistic Society – and what could be better outcome if the house couldn’t be saved?

So, in the spirit of the amazing Lego house that was, here is an inside look at the demolished structure when it was still standing tall:

Source Citations:
“James May’s Toy Stories.” James May’s Toy Stories. October 7, 2009. http://www.jamesmaystoystories.com/James_May/Welcome.html
Ling, Mai. “Lego House Demolished.” Listed. October 2, 2009. http://realestate.msn.com/blogs/listedblogpost.aspx?post=1302418&_blg=1,1302418

I’ve heard of cake as hard as brick, but have you heard of the cake made of bricks – LEGO bricks that is? LEGOLAND California celebrated its 10th birthday this past March with a big birthday bash and an even bigger birthday cake (the world’s largest in fact)! Made from 100,000 LEGO bricks, LEGOLAND’s 10-foot-tall, 5 ½-foot-wide birthday cake took 13 model builders weeks to design, plan, and build – no easy task!

Sadly, this amazingly detailed and equally colorful cake is not edible, but it definitely serves as food for the imagination with its 4 tiers filled with the most popular attractions at the park since its grand opening. And, this LEGO masterpiece adds a whole new layer of fun with motorized pieces including a swiveling fire truck ladder, a moving pirate ship, a turning dinosaur head, and illuminated candles -because no cake is complete without candles! Let’s have an up close and personal view of this crazy cake:

As I peruse the web, I always find tons of LEGO creations from the quirky to the unbelievable – some of my favorites include a 20+ foot giraffe, a real working pin ball machine, and a small-scale replica of Venice, Italy. Though these creations are definitely one-of-a-kind, the LEGOLAND 10th Birthday Cake takes the cake for sheer imagination (excuse the pun)!

Source Citations:
Brydum, Anja. “LEGOLAND California’s 10th Birthday Bash.” Los Angeles County’s Visitor Guide. August 20, 2009. http://visittheplace.com/t-sd_Legoland_10th_Birthday_Bash.aspx
Lego Cake Photo. August 20, 2009. http://www.legoland.com/NR/rdonlyres/5E909EE9-B548-490C-AD7D-51B51DD20765/0/img350_cake.jpg