LEGOs for everyone!
When I was a kid, there were two items that could hold my attention for months on end - baseball cards and LEGOs. I assume that many of the folks on my flist were also LEGOmaniacs back when such a phrase meant a real creative dedication to playing. If you were one of those kids who obsessed at length over LEGOs (especially when the new sets came out every year), you'll be interested to know (if you didn't already) that today is the 50th Anniversary of the LEGO patent. The LEGO turns 50 today - shouldn't all of us who were so fanatical as kids get a set?
All told I think my obsession with LEGOs was over a decade long, from about four to fourteen or so. I still remember the excitement of Christmas Day 1991, when I unwrapped both my Minnesota Twins World Series VHS and my very own Black Seas Barracuda. It was probably the best Christmas of my youth - the closest one could possibly get to fulfilling any kid's pipe dream wish list.
The Barracuda wasn't my favorite set of all time. The set that provided me with the most enjoyment over the years was the very first new set I ever was given, Forestmen's Hideout, in 1988. The set was brilliantly designed, everything a kid could want. The basic construction was a hollowed tree turned into a fort, complete with a small house high up in the tree and vines for the forestmen to climb up. They had a modest amount of gold and a small barrel of cider (or beer/mead), some spears, and a bow with arrows and a target to practice on. The tree even was designed to have a small hole at the base for the forestmen to enter. It absolutely ruled to play with that set, even without any other LEGOs of my own to use with it.
Today LEGOs have licensed sets. This isn't a criticism of them in any way, but my decade-plus younger brothers have Star Wars sets, Batman sets, Harry Potter sets, and who knows what else that is available now. It doesn't require much creativity to invent stories and pretend universes with your LEGOs these days - you simply buy the set that was developed from your favorite movie. When people my age first started playing with them were was the Town set, the Castle set, and the Space set. The Pirates showed up a few years later, which seemed to cover all the bases one kid would ever need. Apparently imagination isn't what it used to be anymore, and that really makes me sad for the kids of today.
If you feel like commenting, what was your favorite set? (If you'd like to relive your youth, you can search/browse any LEGO set since 1970 here.
All told I think my obsession with LEGOs was over a decade long, from about four to fourteen or so. I still remember the excitement of Christmas Day 1991, when I unwrapped both my Minnesota Twins World Series VHS and my very own Black Seas Barracuda. It was probably the best Christmas of my youth - the closest one could possibly get to fulfilling any kid's pipe dream wish list.
The Barracuda wasn't my favorite set of all time. The set that provided me with the most enjoyment over the years was the very first new set I ever was given, Forestmen's Hideout, in 1988. The set was brilliantly designed, everything a kid could want. The basic construction was a hollowed tree turned into a fort, complete with a small house high up in the tree and vines for the forestmen to climb up. They had a modest amount of gold and a small barrel of cider (or beer/mead), some spears, and a bow with arrows and a target to practice on. The tree even was designed to have a small hole at the base for the forestmen to enter. It absolutely ruled to play with that set, even without any other LEGOs of my own to use with it.
Today LEGOs have licensed sets. This isn't a criticism of them in any way, but my decade-plus younger brothers have Star Wars sets, Batman sets, Harry Potter sets, and who knows what else that is available now. It doesn't require much creativity to invent stories and pretend universes with your LEGOs these days - you simply buy the set that was developed from your favorite movie. When people my age first started playing with them were was the Town set, the Castle set, and the Space set. The Pirates showed up a few years later, which seemed to cover all the bases one kid would ever need. Apparently imagination isn't what it used to be anymore, and that really makes me sad for the kids of today.
If you feel like commenting, what was your favorite set? (If you'd like to relive your youth, you can search/browse any LEGO set since 1970 here.