30th Birthday of the Mini Fig

[Front]

Today, the 25th of August 2008, is the 30th birthday of the minifig. Its bigger brother the brick, celebrated its 50th birthday also this year. What a party 2008 is.

Check website with high-resolution video and challenge.

Go Miniman Go

Front

[KimT]

Thanks for the link.

It's a neat little walk in history.

Now for that challenge

[Mirandir]

Has anyone found their way into that store where they sell those T-shirts??

[MightyMegs]

Awesome! Today is my daughter's 3rd birthday... she will be happy to know she shares it with the minifig.

[Skipper 24]

That site is so cool. I can't find out how to buy one of there shirts. I really want one, but I won't be too sad if I can't lay my hands on one.

[Mirandir]

It seems like the T-shirts are from Band of Outsiders wich also has Clothes in the actual LEGO-colors!

But there doesn't seem to be an online shop to actually buy them. :(

[Asuka]

Thanks for that fine and interesting link, Front.

What a nice project and a really great video!

[Cardinal Brick]

Didn't realise the minifig was 30 today, thanks for the link to the contest.

[samthelegoman1]

You have to rush down to a Lego store near you to get the shirts. I wonder if they're free?

[Dufresne]

Wow, it was a total coincidence that I happened to pick today as my first time ever visiting a LEGO store! I went by the one at the Burlington Mall in Massachusetts, and everyone who walked in the door got to make and take home a free minifig from a box they had! The box had mostly just Speed Racer torsos, but I put together a minifig of Racer X's helmet, Snake Oiler's head, and Taejo's awesome jumpsuit! For FREE!

Then I actually shopped. I got 8632 Swamp Raid, 7656 General Grievous Starfighter, 8631 Jetpack Pursuit, 2x 5612 Police Officer (DOGGIES!), and the Vintage Minifigure Collection Vol. 1. On top of THAT, purchases of $75 or more got a FREE "Birthday Box" you could fill from the Pick-A-Brick wall! (Mine was $80, so free PAB for me!)

They also had Cafe Corner, Green Grocer, and the UCS Millenium Falcon all assembled in display cases, so it was cool to see them assembled in person for the first time.

Best. Store. Ever.

[VBBN]

"It's not every day that a children's toy becomes a design icon but in the case of LEGO's minifigure, those tiny plastic male and female figurines that animate (in an inanimate sort of way) children's building block creations the world over, icon status seems oddly fitting"

Yesterday, the lego minigure became 30 years old. It feels like yesterday they were the brickbuilt figures. In honor of this, I shall be hosting a Minifigure building contest! Read the full article here.

Little more info there. And I have suggested a contest for this as well.

[simonjedi]

Interesting facts about the minifigure include:

* Minifigures represent the world's largest population, more than 4 billion people strong, making it 3 times larger than China, 12 times larger than the United States and 120 times larger than Canada.

* Globally, 3.9 minifigures are sold per second, 365 days per year. That's an average of over 122 million per year!

* There are more than 8 quadrillion (8,181,068,395,500,000) possible combinations of minifigures that can be made using all of the unique parts over the last 30 years.

* Film stars and comic heroes started to appear as minifigures in 1998 with LEGO Star WarsTM; only two real people have been represented in minifigure form multiple times

* The standard minifigure is four LEGO bricks tall and has just over 970 degrees of movement.

Edited August 29, 2008 by simonjedi

[Freddie]

...only two real people have been represented in minifigure form multiple times

Steven Spielberg is the first one, I guess, but who's the second one?

[Holodoc]

Steven Spielberg is the first one, I guess, but who's the second one?

Weren´t that Felipe Massa and Michael Schuhmacher? (Ferrari sets).

What about the basketball minifigs?

[simonjedi]

Steven Spielberg is the first one, I guess, but who's the second one?

Nope

Its Harrison Ford as Indy and Han Solo and Alfred Molina as Satipo and Doc Ock

[Manta]

Happy Birthday. Amazing video really, seems fitting. I wish I lived by a Lego store.

[Wout]

Then you can also count Warwick Davis as Wicket the Ewok and one of the goblins from Harry potters bankbuilding. (But he had on both characters a mask on)

To all Lego minifigs: "Happy Birthday to you!"