Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 20 surprising Lego facts.
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00:00 It's like the saying, everyone loves Pregos, Legos and Eggos.
00:04 Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 surprising Lego
00:09 facts.
00:16 The company makes and sells a lot of Lego.
00:19 No duh, right?
00:20 But do you know exactly how much Lego is ushered out the door of its factories and stores?
00:25 Well, it's estimated that Lego produces around 80,000 to 100,000 pieces every single
00:30 minute.
00:31 That's around 6 million pieces an hour and 144 million a day.
00:35 Times that by 365 and you're looking at around 50 to 60 billion pieces produced every
00:41 year.
00:42 Now that's a lot, and it has to be, given that Lego sells around 220 million Lego sets
00:46 a year, all seven sets every second.
00:58 No we're not talking about the soundtracks of the movie, although yes, that is on Spotify.
01:03 We're talking about ASMR-style, white noise Lego.
01:08 Yep, you can find an official Lego playlist on Spotify, tailored to those who like to
01:12 listen to the rustling of packets, pouring of pieces and clicking of bricks.
01:18 In fact, the official Lego white noise playlist has a wide variety of ASMR entries.
01:22 There's the waterfall, big-hearted bricks and search for the one, brick.
01:32 It adds a whole new meaning to Spotify wrapped.
01:39 The Lego brand dates all the way back to 1932, where it was founded by Danish carpenter Olli
01:44 Kjert Kristiansen.
01:46 He settled on the name "Lego", which is derived from the Danish word "legot",
01:50 meaning "play well".
01:51 And it's a very appropriate message, don't you think?
01:55 The Lego brand motto is also very appropriate, as it roughly translates from Danish to "only
02:00 the best is good enough".
02:02 Given the brand's strict and on-point quality control - more on that later - that motto
02:06 is absolutely on point.
02:18 Another number dump for you next, and it's for those who have ever wondered, "Hey,
02:22 what if I wanted to build a Lego tower all the way to the moon?"
02:25 Mathematically, you'd be looking at 40 billion Lego bricks stacked one on top of another,
02:29 which would take one hell of a ladder and one very, very steady hand.
02:37 Implausible feats aside, though, a standard Lego brick can actually take almost 1,000
02:42 pounds of force before buckling.
02:44 Which means you could, in theory, build an actual Lego brick tower around 11,500 feet
02:49 before the bottom brick gave way.
02:51 But come on, who is really going to build a Lego tower that high?
02:55 Well…
02:56 In 2016, the tallest Lego tower was 117ft.
03:02 Okay, so 117ft is nowhere near the brick-buckling capacity we just mentioned, but it's still
03:11 pretty high.
03:12 Who actually holds the record is a little unclear, with Guinness World Records stating
03:15 that Lego Italia takes the accolade for its 114ft structure that was erected in Milan.
03:21 However, the unofficial record seems to be the tower constructed in Tel Aviv back in
03:26 2017, built in memory of the 8-year-old Israeli boy, Omer Sayegh.
03:30 The tower was made up of half a million bricks and measured 117ft high.
03:46 They keep gold, religious texts and seeds in underground vaults, so why not Lego bricks?
03:51 Lego calls this vault "Memory Lane", and it's under the Lego Idea House in Denmark.
04:01 It holds over 4,700 Lego sets, almost every Lego set ever manufactured in its 90-plus
04:07 year history.
04:14 Like all vaults built for precious goods, the facility is temperature and humidity controlled,
04:19 and fireproof.
04:20 This sounds like fun, until you realise every single set must remain unopened and therefore
04:24 completely inaccessible, creating the perfect metaphor for your childhood.
04:37 Lego is always diversifying its core piece elements, and although Lego minifigures have
04:41 been around for ages, with the first being a police officer figure from the 1978 Lego
04:46 town set, it wasn't until 2002 that the first minifigure of a different height was
04:51 created.
04:52 And it was a Yoda.
04:55 Minifigures have had lots of different stages of evolution.
04:58 A Jar Jar Binks figure was the first to feature a specially moulded head, and Harry Potter's
05:02 Professor Quirrell was the first minifigure to feature a double-sided head.
05:06 As of 2020, it's estimated that there have been 4 billion minifigures produced.
05:11 So don't worry, if they ever did rise up and try to take over humanity, we still outnumber
05:15 them 2-1.
05:28 Although you'll be facing a lot of stiff competition from other die-hard Lego fans,
05:32 getting your own Lego set on store shelves isn't all that difficult, in theory.
05:36 To make that dream a reality, you have to choose a unique design, build it, get at least
05:40 10,000 people to back your design, and then your build will be reviewed by the Lego experts.
05:45 If they approve it, boom, you're in.
05:49 Some previous success stories include the Disney Steamboat Willy set and the Flintstones
05:53 house.
05:54 We're back to big builds next, this time focusing on the set with the largest number
06:02 of pieces.
06:03 That Guinness World Record accolade goes to this 42ft high London Tower Bridge model,
06:08 which is made up of 5,805,846 pieces.
06:21 This colossal build took five months to put together, and it was actually built for the
06:24 launch of the Land Rover Discovery back in 2016.
06:27 Unfortunately, it isn't available as a set in stores, presumably because the box wouldn't
06:32 fit in a bag, or the bag wouldn't fit out the door.
06:42 We've already talked brick production, set sales and minifigure minion numbers, but just
06:46 how much Lego is there on planet Earth right now?
06:49 Well, it's thought that there are around 400 billion Lego bricks on the planet.
06:54 Which means that, on average, every person owns around 50 Lego bricks.
06:58 And if 400 billion Lego bricks is difficult to picture, I dunno, just think of 67 record-breaking
07:04 London Tower Bridge models instead.
07:12 As mentioned, Yoda was the first to change things up on the minifig production line,
07:16 but Star Wars was also the very first franchise to be Lego-ised.
07:20 The first Star Wars set was the 7140 X-Wing fighter, released in 1999, and it signified
07:26 a new era for the Lego brand.
07:29 Other huge franchises followed shortly after, with Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings also
07:36 getting the brick treatment.
07:38 In fact, as of October 2023, the Lego Star Wars name boasts a total of 910 Lego sets,
07:44 big and small, and a whopping 1,386 minifigures.
08:12 Anyone who has ever built a Lego set before will know that it takes more than just bricks
08:16 to create nuanced buildings, characters and vehicles.
08:19 It's an art form, with some ridiculously intricate pieces that can help create some
08:23 of the most detailed models around.
08:25 In total, there are around 4,000 unique Lego elements, further strengthening the "infinite
08:30 possibilities" credo that usually accompanies the Lego brand.
08:34 Actually, fun fact, just six eight-stood Lego bricks can be combined 915,103,765 different
08:49 ways.
08:50 So, considering every human in the world owns 50 bricks each, you should never have an excuse
08:55 to say you're bored ever again.
09:01 Lego is well aware of choking hazards.
09:09 Whether it's on toy bricks or cold cuts, choking is no joke.
09:12 The Lego design team stated that when they redesigned the head of their minifig, they
09:16 intentionally left the top hole open.
09:18 That way, if the piece were to become lodged in a child's windpipe, it could function
09:22 like a straw instead of a cork.
09:24 Smart.
09:25 Despite this forethought, though, somehow Lego approved the sale of Lego Fun Snacks
09:31 in 2007.
09:32 These corn syrup diabetes hazards were shaped just like their petroleum product choking
09:36 hazard counterparts, that you could even attach to actual Lego bricks.
09:39 Parenting blogs must have made enough of a stink, because they haven't been sold for
09:43 a few years.
09:52 The topic of the world's greatest job often comes up in conversation, and Lego Master
09:56 Model Builder has got to be up there.
09:58 Whenever you visit Legoland attractions, you will no doubt see huge models and structures
10:02 built entirely from Lego bricks.
10:03 But who actually builds them?
10:05 Well, these guys do.
10:11 Lego Master Model Builders are absolute masters of their craft, employing their vast knowledge
10:15 of Lego elements to build mind-blowingly intricate mega-builds.
10:19 And any time you see a huge master build, know that it's made up of Lego elements
10:22 that are available in off-the-shelf sets.
10:25 No specially engineered parts in sight.
10:27 So in theory, yes, you could build that model you saw at Legoland yourself.
10:39 We know, 400 billion Lego bricks on Earth, that is a lot of plastic.
10:42 Well, in 2018, Lego started the ball rolling with its plant-based Lego elements made from
10:47 Brazilian sugarcane.
10:49 Lego makes various different elements from this plant-based material, stating that about
10:52 half of all Lego sets feature at least one of them.
10:55 And naturally, Lego started with the botanical-themed elements first.
11:04 So are these sugarcane pieces biodegradable?
11:06 Well, no.
11:07 But they do represent a much more sustainable way to make Lego.
11:11 Imagine that, growing your own Lego.
11:17 James May built a real Lego house.
11:25 Former Top Gear presenter James May once spearheaded the build of a 20-foot Lego house made of
11:30 over three million pieces.
11:31 The house had a working toilet, shower, bath and featured two storeys connected by a staircase.
11:40 When it was finished, May even spent the night on a bed made of Lego bricks.
11:44 And spoiler alert, yes, it was as uncomfortable as you can imagine.
11:48 And no, the house wasn't waterproof.
11:50 Unfortunately, after nobody came forward to clean the house as their own, it was demolished
11:54 brick by brick by brick by brick.
12:05 Move over, Michelin, because Lego is actually the biggest manufacturer of tyres on the planet.
12:09 True, these tyres wouldn't be much use if you were to break down on the side of the
12:12 highway, but they do help make some pretty cool models.
12:19 In 2010, Lego reported that it produced a whopping 381 million toy tyres.
12:24 In contrast, a rubber tyre giant like Michelin produces around 200 million a year.
12:29 Which isn't even close.
12:31 Sure, Michelin makes bigger, more complex tyres, but it doesn't make any Harry Potter
12:35 castles or Millennium Falcons, does it?
12:37 Boring.
12:38 In fact, it's believed that for every one million Lego bricks created, only 18 of them
13:08 will fail the quality standard tests.
13:10 Using the same mould for so long, together with impressive quality assurance measures,
13:14 means that the bricks you buy from the store today will, in theory, be able to be used
13:18 easily with bricks made nearly 70 years ago.
13:29 Lego sets are some of the most resaleable stolen goods.
13:32 Apparently, their value goes up quickly and they are as untraceable as cash.
13:36 At least one drug dealer in the Netherlands was actually accepting Lego sets, instead
13:40 of cash.
13:46 In 2014, police in Phoenix, Arizona arrested four people who allegedly had storage units
13:51 filled with up to $200,000 in stolen Lego.
13:54 No wonder Lego has that vault.
14:23 In 1991, an elderly woman was killed in her Salt Lake City home.
14:27 Investigators were baffled, and no suspects were ever charged.
14:30 In 2013, they reopened the case and found usable fingerprints on some Lego bricks found
14:35 at the scene.
14:36 Apparently, the murderer brought his son with him, and left him to play with Lego in the
14:40 other room.
14:41 Using the fingerprints and some fingernail scrapings as DNA evidence, they linked the
14:44 crime to a death row inmate serving time in another state.
14:48 So, a full 23 years after the murder, Lego bricks helped the police put the pieces together,
14:53 and now the prosecution can build a solid case.
14:56 Okay, I'm done.
15:04 So which Lego facts left you going "What?"
15:07 Let us know in the comments below!
15:18 [music]