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Lego's treehouse set uses plant-based bricks for the greenery
Last year, Lego revealed a new type of brick made using a type of polyethylene created with ethanol from sustainably sourced sugarcane. Though it said only a small percentage of total bricks would be made in such a way, it was a major step towards Lego's broader sustainability ambitions. Several sets have included such pieces, though Lego has unveiled perhaps its most ambitious one yet: a Treehouse kit that includes 185 of those pieces.
'Forza Horizon 4' gets a Lego expansion this week
Forza Horizon 4 is getting more playful with the upcoming Lego Speed Champions, which launches this week. Revealed during Microsoft's E3 press conference, the expansion adds a variety of Lego vehicles, but also lets you drive normal cars on blocky tracks. It's a bit of a strange addition for the Horizon open world racing franchise, but hopefully you'll get to race to The Lego Movie's "Everything is Awesome."
Lego is releasing an Apollo 11 Lunar Lander set for its 50th anniversary
The 50th anniversary of the human race's first trip to the moon is fast approaching, and Lego is marking the milestone with a NASA Apollo 11 lunar lander set. It'll be available June 1st for $100.
Lego dives into the Upside Down with a 'Stranger Things' play set
Netflix's Stranger Things already has a number of unusual if appropriate tie-ins, but this latest might top them all if you're a die-hard fan. Lego is releasing a 2,287-piece Stranger Things set that recreates both the Byers' home and its Upside Down equivalent in uncanny-if-blocky detail, including eight of the core characters. There are plenty of little touches -- you'll see functioning Christmas lights in the Byers' living room, while Eleven can travel with an Eggo waffle in hand.
The best coding kits for kids
I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Part of the reason I write about technology for a living is that I couldn't cut it as a coder. It's not that I regret my career choice (I definitely don't), but I do regret having never really learned the art of programming. And it's not because I want to build apps or games or anything. It's because you pick up a lot of peripheral skills. This is the primary reason I want my kid to learn to code. I don't necessarily want him to become an engineer (though I certainly wouldn't be upset if he did). Instead, I see coding as a great teaching tool. It's a way to teach cause and effect and problem-solving skills. And mastering the logic behind simple routines can even make your kid a better and more convincing communicator.
Lego 'Star Wars' droid kit teaches coding with R2-D2's help
All Lego Boost kits have the power to teach kids (and kids at heart) how to bring machines to life with coding, but the latest one has an edge over previous sets. The new Star Wars Boost kit has the adorable R2-D2 in its corner, supported by two other recognizable machines from the franchise: the mouse and the Gonk droids. It comes with 1,177 pieces that can be used to build the three droids, as well as a Bluetooth Move Hub that kids can insert into the figure they want to control.
Lego's Spike Prime kits give kids the confidence to code
STEM has a bit of an image problem: Despite efforts to make it colorful and friendly, it's still intimidating to a lot of students. When there are parents shoving electronics kits at them while offering no help and teachers insisting that learning to code is fundamental to their career prospects, some kids end up completely turned off. But now Lego Education has a $330 kit, Spike Prime, aimed at building coding literacy and overcoming the confidence problem that drives many kids away from STEM before they reach high school.
Lego’s newest playsets are haunted by AR (updated)
As much as we like to shake our metaphorical canes at kids and lament how they're all about Minecraft and Fortnite these days, the truth is that they're still really big into physical play too. Children still love Lego, both the plastic bricks and the worlds they can create with them. However, the company is now going to try to unite all these different aspects -- building, video gaming and storytelling -- with its new AR-based line, Lego Hidden Side. Kids can construct sets and bring them to life using their phones, with a continuing narrative to keep them coming back for more.
Chevy made a full-size Silverado truck out of Lego bricks
Hey, Bugatti, you're not the only one who can fashion a full-size car out of toy bricks as a publicity stunt. Chevy has enlisted the help of students from Oxford Community School and Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary to create a one-for-one rendition of its 2019 Silverado 1500 LT Trailboss using Lego's signature bricks. The project required 334,544 pieces and more than 2,000 hours of assembly from 18 workers, but it's uncannily accurate with the subtle contours and decals of the real thing.
Warner Bros. pulls Lego 'Lord of the Rings' games from digital stores
If your child is a big Lord of the Rings fan, they might be a little crestfallen. Warner Bros. has pulled both Lego: Lord of the Rings and Lego: The Hobbit from digital stores, including Steam. The company told Kotaku that you could still download them if you'd already purchased copies, but newcomers will have to track down physical copies or go without.
Lego's augmented reality iOS app is ready for adventure
Lego's augmented reality Playgrounds app was arguably the highlight of the demos at Apple's yearly developer conference, and now you can try it for yourself -- the iOS app is available today. Point your iPad or iPhone at a compatible Lego set (more on that in a bit) while you're using the app and you'll see bricks liven up with animations, interactive moments and full-fledged games. You'll have a strong incentive to complete a set besides the usual opportunities for imaginative play.
Lego reveals six 'Overwatch' sets that are coming next year
Overwatch has been such a phenomenon that it's starting to take eek into everything. The latest example of Overwatch creep comes to the world of Lego. The company is releasing six Overwatch-themed building sets that feature vehicles, characters and weapons from the game. The Lego Overwatch collection will be available starting next year.
This driveable Bugatti Chiron is made out of 1 million Lego blocks
Lego's Bugatti Chiron Technic kit is a stylish recreation of the sports car at ⅛ scale. But what about making one at 1:1 scale? The wholesome toy company teamed up with the automaker to create a life-size model of the performance vehicle out of Technic blocks. And it works! The recreation drives itself, though its "engine" made of over 2,300 Lego set motors ekes out an estimated 5.3 horsepower. That doesn't quite reach the blistering speeds of its real-life version, the but the Lego Bugatti Chiron is a pretty neat execution of a dream to build a car completely out of bricks.
Lego's new toy train is a STEM tool for preschoolers
Twenty years ago Lego introduced Mindstorms as a way to engage kids who were becoming more interested in video games and the internet than plastic building blocks. It was successful enough that the kits became a regular sight in robotics classes and competitions. Now the line is on its fourth generation, and it's been joined by other STEM-friendly Lego kits like Boost and Powered Up to bring tech skills to many different types of kids. Now Lego's educational division goes even younger with Coding Express, a set that will teach 3- and 4-year-olds the basics of programming while they construct a world of trains, picnics and wandering deer.
Lego's STEM-friendly Batmobile needs more STEM
Even as STEM toys become more popular, Lego's construction sets remain the gold standard, with more recent products like Mindstorms and Boost expanding into the fields of robotics and coding. This month it's bringing that technological expertise to its more standard kits with the Powered Up ecosystem. Now bread-and-butter sets like Lego City and licensed products like DC Superheroes get nifty additions like motorized parts and app connectivity, starting with Batman's iconic vehicle.
Lego is basically building AR ‘Sims’ for its playsets
Lego is infusing its bricks with digital magic in a series of new augmented reality experiences using Apple's updated ARKit 2. The Lego AR experiences, due out later this year, combine real-world Lego buildings with digital landscapes. Build a physical Lego structure, such as the Assembly Square building that appeared on-stage at Apple's WWDC 2018 conference, and hold up a tablet or phone running the AR app to see the entire thing come to life. Streets appear at its base, alongside trees, grass, digital buildings, little Lego people and cars.
Lego's Powered Up kits are built for connected play
Lego's Boost sets are good for teaching the basics of code, but what about those who don't necessarily want to go that far? The company is accommodating them, too. It's launching a Powered Up platform that makes coding and connected play an option even if it's not the original intent. Only some sets will have full programing and mobile device control -- others will be powered or remote controlled, and some will be regular Lego kits with Powered Up support as an option.
Alexa becomes a playtime storyteller for Lego Duplo blocks
It's not just Amazon setting out to make Alexa kid-friendly. Lego has unveiled an Alexa story skill that guides younger children (aged 2 to 5) through playtime with Duplo blocks. Kids and their parents can walk through customizable stories themed around animals or vehicles with Amazon's voice assistant encouraging "constructive, exploratory and roleplay" experiences. It can ask them to build creatively and recognize colors, for example.
Lego League returns to space with two robotics kits for competitions
If you got excited for the Women of NASA and Saturn V rocket Lego sets, you'll dig this new offering from the building brick company from Denmark. Lego's education arm just announced two new robotic kits that can be used in the First Lego League series of robotics competitions, the Mission Moon and Into Orbit sets were designed in partnership with astronauts and space experts to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Lego league itself.
The Boring Co. will sell giant ‘Lego-like’ building bricks
Apparently flamethrowers weren't enough. The next merchandise Elon Musk's Boring Company will sell are life-sized Lego bricks that you can use to build your own structures. The bricks are made of rock extracted during The Boring Company's drilling, and according to tweets from Musk, they interlock and have a "precise surface finish" so they could double as affordable housing materials. Initially, they'll be sold in kits to recreate versions of ancient Egyptian structures like pyramids and the Sphinx. It stands to reason that Musk could use these to build the Hyperloop infrastructure and stations, too.
