You may not be familiar with Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer’s entire body of work, but chances are you’ve definitely seen one of his paintings. About as iconic as Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Van Gogh’s Starry Night, or Munch’s The Scream, ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ is just one of those paintings that’s entered the hall of fame for being one of the most memorable paintings ever. The artpiece features a chiaroscuro-style artwork of a girl in a headgear and a pearl earring, with dramatic lighting from one side that creates dramatic contrast and highlights/shadows. It’s a remarkably captivating painting, and an impressive one at that, considering it was painted in 1665. After getting its own Scarlett Johansson movie in 2003, the iconic painting gets its own fan-made LEGO set! Designed by LEGO builder ‘alanboar’, this MOC (My Own Creation) features roughly 1600 bricks, and comes with a Vermeer minifigure to match!
Designer: Alanboar Cheung
Built from precisely 1619 LEGO bricks, the set wonderfully replicates the painting, bringing it to life by giving it actual depth too. Of course, the use of LEGO bricks results in a lack of fine details, but therein lies the charm! The girl in the LEGO set mimics her inspiration beautifully, with the same blue and yellow headscarf, contemplative expression, and that gorgeous pearl earring that is easily a highlight of both the painting as well as this set.
Alanboar’s little brick mosaic utilizes LEGO’s art bricks, which allow making intricate colored artpieces without those studs getting in the way. The final set measures 17.6 inches tall, and 15.1 inches wide, and even features a uniquely baroque frame to go with the painting. I’m not entirely sure whether LEGO manufactures silver hemispherical bricks, but it’s possible that Alanboar took a few liberties with the pearl earring part.
The entire set comes with a plug-to-assemble design, and even features a miniature replica of the painting along with the Vermeer minifigure and a tiny pedestal that aptly labels the mini diorama. The LEGO Girl with a Pearl Earring is currently a fan-made submission to LEGO’s Ideas forum, an online platform for LEGO enthusiasts to build and showcase their own unique creations or MOCs. Users can then vote for their favorite MOCs, which LEGO then reviews and turns into box-sets that anybody can buy. If you want to vote for Alanboar’s entry, visit the LEGO Ideas website here!
The idea of LEGO sparked from bricks, the concept of Minecraft sparked from pixels – but the Souper Connect has a much stronger metaphorical background. You see, each individual Souper brick is shaped like a human with a hole in them, and a single human brick can’t stand on its own. However, fill that hole with another human brick and the two can stand together. Build on this concept and you create a self-standing self-sustaining community, reflecting the power of human connectivity and the indomitable spirit of a healthy family or society. The cleverly designed bricks aren’t just great to play with, they’re also an overall lesson that we’re stronger together than we are alone. Quite a brilliant metaphor for what’s essentially just a set of building blocks, right?!
Created by visionary designer Peter Minsoub Sim, Souper Connect brings a new dimension to building blocks. The bricks are both the characters as well as the individual blocks, making them an incredibly creative toy for children as well as for adults. They’re a great way to stay entertained, learn valuable social and moral lessons, and the fact that all the Souper Connects are different colors just teaches an incredibly powerful aspect of human society – that people are different but they can still come together to build and grow.
Let your mind wander
Find focus at work
Have fun with the family
Take it with you wherever you go!
“These blocks offer a minimal and identifiable form that inspires imaginative play, collaboration, and with enough pieces can bring out the building engineer in any of us,” says Sim, who co-founded Souper Studio – the company behind the Souper Connect blocks. Each block is shaped like an abstract human, with two arms, two legs, a slight stub for a head, and a hole running through the chest. Two ‘humans’ can be connected simply by plugging an arm into the chest hole, bringing them closer together, but also giving you the ability to make complex shapes and forms. The overall gist is no different from LEGO, and you can use Souper humans to make a variety of shapes from towers and bridges to crowns. However, there’s also a unique fidget quality to the human bricks too, and they make rather decorative pendants for necklaces or bracelets.
Each Souper Connect is 1.9 inches tall, 2.4 inches wide, and 0.8 inches thick, making them incredibly safe around younger children too. The human bricks are molded from polypropylene plastic, making them incredibly durable and long-lasting, although there’s the ability to get them in aluminum too, sort of as a more premium toy for collectors. The bricks come in either a single unit as a keychain (or double if you choose the aluminum variant), or in playable sets of 12, 36, and 72, featuring an entire colorful bunch of Souper humans that you can bring together to create the utopia of your dreams! The Souper Connect is available at a special early bird discount on Kickstarter using the link below.
LEGO has spread its wings in almost every genre and arena. And if you’re a movie lover, then this list is for you! Some of your favorite movies have been immortalized in LEGO form! And, we’ve curated a collection of immaculate and precise LEGO builds inspired by and based on your favorite movies. From a Godzilla in LEGO form to a LEGO build of Kung Fu Panda – LEGO has managed to incorporate your favorite movies in LEGO format. Which LEGO build would you want to try at home?!
1. LEGO Godzilla
LEGO builder Matthew Esposito decided to make a LEGO version of Godzilla since we almost have ten or more movies, but not a single LEGO Godzilla! It is a small-scale version of the city-smashing reptile, and it is modeled after the ‘King of Monsters’ Godzilla’ (from the 2019 movie). It stands only a few inches tall, but it is amped with a hefty body and, a super long tail, and can blow blue flames in any direction, burning down entire cities in minutes!
2. The Sorting Hat
If we’re talking about LEGO builds from our favorite movies, then we obviously need to include something from Harry Potter! The LEGO Group finally launched the Sorting Hat! It is a dedicated LEGO version with a concealed sound box that will let out loud and randomized phrases in English, which we’ve all heard before. It stands at 9.5 inches tall and is 7.5 diameters in length, and can be displayed proudly on a stand that features Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw house symbols.
3. LEGO Kung Fu Panda
This submission to the LEGO Ideas Forum features a LEGO Kung Fu Panda from the first movie in the franchise! The adorable Po is armed with a dragon scroll, and a bowl of noodles, and he can even perform the epic Wixu Finger Hold. The brick character has a completely positionable body with movable hands, legs, head, fingers, and even eyebrows. In fact, Po even has a jiggling belly that bounces if you touch it!
4. Seven Dwarf’s Cottage
LEGO has brought the Seven Dwarf’s Cottage from the iconic Disney animation The Snow White movie to life! The lavish and intricate build is made using 2228 pieces and features 10 mini figurines. The cottage has been detailed with a lot of care and precision, creating an intriguing little structure that reminds us of all the interesting and memorable bits of the tale. The LEGO house is also equipped with Snow White’s glass coffin, the Evil Queen with the forbidden red apple, the Prince, and of course the Seven Dwarfs.
5. LEGO Captain America Shield
This life-size LEGO Captain America shield is built using 3000 pieces and measures almost 18.5 inches in diameter. The shield is also accompanied by a tiny Captain America Minifigure! The shield isn’t made from vibranium, of course, but it really does look and feel like the real deal, and if you’ve ever accidentally stepped on a LEGO brick, you know it is as tough as vibranium when you take the shooting pain that courses through your body in consideration.
6. LEGO Dobby
LEGO immortalized another beloved character from the Harry Potter world! Dobby the House Elf got his own little LEGO kit. It is built using only 403 bricks, making it one of the easier LEGO builds. It features a few heartwarming and distinct design details, such as moving limbs, a rotating head, adjustable ears, and repositionable fingers that let Dobby snap fingers, point at things, look around, or even grip little items like the sock that freed Dobby.
7. The LEGO® Jurassic World Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull
The LEGO® Jurassic World Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull (76964) is a fantastic LEGO set intended for museum-like display. In fact, it is one of the first Jurassic World sets designed for such a style of display. It includes 577 pieces and contains a T. Rex skull with an opening jaw and a stand to present and display it. It includes an info plaque, an amber piece at the back, as well as an intriguing fossilized footprint.
8. The LEGO Avengers Set
The LEGO Avengers set is 35.5 inches tall and was designed as a part of the 60th anniversary of the Avengers. It is meant to be one of the tallest sets when it is put together. If you look closer, you will notice the Quinjet, Leviathan, and two Chitauri flyers from the 2012 Avengers Assemble. The interior showcases scenes from the Infinity Saga, Age of Ultron party, and Endgame.
9. LEGO Quidditch Trunk
The LEGO Quidditch Trunk may not be the most complex or difficult Harry Potter build, but it is quite interactive and entertaining! It involves 599 bricks and features a comprehensive Quidditch setup that includes various brooms, players, hoops, and a launcher that allows you to shoot disc-shaped qauffles through the hoops.
10. LEGO Miller’s Planet Scene
Designed by LEGO builder Minibrick Productions, the iconic Miller’s Planet scene from the Interstellar movie has been immortalized in this little LEGO-based build and showcases the ranger aircraft, astronauts Cooper and Brad, and the shapeshifting robots TARS and CASE. The two robots feature repositionable arms that let them walk like humans, while Hathaway and McConaughey wear their space suits.
The LEGO Group and NASA have collaborated on some interesting sets in the past. Yes, the ace space agency pioneering some of the most ambitious space missions has lent its expertise to create the NASA Mars Rover Perseverance model priced at just $100. They’ve bettered the rover released in mid-2023 with this beefier version that’s not a replica of any existing rover, rather, a fictional two-seater space vehicle released as a part of the Technic line-up.
This gave the design team more freedom to explore the possibilities without being too logical, or go all out and make it too sci-fi. According to Aurélien Rouffiange the design manager, “When you look at this vehicle, we want you to say, ‘Okay, that can happen.’ That is where we wanted to set the limit.” The result is a stunning 1,599-piece LEGO set that’ll be a treat to put together and flash on your living room shelf or work desk.
The six-wheeled rover comes with an expanding truck bed, dual working crane, living quarter and loads of scientific equipment and logistics canisters to complete the feel. If you want to take it for a spin on rugged terrain, the NASA team has engineered a working suspension on this one. Calling this a campervan for space adventurers won’t be an overstatement, it’s that extensive. The open living space inside has ample space for a treadmill and shower for two astronauts to survive. Gosh, it already feels like I’m penning down the design logs of a sci-fi series…
The realism and attention to detail are something purists will appreciate. Right from the crew containers to store trash, Mars rocks or science samples to water oxygen and hydrogen. There’s even a fuel cell generator to recharge the batteries. Aurélien reassures that Hydrogen will be the future of drivetrains and NASA wants kids to learn that at a very early age. To keep things close to reality, the wheels are inspired by the rocker-bogie suspension found on the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers in operation on the red planet. The tires are colored gray to make them look like metal, just like the real Rover tires.
Based on the NASA team’s input the wheelbase of the vehicle had to be kept a bit short to make it a convincing iteration for any alien planet exploration. So, the LEGO team made a contracting chassis that can be configured at will. Aurélien added, “You can still drive it around in this compact mode, but, of course, it is not meant for that.” On the lighter side, NASA wanted a toilet for sure and the design team had to include the space for it!
If you personally asked me, LEGO and Dungeons & Dragons are a match made in heaven – both have existed for decades, are infinitely customizable, and have a highly loyal and dedicated user base that’s constantly helping the artform evolve and expand. It took nearly half a century, but the two have finally come together in a glorious collaboration, marking DND’s 50th anniversary. The LEGO® Ideas 21348 DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: Red Dragon’s Tale is a stunning 3,745-piece playable box-set, designed by LEGO-builder Lucas Bolt and submitted to LEGO’s Ideas forum, where it was picked up by LEGO’s internal team and realized into a box-set. It features a bustling tavern, a mysterious dungeon, and a towering wizard’s tower – all begging to be explored. But the real star of the show is the gigantic Cinderhowl, a fearsome red dragon that builders can pose and wrap around the tower, recreating countless heart-pounding encounters.
“LEGO bricks and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS have been used by fans to generate stories and build adventures for so long that bringing these two creative brands together during our 50th Anniversary felt like a no-brainer,” said Dan Rawson, Global Play Lead on DUNGEONS & DRAGONS and RPGs.
This set captures the essence of the Dungeons & Dragons experience marvelously. Included are six minifigures – a brave party of adventurers ready to face any challenge. From the stoic Dwarf Cleric to the nimble Orc Rogue, each character embodies the diverse and fantastical world of D&D. To add to the atmosphere, the set also features iconic monsters like the mind-flaying Beholder and the ferocious Owlbear, making every build a thrilling adventure.
The LEGO Ideas team also partnered with Wizards of the Coast (a Hasbro subsidiary specializing in building role-playing, trading card, and digital games for all genres of players) to create a custom Dungeons & Dragons adventure specifically designed for the Red Dragon’s Tale set. This unique story adds a whole new layer of play, allowing fans to weave their own tales and relive epic D&D campaigns brick by brick.
“The DUNGEONS & DRAGONS theme combined with my love of history, fantasy, and making games, inspired me to create a playable layout with different challenges and routes to explore. I had so much fun designing this piece, and it is a real privilege seeing my design developed into a detailed LEGO set to celebrate 50 years of the iconic game”, said Lucas, referencing his combined love for DND and LEGO bricks.
Whether you’re a seasoned Dungeons & Dragons player or simply a LEGO aficionado, the Red Dragon’s Tale set celebrates creativity and a collaborative spirit. Build the game together with your friends before spending the next couple of hours playing the game. It’s an experience that’s highly rewarding, and while most LEGO sets are designed to be assembled and then just preserved as is, this particular set actually encourages constant tinkering, rebuilding, expanding, and hands-on gameplay! So gather your party, sharpen your axe, and get ready to embark on a legendary quest! And if you’re in Amsterdam or Milan on the 6th or 12th of April respectively, LEGO is also hosting a meet-and-greet where you can get your copy of the Red Dragon’s Tale signed by designer Lucas Bolt himself!
In Feng Shui, the lucky cat, also known as the maneki-neko or fortune cat, is a Japanese figurine that represents good luck, wealth, and prosperity. The figurine depicts a cat, usually a calico Japanese Bobtail, with a raised paw in a beckoning gesture. LEGO builder ‘2PPL’ decided to give this cultural icon its own brick build. Meet the LEGO Ideas Maneki Neko, an adorable sitting cat that waves its hands at you, practically giving you blessings for a more prosperous life!
Designer: 2PPL
“Distinctive features of the Maneki Neko include the raised paw, which can be either right or left depending on local tradition or belief, and it often wears a decorative collar or necklace with a bell,” says 2PPL. “The color of the Maneki Neko also has symbolic meanings: white is associated with purity and happiness, black wards off evil, gold symbolizes wealth and success, and red is linked to love and relationships.”
Although it’s entirely unclear how the Maneki Neko waves its hands, it’s likely to rely on a mechanism similar to the one found in the original. The original Maneki Neko uses an electromagnetic coil and a pendulum-style mechanism powered by a battery – it isn’t inconceivable that this LEGO one does so too, although making the mechanism out of LEGO bricks may be a bit challenging.
However, with over 2,300 supporters, the Maneki Neko is surely prospering on the LEGO Ideas forum, where fellow LEGO builders and enthusiasts gather to vote for their favorite fan-made creations. If a creation reaches the coveted 10,000 vote threshold, it’s sent to the LEGO internal team for review, following which it gets turned into a buyable box set. The LEGO Ideas Maneki Neko definitely has a long way to go till it gets to that mark, but if you do fancy a perpetually waving LEGO feline, head down to the LEGO Ideas website to vote for this project!
Armed with a dragon scroll, a bowl of noodles, and the ability to perform the epic Wixu Finger Hold, this LEGO Kung Fu Panda is ready to bring the battle to Tai Lung! Based on the first movie in the franchise, this submission to the LEGO Ideas Forum brings the adorable Po to life using LEGO bricks. The LEGO brick character features an entirely positionable body with movable hands, legs, fingers, head, and even eyebrows… and if all that wasn’t enough, Po even comes with a jiggling belly that bounces if you touch it! Talk about commitment to detail, right?!
Designed by a LEGO Builder by the name of ‘Brixter’, this MOC (My Own Creation) features Po the panda and Tai Lung the snow leopard. The first movie was based on a journey of discovery, culminating in a battle for who would be the ‘Dragon Warrior’. The movie ends with Po performing the legendary Wuxi Finger Hold on Tai Lung – a frame so iconic Brixter even recreated it using the LEGO set below!
Skadoosh!
Although it’s unclear how many pieces are required for the LEGO build, the final figure stands at just roughly 3-4 inches tall, using LEGO Art Set bricks to create the final design. This is what gives the characters their distinct almost pixelated effect. The Po figurine comes with movable body parts, letting you make him look around, change facial expressions, practice kung fu, and even chow down on noodles and soup after a grueling training session!
But more notably, Po comes with a potbelly that actually jiggles when touched. Visible in the video above, you can press the belly inwards, or move it around, simulating the feeling of a large belly that moves around under its own weight!
Tai Lung, on the other hand, comes with a more muscular design, mimicking the physique of the snow leopard from the series. He’s got red eyes, a menacing glare with adjustable eyebrows, and a slightly tilted grin that comes with the hubris and confidence that Tai Lung had, believing he was destined to be the Dragon Warrior.
Brixter’s submission to the LEGO Ideas Forum managed to grab the eyes of LEGO’s internal team, which awarded the MOC a ‘Staff Pick’ badge. With just over 500 votes, Brixter is looking to get support from the broader LEGO community to help turn this into a retail box set. You can vote for the LEGO Kung Fu Panda on the LEGO Ideas website here.
It’s strange that we’ve got probably around ten or more Godzilla movies, but no Godzilla LEGO set yet. Hoping to change that, LEGO Builder Matthew Esposito decided to make a small-scale brick version of everyone’s favorite city-smashing reptile. Modeled after the ‘King of Monsters’ Godzilla (from the 2019 movie), this tiny terror stands merely a few inches tall, but encapsulates every inch of its original form’s grandeur, with its hefty body, incredibly long tail, and the ability to blow blue flames in any direction, razing cities down in mere minutes with zero regret.
Designer: Matthew Esposito
“I was really blown away by the new look of the Godzilla in these newer movies. I was fascinated by how this new iteration of Godzilla was designed, and I thought that this new look would translate incredibly well into LEGO,” says LEGO builder Matthew Esposito. “This model would make a great LEGO set because I believe that, with the new movie coming soon into theaters and onto streaming services, I believe that many people would be hyped and excited to watch this new movie, as well as have their own buildable Godzilla at hand to play with.”
Esposito doesn’t mention how many bricks his build uses, but it’s probably in the ~500 ballpark (I could be completely wrong). The Godzilla features multiple moving parts, including opposable hands and fingers, a moving jaw, adjustable legs, and even an adjustable tail (which does need its own separate support given the Godzilla’s strange CG). Esposito employs the use of grey bricks, which lends itself well to the iconic monster, and even uses bricks with cracks at certain intervals, highlighting Godzilla’s imperfect skin. The LEGO brick bumps are visible across the body too, almost acting like scales!
This build also comes with its own rich blue fireball that fits right in Godzilla’s mouth, making it look like it’s shooting flames at a building or a nearby helicopter.
Esposito originally built this LEGO version of Godzilla back in 2021, gaining massive support from the LEGO Ideas community who rushed to give him the 10,000 votes he needed to enter the review stage of the LEGO Ideas process. Sadly, the internal team at LEGO rejected the submission at the time, but Esposito resubmitted his MOC (My Own Creation) to the forum again this year, already garnering over 3,400 votes. If you want to see the LEGO Godzilla turn into a retail box set, head down to the LEGO Ideas website and give Esposito your vote!
With 25 submissions to the LEGO Ideas forum (5 of which crossed the 10,000 vote mark), LEGO builder Dimexart is somewhat of a veteran when it comes to putting plastic bricks together. The brick aficionado’s latest creation combines LEGOs with the real-world in the form of a vintage radio that actually plays music. Made from over a thousand LEGO bricks, this vintage radio has a secret flap on the back that lets you slide your smartphone in. Switch on Spotify or YouTube, select your favorite track, and hit play as you pop your phone into the LEGO Vintage Radio and it recreates the feeling of having an antique radio playing your favorite tracks! The best part, Dimexart’s build comes with functional knobs and buttons that you can twist and press, moving sliders inside the gizmo just like you would with an authentic AM/FM radio.
Designer: Dimexart
Strangely enough, Dimexart made a radio back in 2021 out of LEGO bricks, and it did cross the 10,000 vote mark too, but was rejected by LEGO’s internal team. Unfazed by this, Dimexart went back to the drawing board and decided to tweak the radio to make it even better. The new MOC (My Own Creation, as it’s called in LEGO parlance) now features a flap on the back that let’s you slide any smartphone in, using the phone’s speakers and the acoustic chamber of the empty LEGO radio to create that warm, slightly twangy audio associated with radios of the past.
In Dimexart’s demo, he even uses the phone screen to mimic the warm backlight seen in most radio control panels. Given that they were sometimes used at night too, radios came with lights in their gauges so you could see which station you were on. Dimexart’s build uses light from your smartphone’s screen to create a similar experience.
The dials on the left and right are both functional and cause sliders inside to move left or right to indicate the station/frequency or the volume. There are dials/knobs and buttons on the bottom too, which are functional in that they can be interacted with – but that’s about all they do. It’s a fun interaction, however, and recreates the real tactile joy of the radio, which firmly belonged in a much more hands-on era long before touchscreens dominated our lives. The radio comes with a wood-inspired aesthetic, a rather realistic set of grills, and that gorgeous control panel on the bottom that I’m sure you won’t be able to get enough of.
Dimexart’s entry currently has 3,228 supporters as of writing this article. If you want to vote for the entry (and hopefully see it turn into a retail box set), vote for it on the LEGO Ideas website here.
We all know how glued children are to screens lately. In such times where children are often immersed in the digital realm, it’s imperative to find innovative ways to encourage them to go outside in the real world and explore. The BINO mixed reality (MR) device emerges as a solution, seamlessly connecting the virtual and real worlds, empowering the ‘IPad kids’ to explore their surroundings with curiosity.
The increasing use of electronic devices from an early age has confined children’s worlds to screens. This digital immersion raises concerns about the limited physical activity vital for their holistic development. To address this challenge, BINO aims to redefine the concept of play by expanding children’s playgrounds beyond screens.
Curiosity serves as the driving force for children to explore and question the world around them. BINO is designed to engage and satisfy children’s curiosity actively, promoting physical activity as a natural byproduct of exploration. By igniting interest through playful activities, the device strives to contribute to healthier and more active lifestyles for children. It is a revolutionary MR device that serves as a companion for curious children, seamlessly connecting the virtual and real worlds. It features two lenses – a normal lens and a wide-angle lens – allowing children to observe close and distant subjects.
Features of BINO:
Photo & Video:
The device enables children to capture and preserve their exploration moments through photos and videos. It captures various moments encountered in nature or the city center, including plants, animals, transportation devices, and various objects, allowing them to cherish these memories and fostering a sense of connection with the real world while learning.
Built-in Projector:
BINO has a built-in projector, allowing children to share their recorded adventures and moments throughout the day with family without needing an additional display. It enhances the collaborative aspect of exploration.
AI Interaction:
BINO acts as a responsive companion, answering questions and explaining the world as children experience it as a blend of the real and virtual worlds. This AI interaction ensures that children maintain interest and curiosity throughout their adventures.
Constellation Exploration:
Through the MR device, the night sky comes to life with an illuminated display of numerous stars. This constellation feature enhances the immersive experience, making every exploration unique. I believe if we were taught constellations like this, I’d know them better!
BINO challenges the norms of traditional MR devices that require wearing hardware on the head or body. By seamlessly connecting virtual and real experiences in a flexible and natural way by eliminating the need for continuous wear, it breaks free from the limitations of confined spaces, enriching the stage of virtual and real interactions. This flexibility expands spatial experiences, allowing users to navigate both realms and the space where they converge.
Considering the target audience of children, the device prioritizes safety with soft mesh cushions and a detachable strap for easy portability. It also has a very visually cute form The design incorporates smooth curved surfaces to ensure a secure and enjoyable experience.
BINO emerges as a groundbreaking MR device designed to encourage outdoor exploration among children. By seamlessly connecting the virtual and real worlds, it not only satisfies children’s curiosity but also promotes physical, intellectual, and emotional growth. In a world increasingly dominated by screens, BINO is a beacon of innovation, bridging the gap between digital curiosity and real-world exploration for the next generation.
