Patent Friday: Lego Man

This is the first instalment of a feature inspired by our fantastic range of Patent Prints – first up Lego Man!

Ahh , Lego – a toy as instantly recognisable as any other.

Such a simple concept – yet one which has captured the imagination of millions of kids (and adults!) for almost 70 years. We visited Legoland for G’s 5^th Birthday earlier this and it’s incredible to think that such a small toy can spawn such an empire.

Over 600 Billion Lego pieces have been made (of which around 100 billion have disappeared down the sofa / in the dog / into thin air) and there are now over 5000 types of ‘Lego Man’ adding up to a tiny army of almost 4 Billion cheery yellow chaps!

If your house is anything like ours, Lego pieces form a constant threat to bare feet, but did you know you could be stepping on a small fortune? Before you go rooting through the little ones Lego box, most of these were limited to only a tiny production run – but it’s fascinating to see how desirable these little plastic figures have become…!

• 14-Karat Gold Plated Boba Fett - £8900
• Only 2 were ever made and handed out as fan prizes at 2010 San Diego Comic Con
• Cloud Dity Boba Fett - £7000
• Made in 2003, this figures popularity was on the back of a Star Wars resurgence in the 00’s – the Lello Household’s favourite franchise!
• Azog from the Hobbit - £2000
• 100 were handed out at random to visitors to the 2013 San Diego Comic Con – clearly the place to visit if you want a piece of Lego History!
• Gold - £950
• Gold(!) from his elegant Tophat down to his feet – only 5000 were made and sold in plain packaging as a nice surprise for Lego fans to find.
• Iron Man & Captain America - £900
• 125 sets were made in 2012 and remain the most coveted pair of crime-fighting Lego figures to date.