Fifty years ago, the first LEGO play theme -- Town Plan -- introduced a collectible, compatible brick building system to the market. To commemorate the Golden Anniversary of the LEGO System of Play, the LEGO Group partnered with the National Trust for Historic Preservation to challenge children ages 5-14 to build their vision of a town center of the future, circa 2055. Macmillan, an avid LEGO collector and builder since the age of 2 years old, was one of five children selected from hundreds of entries from all over the United States and Canada to compete for the grand prize.

"What I like about building with LEGO bricks is that you can express your creativity and it's something you can touch, not just on paper," said newly-crowned LEGO Preservation Architect Macmillan. "I don't know what to say. This has been one of the best experiences of my life, it's awesome!"

The four other finalists that competed in Saturday's championship build-off challenge were Ryan Cordwell from Cave Creek, AZ, Joseph Lewis from Houston, TX, Marshall Lu from Richmond, British Columbia and Imagine Rigney from Waianae, HI. Each finalist was placed before an identical stack of LEGO sets, covered from view until the signal was given and the build-off began. The competitors had two hours to demonstrate their extraordinary LEGO building ability, and Macmillan's futuristic Town 100 Community Center earned him the Grand Prize scholarship and title.

Judging the competition were Tim Petsche, LEGOLAND California master model builder, Michael McNally, LEGO Group senior brand relations manager, Miriam Lenett, preservation specialist from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Thomas and David Michon, brothers who combined hold five championship titles from previous LEGO building challenges.

"It is always exciting for us to see the creativity, imagination and skill of our best LEGO builders in action," said McNally. "It's only appropriate that, as we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the LEGO System of Play, we challenged our five finalists to build their vision of what LEGO sets will look like 50 years from now in 2055. Competition was fierce, but in the end our judges recognized Nathaniel's model as the most original and well-constructed creation in the field."

50 Years of the LEGO System

At the 1954 Toy Fair, a buyer told Godtfred Kirk Christiansen (GKC), LEGO Group managing director and son of company founder, Ole Kirk, that the market lacked a product with a sound idea that was fun and educational. GKC returned to Denmark with the goal of filling the need.

First, GKC formulated 10 principles of LEGO play, which still are used in product and brand experience development: 1) unlimited play potential; 2) for boys, for girls; 3) fun for every age; 4) year-round play; 5) healthy, quiet play; 6) long hours of play; 7) development, imagination, creativity; 8) the more LEGO pieces you have, the greater its play value; 9) extra sets available; 10) quality in every detail.

GKC then surveyed the company's portfolio of 200 wooden and plastic toys and identified plastic LEGO "Mursten" (automatic binding bricks), developed in 1949, as the best candidate for creating the LEGO System of Play.

The first play sets, called Town Plan, launched in Denmark in 1955, marking the first LEGO building sets with step-by-step building instructions to create a miniature town, complete with buildings, houses, roads, trees, fences and vehicles, and was designed to teach children the rules of the road through play. Town Plan sold well, prompting expansion of the System portfolio and sales in Europe, and then eventually to North America.

Since 1955, the LEGO System has grown to include preschool building toys, exciting play themes, versatile designer sets, hot licensed properties, constructible action figures, robotics and arts & crafts kits.

The LEGO Group, a privately-held, family-owned company based in Billund, Denmark, is one of the world's leading manufacturers of high-quality, creatively educational play materials for children. The company is committed to the development of children's creative and imaginative abilities, and its employees are guided by the motto adopted in the 1930s by founder Ole Kirk Christiansen: "Only the best is good enough." Experience the LEGO brand online by visiting http://www.LEGO.com.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a private, nonprofits membership organization dedicated to protecting the irreplaceable. Recipient of the National Humanities Medal, the Trust provides leadership, education and advocacy to save America's diverse historic places and revitalize communities. Its Washington, D.C. headquarters staff, six regional offices and 26 historic sites work with the Trust's 270,000 members and thousands of local community groups in all 50 states. For more information, visit http://www.nationaltrust.org.