Raving Toy Maniac

Help Wanted: Dream Job Requires Long Hours Of Fun, Play

WINTER HAVEN, Fla., Oct. 31, 2012 -- LEGOLAND® Florida announced it is seeking qualified applicants for a new, in-house Master Model Builder to join its team. Essential job responsibilities include envisioning, designing and building unique LEGO® creations.

"Master Model Builders are royalty here at the park," said General Manager Adrian Jones. "They enjoy celebrity status and when they're not being interviewed by reporters and paparazzi, they spend eight hours a day playing in the model shop. Who in their right mind wouldn't want this job?"

Would-be builders must first submit a short video clip of themselves and a home-made LEGO® creation. Candidates will be culled through Facebook voting, then invited to the park December 1 and 2 to participate in a series of skills tests. Details on the video submission and the search are available at http://Florida.LEGOLAND.com/MMB.

October 13, 2012 - LEGO has unveiled two new Super Heroes sets at New York Comic Con! One from Marvel and one from DC:

Marvel Super Heroes
76005
Spider-Man™: Daily Bugle Showdown
$49.99
Piece Count: 476
Minifigures: Spider-Man, Doctor Doom, Jonah Jameson, Nova, Beetle

DC Super Heroes
76001
The Bat v. Bane™: Tumbler chase
$39.99
Piece Count: 368
Minifigures: Batman, Bane, Commissioner Gordon

The LEGO Group and Nickelodeon Announce Expanded Global Partnership to Bring Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to the Construction Toy Category

BILLUND, Denmark, Oct. 11, 2012 -- The LEGO Group, makers of the world's leading construction toys, and Nickelodeon, one of the world's leading entertainment brands for kids, announced today an expansion of their global partnership to develop construction toys inspired by the recently launched CG-animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles television series. The collection is slated to launch in North America and the UK in January 2013 and will roll out in global markets later in the year. The companies have a long-standing relationship and first partnered together in 2006 to create LEGO® SpongeBob Squarepants. Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles premiered on Sept. 29 and was an instant hit, drawing almost 12 million viewers during its premiere weekend.

LEGO Systems Makes Debut Appearance at New York Comic-Con

NEW YORK, Oct. 11, 2012 -- COMIC-CON -- LEGO Systems, Inc., the world's leading construction toy manufacturer, kicked off its first official presence at New York Comic-Con today by unveiling new sets and exclusive giveaways for fans of all ages. Never-before-seen introductions include LEGO® Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles™, a recently announced play theme slated to launch in January 2013. Two of the sets from the much-anticipated LEGO The Hobbit™ collection, launching this December, will also be unveiled. Also on display are construction sets and new video content from popular LEGO Super Heroes: MARVEL™, LEGO Super Heroes: DC Universe™ and LEGO Star Wars™ properties. Because no LEGO experience is complete without a hands-on building activity, show attendees are invited to help assemble a 7.5 foot-tall mystery mosaic at booth #1538 of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, October 11-14.

LEGO Systems, Inc. Launches New Constructible Board Game Based on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

- LEGO® Games Celebrates Bringing The Hobbit™ to Life in its Collection of Build-and-Play Board Games with Interactive Giveaway on Facebook -

ENFIELD, Conn., Oct. 2, 2012 -- LEGO Systems, Inc. today announced retail availability of LEGO® Games The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the newest addition to its portfolio of constructible board games based on the film premiering December 14, a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM). The company will launch a virtual "Roll to Win Giveaway" on the LEGO Games Facebook page starting October 8, 2012.

Legoland Discovery Center Hosts Brick Factor Competition To Find Their Next Master Model Builder

GRAPEVINE, Texas, Sept. 20, 2012 -- LEGOLAND Discovery Center Grapevine is hosting open auditions to find the attraction's next Master Model Builder during a public build-off competition held on Saturday, October 6 starting at 1 p.m. and Sunday, October 7 starting at noon at Grapevine Mills Mall. There are only three other people in the U.S. that carry the official designation of LEGO Master Model Builder at a LEGOLAND Discovery Center. Applicants from all over North Texas and the surrounding region will gather at the Grapevine Mills Mall Food Court for two days of intense competition, where a fourth person will get the chance to win the dream job and full-time salaried position of Master Model Builder.

August 2012 - Do you like to design your own LEGO vehicles? This is the contest for you!

There are two separate categories, one for teens/adults (link is to Facebook) and one for kids.

To enter, submit a picture of your creation by December 1st, 2012. The winners will receive $1,000 and their designs will be featured in the upcoming film, LEGO: The Motion Picture.

July 13, 2012 - LEGO has a very nice selection of free apps available for the iPad and iPod, so every so often, I'll do a new search to see if there are new ones that the boy might be interested in. It's been over a month since I searched last, and today I found three new ones:

• LEGO Monster Fighters Race - a car chase game, different from the free Monsterland Tales game on the LEGO web site.

• LEGO Star Wars Battle Orders - I didn't look closely at this one yet, I just saw the price tag (free) and the wee icon of Darth Maul and needed it no matter what it turned out to be.

• LEGO Ninjago: Video Dojo - has video clips of the Ninjago characters. (The new season starts on Cartoon Network on July 18th!)

LEGO Systems Celebrates a New Theme Each Day at San Diego Comic-Con

SAN DIEGO, July 11, 2012 -- SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON -- LEGO Systems, Inc., the world's leading construction toy manufacturer, unveils its largest ever San Diego Comic-Con presence with a "theme of the day" calendar of events that celebrates its top licensed properties including LEGO® THE LORD OF THE RINGS™ and LEGO THE HOBBIT™, LEGO Super Heroes, LEGO Star Wars™ and LEGO NINJAGO. LEGO Systems welcomes show attendees with displays of life-size models, first-ever "reveals" of LEGO building sets and limited edition giveaways. In addition, attendees are invited to help "build" a section of its booth each day that features 7.5 feet tall mosaics of Comic-Con favorites at booth #2829 of the San Diego Convention Center, July 12-15.

LEGO DUPLO Builds Storytime With New Read and Build Collection

ENFIELD, Conn., June 27, 2012 -- Timed to the arrival of summer reading season, LEGO Systems, Inc., the world's leading construction toy manufacturer, today introduced LEGO® DUPLO® Read and Build, a series of kits that blend early reading with construction play, encouraging youngsters to build along as their parents read simple, age-appropriate board books to them. And, just as children's libraries around the country are announcing their summer reading programs, DUPLO and the ALSC are kicking off the national LEGO DUPLO Read! Build! Play! project at http://www.readbuildplay.com which seeks to recognize outstanding libraries and bring reading-focused activities and resources to libraries nationwide.

Incorporate play into story time