LEGO: Ready for the holidays and the movies

Just in time for the holidays, LEGO is once again showing sophisticated displays built of plastic blocks in Covent Garden. This year's winter display is a giant snow globe filled with miniature versions of the London Eye, Big Ben and other iconic sites of the UK. Last year, LEGO built an advent calendar out of plastic blocks...all to show the creativity and versatility of a toy that remains on most "must-have" lists. In fact, according to experts, the 2013 top holiday toy list includes the LEGO City Coast Guard block set.

Yes, LEGO designs are big business. A new display of LEGO architecture at the Paisley Museum recreates many familiar sites from around London, from Olympic Park to St Pancras Station. Visitors will appreciate the ingenuity of the designs and go home inspired to build their own versions, or assemble something from the many available kits.

LEGO, the world's 2d-largest toy maker, stays on top through constant innovation. Designers hoping for a LEGO job arrive in Denmark every year to participate in a challenging two-day "recruit workshop." They receive a bag of LEGO blocks with instructions to build something that fits with a current product-line theme; they're asked to design mini-figures; and all the projects must be completed within a strict time period, working alongside other competitors for the few LEGO jobs that are to be filled. 

What's next? Early in 2014, watch for the LEGO movie being released by Warner Bros. and promoted by social media.