10 LEGO Facts That Will Toy with Your Mind

LEGO started as a humble carpentry shop in 1932, and exploded into an iconic toy brand unlike any other. The company’s longevity and popularity are commendable, but what makes this brand so strange is what LEGO is capable of beyond the playroom. From printing human skin to being a better investment than gold, here are ten facts that will make you dust off your old play sets.

Related: 10 Controversial Toys You Might Already Have in Your Home

10 A Ban on War Toys

LEGO is a mega brand. But despite its roaring success, the last 20 years saw LEGO struggling financially to the point of nearly declaring bankruptcy. Curiously, this period revealed a moral stance that’s rare in modern commerce. Despite the fact that kids love playing with tiny soldiers, firearms, helicopters, and tanks—and although such play sets could provide higher profits—LEGO refuses to sell realistic modern war toys.

The toy company isn’t against mock battles. LEGO themes include pirates, Star Wars, fantasy settings, and historical eras. Children can fight with swords, muskets, dragons, and spaceships. The distinction, LEGO says, is that realistic modern warfare should not be gamified. The company has repeatedly stated it does not want to be associated with real-world conflicts or the glorification of violence tied to contemporary wars.^[1]

9 LEGO Traveled in Space for Five Years

In 2016, NASA’s Juno spacecraft finally reached Jupiter after traveling about 1.7 billion miles (2.8 billion kilometers) through the solar system over five years. The mission was among NASA’s most ambitious robotic planetary projects and carried a price tag of roughly $1.1 billion.

The mission was serious, but not without whimsy. Three LEGO figures—each about 1.5 inches (4 centimeters) tall—rode aboard the spacecraft. They represented the Roman goddess Juno, her husband Jupiter, and the astronomer Galileo Galilei, who discovered Jupiter’s four largest moons in 1610.

The figures were part of a STEM outreach effort to inspire children’s interest in space science. They were not made of plastic, however, but forged from space-grade aluminum to survive the intense radiation surrounding Jupiter.^[2]

8 Project LEGO Lost at Sea

In 1997, a rogue wave struck a cargo ship off Land’s End, England, sending 62 shipping containers into the Atlantic Ocean. One container held nearly five million LEGO pieces—many of them ironically ocean-themed. Since then, pieces from that spill have washed up across the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands, and as far away as Norway and the Netherlands.

Hundreds of pieces are still found each year. Some are common items like flippers and scuba tanks. Others are rarer, including sharks, panels, and dragon parts. The finds are cataloged by the LEGO Lost at Sea project, founded by Tracey Williams, which tracks debris locations and raises awareness about plastic pollution.

The original shipment included more than 51,800 shark figures, yet many items—such as dragon wings and witches’ hats—have never been recovered. Scientists expect LEGO pieces from the spill to continue appearing for decades due to plastic’s durability.^[3]

7 LEGO Restored a 3,000-Year-Old Sarcophagus

Hor was a high-ranking ancient Egyptian official who lived roughly 3,000 years ago. His decorated sarcophagus was brought to England in 1896 and displayed at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. Over time, England’s cold, damp climate softened the coffin’s papier-mâché–like structure, causing the face and chest to collapse inward.

Conventional restoration methods were considered too risky. Fully soaking and reshaping the fragile artifact could have destroyed it, so the sarcophagus was placed in storage for decades.

In 2013, conservator David Knowles devised an unexpected solution: LEGO. He built adjustable LEGO platforms padded with archival foam that allowed restorers to gently support the coffin from the inside while reshaping it. The method worked, and the sarcophagus was successfully restored without damage.^[4]

6 Scientists Ate LEGO on Purpose

In 2018, a group of pediatric researchers confronted a common problem: young children frequently swallow small objects, especially toys. Since LEGO pieces are among the most commonly ingested items, the researchers wanted to know how long they typically take to pass through the digestive system.

Because feeding LEGO to toddlers was not an option, six medical professionals volunteered as test subjects. Each swallowed a small yellow LEGO minifigure head, chosen for its standardized size and smooth shape.

The results showed the pieces passed in an average of 1.7 days, with a range of 1.14 to 3.04 days. One participant never recovered the piece. The study concluded that small, smooth LEGO parts generally pass without medical intervention, though supervision is still advised.^[5]

5 LEGO Melts Under Its Own Weight

For years, LEGO enthusiasts debated how tall a LEGO tower could be before crushing the bottom brick. In 2012, the BBC partnered with engineers at the Open University to find out.

While real-world towers collapse from instability at around 13 feet (4 meters), lab testing told a different story. Engineers compressed a single 2×2 LEGO brick between plates until it deformed.

On average, the brick withstood about 950 pounds (432 kilograms) of force before plastically deforming. In theory, that strength could support a LEGO tower about 2.17 miles (3.5 kilometers) tall—roughly 375,000 bricks—before the bottom brick failed.^[6]

4 Real Gold LEGO

In 2001, LEGO released its Bionicle line, featuring complex lore and ball-and-socket figures. Within that universe, the powerful Kanohi Hau masks appeared in a rare promotional form plated with real 14-karat gold.

Only 30 of these masks were produced. Five went to LEGO employees, while 25 were distributed in a public contest. In 2024, one surfaced at a Goodwill store, where it was mistakenly listed online for $14.95.

Collectors quickly recognized its rarity. Bidding soared to $18,101, making it one of the most expensive LEGO items ever sold. The proceeds went toward Goodwill’s employment programs.^[7]

3 LEGO Can Print Human Skin

In 2023, scientists at Cardiff University faced a shortage of donated human tissue for testing. Commercial bioprinters were far beyond their budget, so they built their own using LEGO.

The researchers constructed a functional bioprinter from standard LEGO bricks, lab pumps, and LEGO Mindstorms components. The printer used bio-ink made of living cells to create layers of skin tissue.

The entire setup cost about $624 (£500). While the printed skin isn’t suitable for transplants, it provides a low-cost method for testing drugs and studying wound healing.^[8]

2 Better Investment Than Gold

In 2021, researchers reported that retired LEGO sets increase in value by an average of 11% per year—outperforming stocks, bonds, gold, and art. The analysis examined thousands of discontinued sets sold on the secondary market.

One striking example is the 2007 Star Wars Millennium Falcon set. Originally priced at $400, unopened versions have sold for as much as $15,000.

LEGO’s value is largely uncorrelated with traditional financial markets, making it attractive to collectors. The main caveat: once the box is opened, resale value typically drops by at least 25%.^[9]

1 LEGO/Roundworm Lifeform

The OpenWorm project aims to digitally recreate an entire living organism. In 2014, researchers achieved a strange milestone by uploading a simulated roundworm brain into a LEGO robot.

After mapping all 302 neurons of the worm, the team created software that controlled the LEGO robot’s movements. The robot responded to stimuli much like a real worm—moving toward “food,” avoiding obstacles, and recoiling from touch.

The system was not conscious, but it demonstrated that biological neural networks could drive physical behavior. LEGO’s modular design made it an ideal platform for rapid experimentation in neuroscience and robotics.^[10]