One of the reasons LEGO is so appealing to both children and adults is its wide range of possibilities. It can be used as a basic building block for young children or a tool for designers and architects to create something extremely complex. These simple plastic, interlocking pieces can be combined to create amazing masterpieces and realistic replicas. It just takes some ingenuity and creativity—something all children possess.
While it is still fun to make simple LEGO models, it may be helpful to see some of the LEGO creations that have garnered worldwide attention as a reminder of what is possible. Take a look at these LEGO world records and remember that creativity is limited only by the imagination!
Largest Caravan Built with Interlocking Plastic Bricks
It only took 12 weeks to construct this life-sized family camper! It features a kitchen with a working sink, plus real lights, a bed, and seating area. If the kids get bored on this camping trip, they can start building a new camper from the inside out or maybe renovate the kitchen with some more LEGO bricks! This record-setting, functioning LEGO caravan is on display at the National Exhibition Centre in England.
Largest LEGO Video-Game Diorama
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Combining LEGO with Minecraft is bound to be a hit. And LEGO makes it easy with their LEGO Minecraft sets. Many kids and adults took part in creating this LEGO world record at the first Brick Show in 2014. All visitors to the show could take part in building this Minecraft diorama, which had a final measurement of 184 square feet!
Tallest Structure Built with Interlocking Plastic Bricks
LEGO Italia (Italy) built this high-rise creation that now holds the world record for the tallest structure built with interlocking plastic bricks. It took a team of 18,000 builders, many of whom were children, and approximately 550,000 LEGO bricks to complete this tower that measures 114 feet 11 inches, which is about as tall as a 10-story building! And this creation didn’t just earn a world record, it also went to a good cause, as the LEGO Group contributed to a World Wildlife Fund project for every centimeter of the structure’s height.
Most Completed LEGO Sets in a Private Collection
Here’s a LEGO world record most kids will want to aspire to. But they’ll have to beat Marine Corps Captain Kyle Ugone first. He holds the record for putting together 1,091 LEGO sets, although he actually completed 160 more sets, they didn’t qualify in the total count. It may have helped that Captain Ugone started early, completing his first set at five years old. “It’s a windmill,” he said, “and I still have it today. From there, I kept getting more and more sets.” Since there are more than 5,000 LEGO sets out there, this is a record that can still be beat!
Largest LEGO Batmobile
Nathan Sawaya, an official LEGO brick artist, is known for a number of amazing creations that are on exhibit in museums across the country. This life-sized batmobile is one of more than 100 LEGO sculptures inspired by DC Comics. It took Sawaya about 500 hours to complete using 500,000 LEGO bricks. While you can’t hop in it and race off to fight crime, at 1,500 pounds, it does weigh almost as much as a real car!
Largest Skeleton Built with Interlocking Plastic Bricks
Also designed by LEGO brick artist Nathan Sawaya, this LEGO Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton stands as tall as the real thing at 20 feet high! He used 80,020 LEGO pieces to construct what continues to hold the record as the largest complete skeleton made from LEGO bricks. Sawaya says he chose to build this skeleton of the world’s largest dinosaur “in honor of the thousands of children who enjoy the art of LEGO building.” Sawaya is committed to making art a priority in schools, so much so that he created Art Revolution to promote the importance of art for all Americans.
For more LEGO world records, visit the Guinness World Records and see what’s possible!
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Ready to get serious with LEGO? It’s not too late to enter your child’s LEGO creation in K12’s 2016 STEM Contest. Read the details and enter your photo or video by March 30, 2016. [/schedule]