The Jackie Robinson of Legoland
EPISODE 109: Where the Civil War and January 6 never end.
Okay, so you may be wondering why we’re doing an episode about little yellow plastic people while everyone else is focused on the NBA.
Well, you should know that a startling portion of the NBA is also focused on those little yellow plastic people. Which does make sense, insofar as LEGO is the biggest and most beloved toy company in the world.
Earlier this month, for instance, Sports Illustrated reported that Victor Wembanyama’s first big purchase with his rookie contract, the thing he’d long been dreaming about buying upon making the NBA, was the Millennium Falcon Star Wars LEGO set.
Meanwhile: another 7-footer, Myles Turner of the Pacers, said he spends three to four hours every day playing with LEGOs. Although he also asked the press to call it “building” and not “playing.”
In fact, this philosophical distinction between “building” and “playing” happens to be at the heart of what I wanted to find out today. As is LEGO Star Wars (as you’ll see). Because if LEGO’s explicit mission is to “inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow,” then LEGO isn’t just the biggest toy company in the world.
It is the biggest education company in the world, as well.
Which makes all these little yellow LEGO people, these mini-figures, as they’re called, an influential form of learning about the world around us. Whether you’re a little kid like my daughter Violet; or a big man like Victor Wembanyama and Myles Turner; or even an Emmy-winning comedian like Wyatt Cenac.
Who is here today because he spent months researching the answer to a logical follow-up question, as part of a personal podcast passion project:
What race are all these little yellow LEGO people actually supposed to be?
DKN/YOUTUBE SPOILER ALERT:
Educationally,
Pablo