'Legos not fit for human consumption'

Kanakalackin · April 11, 2015

<>UPDATE<>

THESE LEGO BRICKS ARE SAFE FOR CONSUMPTION

--The Onion

LegoSWfan · April 11, 2015

Lol. The gummies were banned in some places because kids could mistake real legos for them.

Lyichir · April 11, 2015

Lol. The gummies were banned in some places because kids could mistake real legos for them.

I don't think they were ever banned (they're pretty unmistakeable for regular Lego). But Lego's current brand standards have changed to rule out the use of Lego branding on food—partly out of health concerns, partly so that kids DON'T mistake Lego for food, and partly just because (as evidenced by the Eggo waffles) getting the distinctive proportions of Lego bricks correct on a food product is not an easy task and can rarely be done reliably.

LegoSWfan · April 18, 2015

Is Lego really snobbish enough to worry about the shape of a brick on a waffle?

Lyichir · April 18, 2015

Is Lego really snobbish enough to worry about the shape of a brick on a waffle?

It's not really "snobbishness". The Lego brick's distinctive look is a big part of what makes it recognizable. If the proportions are off, a product can easily look like a poor-quality knock-off, even if it's officially licensed by Lego. That's not limited solely to food products—Lego currently has strict standards for how their brand is presented in advertising and the like, due to past third-party merchandise (like a 3D picture frame I own from Legoland California) looking shoddy and inauthentic.

And again, that's not the only reason. Lego prides itself on its image for safety and reliability, so the last thing it needs is its brand name to end up on a food recall—Lego can take full responsibility for its own products, but the company just doesn't have the time or the resources to ensure that food companies they partner with are reliably safe, particularly when even some of the biggest companies like Kraft or Nestle have had to recall products unexpectedly in recent years. And of course, there's the widespread fear parents and teachers often have of kids swallowing or choking on Lego—even if those fears are overblown, it's in Lego's best interest not to invite those sorts of criticisms by allowing for "edible" Lego that could be perceived as inviting confusion.

Edited April 18, 2015 by Lyichir

Munty · April 18, 2015

"Legos may not be fit for human consumption after all"

I agree entirely. I HATE this Americanisation that seems to insist Lego only refers to a singular piece and multiple items must be referred to as 'Legos'. The plural of Lego is LEGO! Just like the plural of fish is FISH. Sure, some people say fishes but they receive very odd looks. Why is the same not true of this insistency to use a fabricated plural when referring to Lego?

I form one enjoy a good bowl of Lego's in the morning.

This, I just don't know where to start with this one A good bowl of Lego's what? Grammar fail lol

To the matter at hand, I appreciate this post greatly, most humourous and quite how anyone could have thought for a moment it was a genuine article is beyond me! Good show Onion, keep it up

Makuta Luroka · April 18, 2015

"Legos may not be fit for human consumption after all"

I agree entirely. I HATE this Americanisation that seems to insist Lego only refers to a singular piece and multiple items must be referred to as 'Legos'. The plural of Lego is LEGO! Just like the plural of fish is FISH. Sure, some people say fishes but they receive very odd looks. Why is the same not true of this insistency to use a fabricated plural when referring to Lego?

While I do agree with the point, I have a question regarding your meaning behind the verbiage, namely the word "Americanization," I do not feel that the phenomenon is either exclusive to the USA, nor prevalent enough to call it that. In answer to your question, however, the reason people say "legos" is because they don't see this pluralization as a big deal, which it really isn't. I say LEGO, but I do not make a fuss when someone says "legos."

LegoSWfan · April 18, 2015

So what someone says legos! I do! It's not like their disgracing sacred text!

Munty · April 18, 2015

Actually, there used to be a sort of error message if you logged into the website 'Legos.com' asking that people kindly used the correct term for their items as 'Lego Bricks' rather than Legos. That was the actual company officially requesting that people do NOT call their product Legos, so that pretty much makes it wrong. And funnily enough, the way they worded it makes it sound very much like it's disgracing sacred text

As for it being an Americanism, perhaps that's not accurate but I can't think of a single piece of American media that calls them Lego, all say Legos. I've equally never come across anyone in the UK who has ever used the term Legos. In Europe I couldn't say and I don't claim to know anything about the general populace of the US based on a few tv shows but I always assumed it was an American term because I guess that's where I always heard it!

Edit : Results (some) from googling 'Lego not called Legos';

Why do Americans call LEGO bricks "Legos"? - Quora

Do Americans call Lego "Legos"? - spelling pedantry | Ask MetaFilter

----> LEGO Gets ##### About Brand Name - Adrants

Why do Americans call 'Lego' - 'Legos'? | Yahoo Answers

That third one actually includes a screenshot of the message I was remembering. Lego says they aren't called Legos, so anyone who does is doing it wrong

Edited April 18, 2015 by Munty

Aanchir · April 18, 2015

Technically speaking, though, the LEGO Group is even more particular about the use of their brand name than many people realize. By their standards, the word LEGO actually isn't singular OR plural — it is an adjective, whether you're talking about the LEGO Group, LEGO bricks, LEGO sets, or LEGO products. So raising a big fuss about people saying "Legos" and then using "LEGO" as a noun yourself is a bit of a double standard. If you're going to ignore the brand standards in your own posts, there's no sense keelhauling others for ignoring them slightly more than you do.

I will admit that I'm not perfect. I sometimes use LEGO as a noun myself. But that's part of why I don't raise a fuss about other people misusing the brand name. In casual conversation, as long as they're referring to actual LEGO products and not Mega Bloks or something, it's not worth derailing the conversation for a lesson on brand name usage.

TheSkeletonMan939 · April 18, 2015

it's not worth derailing the conversation for a lesson on brand name usage

There's a conversation in this thread? About what?

Mmm.... yummy. I want Lego gummies now.

Wait... what's "graperry"? Why are there so many multi-colored gummies on the box but only three flavors listed? And only ten are in there? :uhoh:

Edited April 18, 2015 by TheSkeletonMan939

Lyichir · April 18, 2015

it's not worth derailing the conversation for a lesson on brand name usage

There's a conversation in this thread? About what?

Mmm.... yummy. I want Lego gummies now.

Wait... what's "graperry"? Why are there so many multi-colored gummies on the box but only three flavors listed? And only ten are in there?

The text there is emphasizing how by stacking the colors you can combine the flavors... which, of course, is a characteristic of all fruit snacks, but I guess was meant to emphasize the connection to Lego building somehow.

You can see other combinations on the side in this picture, under the header reading "Build a new flavor!"

Edited April 18, 2015 by Lyichir

Munty · April 18, 2015

Technically speaking, though, the LEGO Group is even more particular about the use of their brand name than many people realize. By their standards, the word LEGO actually isn't singular OR plural — it is an adjective, whether you're talking about the LEGO Group, LEGO bricks, LEGO sets, or LEGO products. So raising a big fuss about people saying "Legos" and then using "LEGO" as a noun yourself is a bit of a double standard. If you're going to ignore the brand standards in your own posts, there's no sense keelhauling others for ignoring them slightly more than you do.

I will admit that I'm not perfect. I sometimes use LEGO as a noun myself. But that's part of why I don't raise a fuss about other people misusing the brand name. In casual conversation, as long as they're referring to actual LEGO products and not Mega Bloks or something, it's not worth derailing the conversation for a lesson on brand name usage.

Very good point I guess I don't call them Lego Sets or Lego bricks so I'm using it incorrectly too really! Not as wrong as the other guys though so that's something Out of interest, should people call Mega Bloks Mega Bloks bricks? Because that's just downright ridiculous

Back on topic, how hilarious would it be if the original satirical article turned out to actually be genuine but referred to something like the gummy snacks instead of actual bricks. Great selling point, it kills 20% of all people who eat it

LegoSWfan · April 18, 2015

Actually, there used to be a sort of error message if you logged into the website 'Legos.com' asking that people kindly used the correct term for their items as 'Lego Bricks' rather than Legos. That was the actual company officially requesting that people do NOT call their product Legos, so that pretty much makes it wrong. And funnily enough, the way they worded it makes it sound very much like it's disgracing sacred text

As for it being an Americanism, perhaps that's not accurate but I can't think of a single piece of American media that calls them Lego, all say Legos. I've equally never come across anyone in the UK who has ever used the term Legos. In Europe I couldn't say and I don't claim to know anything about the general populace of the US based on a few tv shows but I always assumed it was an American term because I guess that's where I always heard it!

Edit : Results (some) from googling 'Lego not called Legos';

Why do Americans call LEGO bricks "Legos"? - Quora

Do Americans call Lego "Legos"? - spelling pedantry | Ask MetaFilter

----> LEGO Gets ##### About Brand Name - Adrants

Why do Americans call 'Lego' - 'Legos'? | Yahoo Answers

That third one actually includes a screenshot of the message I was remembering. Lego says they aren't called Legos, so anyone who does is doing it wrong

So, more proof that lego sees itself as a Devine creation with no flaws what so ever? Not at all surprising, considering its distance to its fan base compared to say, Hasbro. Hasbro still makes toys for fans of cartoons OVER THIRTY YEARS OLD!

Lyichir · April 18, 2015

Actually, there used to be a sort of error message if you logged into the website 'Legos.com' asking that people kindly used the correct term for their items as 'Lego Bricks' rather than Legos. That was the actual company officially requesting that people do NOT call their product Legos, so that pretty much makes it wrong. And funnily enough, the way they worded it makes it sound very much like it's disgracing sacred text

As for it being an Americanism, perhaps that's not accurate but I can't think of a single piece of American media that calls them Lego, all say Legos. I've equally never come across anyone in the UK who has ever used the term Legos. In Europe I couldn't say and I don't claim to know anything about the general populace of the US based on a few tv shows but I always assumed it was an American term because I guess that's where I always heard it!

Edit : Results (some) from googling 'Lego not called Legos';

Why do Americans call LEGO bricks "Legos"? - Quora

Do Americans call Lego "Legos"? - spelling pedantry | Ask MetaFilter

----> LEGO Gets ##### About Brand Name - Adrants

Why do Americans call 'Lego' - 'Legos'? | Yahoo Answers

That third one actually includes a screenshot of the message I was remembering. Lego says they aren't called Legos, so anyone who does is doing it wrong

So, more proof that lego sees itself as a Devine creation with no flaws what so ever? Not at all surprising, considering its distance to its fan base compared to say, Hasbro. Hasbro still makes toys for fans of cartoons OVER THIRTY YEARS OLD!

You remain as blithely ignorant of reality as you ever were.

Lego doesn't view themselves as "divine". EVERY brand has brand standards. Lego's may be a bit more strict than other companies, but they're still nowhere near unreasonable. And it's not like they barge down fans' doors and order them to use their brand name properly—they just politely recommend that fans use the brand name as intended. This is to address a very real issue—before Lego made these standards clear, the name "Lego" was at risk of becoming generic. If that had happened, there would be absolutely nothing stopping competing brands like Mega Bloks from calling themselves "legos". And in turn, you could be pretty much certain that Lego, as a company, would not exist today.

Hasbro closer to fans than Lego? Ludicrous! As a My Little Pony fan, I've seen how the two companies interact with fans, and the differences are stark. For the record: Hasbro doesn't seem to even LET their toy designers talk with fans on a one-on-one basis. Their toy design department is a stronghold, and that means that there's no one out there in the fan community to counter the mainstream perception that the toys are generally terrible with little regard for accuracy. And you know what? I'm sure if the designers would explain a bit about their process, and the constraints they were under, that perception would improve. But they don't. And so it doesn't.

Hasbro certainly doesn't have an entire division of the company tasked with answering fan questions, overseeing fan events, and even providing free or discounted product to fan groups just so that they can keep representing the brand in a positive way. Lego does. It's called the Community Engagement and Events (CEE) team. Look it up.

And finally, Hasbro releasing toys of thirty-year-old cartoons is not charity to fans—it's because the market for those is significant compared to the market for their current toys. In short: they want your money, same as any other company. For what it's worth, Lego once tried rereleasing classic sets, when they desperately needed a hit a little over ten years ago. And guess what? They all failed miserably compared to their current product lines, hence why they have never tried doing so again. Lego makes enough money off of young fans or older fans who still appreciate what they have to offer. They don't need to pander to bitter old fans who can't do anything but complain about them just to make bank.

Edited April 19, 2015 by Lyichir

TheSkeletonMan939 · April 19, 2015

by stacking the colors you can combine the flavors... which, of course, is a characteristic of all fruit snacks

Ohhhh! That's actually sorta clever. I've never smashed by gummies together before eating them, so I wouldn't think of that.

So, more proof that lego sees itself as a Devine creation with no flaws what so ever?

More "proof"? Are you assembling a case file on LEGO's vision of itself as infallible? Why?

Munty · April 20, 2015

Actually, there used to be a sort of error message if you logged into the website 'Legos.com' asking that people kindly used the correct term for their items as 'Lego Bricks' rather than Legos. That was the actual company officially requesting that people do NOT call their product Legos, so that pretty much makes it wrong. And funnily enough, the way they worded it makes it sound very much like it's disgracing sacred text

As for it being an Americanism, perhaps that's not accurate but I can't think of a single piece of American media that calls them Lego, all say Legos. I've equally never come across anyone in the UK who has ever used the term Legos. In Europe I couldn't say and I don't claim to know anything about the general populace of the US based on a few tv shows but I always assumed it was an American term because I guess that's where I always heard it!

Edit : Results (some) from googling 'Lego not called Legos';

Why do Americans call LEGO bricks "Legos"? - Quora

Do Americans call Lego "Legos"? - spelling pedantry | Ask MetaFilter

----> LEGO Gets ##### About Brand Name - Adrants

Why do Americans call 'Lego' - 'Legos'? | Yahoo Answers

That third one actually includes a screenshot of the message I was remembering. Lego says they aren't called Legos, so anyone who does is doing it wrong
So, more proof that lego sees itself as a Devine creation with no flaws what so ever? Not at all surprising, considering its distance to its fan base compared to say, Hasbro. Hasbro still makes toys for fans of cartoons OVER THIRTY YEARS OLD!

For the record, that is absolutely NOT what I was trying to convey and I have no idea how you would come to such a conclusion... Lyichir has already said it but I think it's worth repeating that Hasbro only makes toys that make it money. It doesn't matter if they're based on a show that's 30 years old 60 years old or 1 year old, they would stop making them in a heartbeat if people stopped buying them (just like Lego coincidentally as it's EXACTLY what happened to Bionicle!) They don't have a 'loyalty' to fans of their products, they just like money and will do whatever they have to do to keep making more of it. I have no knowledge of Hasbro specifically so will leave comparisons to more clued in members but I imagine Hasbro and Lego have pretty similar business plans in reality...

Also have you ever met a 'my name is Robert but please call me Rob' kind of person? He's a nice guy just letting you know how to correctly use HIS name that he's had for years. If you want to call him Robert then he probably won't make a huge fuss but you'll still be doing it wrong all the same...