Could Your LEGO Creation Be the Toymaker's Next Big Kit?
LEGO's "Women of NASA" set became the best-selling toy on Amazon in just 24 hours after its release. And while the company takes pride in creating gender-neutral action figures, brand relations director Michael McNally says he was happy to release this a-typical collection.
The LEGO set was created by Maia Weinstock, a deputy news editor at MIT and a self-proclaimed supporter of women, something she proved with this project.
“Women of NASA” celebrates women who have played critical roles in STEM educations and in the history of the United States’ space program.
But this is not the only successful playset crowdsourced by LEGO. Another fan idea and best-seller includes a “Big Bang Theory” living room set.
Enthusiasts can submit an idea to the LEGO Ideas website and gather support. Submissions will be reviewed by LEGO, and can ultimately result in a new product.
“What’s awesome...is that we get ideas that probably we didn’t have on our own,” McNally told Cheddar in an interview. “Then we can access the support, because if they get 10,000 votes from the fan community then we review them as a possible LEGO set.”
The holidays are approaching and McNally says Lego hopes to restock shelves with the now sold-out “Women of Nasa” playset. This is also the company’s best season he said.
The toy industry as a whole has been growing steadily in the past three years, with sales rising 16 percent from 2013 to 2016, according to market research firm NPD Group. The company said sales hit $20.4 billion last year.
Kraft Heinz is splitting into two companies a decade after they joined in a massive merger that created one of the biggest food companies on the planet. One of the companies will include brands such as Heinz, Philadelphia cream cheese and Kraft Mac & Cheese. The other will include brands like Oscar Mayer, Kraft Singles and Lunchables. When the company formed in 2015 it wanted to capitalize on its massive scale, but shifting tastes complicated those plans, with households seeking to introduce healthier options at the table. Kraft Heinz's net revenue has fallen every year since 2020.
About 780,000 pressure washers sold at retailers like Home Depot are being recalled across the U.S. and Canada, due to a projectile hazard that has resulted in fractures and other injuries among some consumers.
President Donald Trump has fired one of two Democratic members of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to break a 2-2 tie ahead of the board considering the largest railroad merger ever proposed.
Ford is recalling more than 355,000 of its pickup trucks across the U.S. because of an instrument panel display failure that’s resulted in critical information, like warning lights and vehicle speed, not showing up on the dashboard.
