90 Years LEGO Exhibition - Pirates

[CvS]

There is a LEGO exhibition -90 years LEGO- in the Museum of the 20th century in Hoorn, The Netherlands.
https://www.museumhoorn.nl/pg-5548-7-137687/pagina/expositie_90_jaar_lego.html

Of course they also had some Classic Pirates LEGO sets and some Pirates dioramas.
I thought I'd share some of the Pirates stuff here.

More pictures can be found here: https://bricksafe.com/pages/CvS/lego-tentoonstelling
Someone else also made a short vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5AonIy3jko (Dutch)

 

Unfortunately I didn't bring a proper camera and it was quite difficult to take good picture beacuse of the light, space, other visitors, (my kid ;)etc.
I hope you enjoy them never the less.

[edit: I can't get the pictures to show full size here(?)]

Edited September 15, 2023 by CvS

[Yperio_Bricks]

That monkey on the raft! Thanks for sharing the pictures (also at Bricksafe)

[Jack Sassy]

These displays are impressive. Worthy of 90 Years of LEGO exhibition. Thank ye for sharing! 

[F1stzz]

37 minutes ago, CvS said:

I thought I'd share some of the Pirates stuff here.

TYSM for your time & effort, mate, such a wonderful and heartwarming Pirates tribute right there 

[Piraten]

Just awesome.

 

[Aanchir]

Aw neat! It looks like a lot of the non-minifig-scale models are the same ones as from some of the old LEGO World Shows — it's great to know that they've been preserved so well over the decades and/or faithfully recreated! Some of their details that might not have been feasible at minifig scale back in the 80s and 90s (like the caged chicken, assorted fruits/veggies, and various furniture/utensils) could be great inspiration for stuff to include in modern LEGO Pirates MOCs.

Thanks for sharing these photos!

[TalonCard]

This is fantastic, thank you so much for taking these pictures and sharing! I've never seen some of these angles and details before! The model displays are from a little-seen Pirates show that toured in Europe in the early 1990s; there's a cover story about it in the autumn 1992 Bricks n Pieces magazine here. 

The neat thing about these models is that they used characters from the ongoing pirate story from the Golden Medallion comic and storybooks; in these pictures you can clearly see Captain Foul and Lt. de Martinet and Governor Broadside in the style of the comic.

Each of the cabinets had some kind of interactive element activated by pushing the buttons (this feature seems to be intact in the images you posted; was it working in the exhibit?) and an anachronistic element that kids could find and check off on a scavenger hunt style list. (This is why Captain Foul is holding a flashlight.  )

It's amazing that the exhibits have lasted this long. These are the best quality images of the displays that I'm aware of; for a long time I'd only seen the tiny pictures in the Bricks n Pieces magazine. They did resurface back in 2011 in a LEGO Mall exhibition in Hungary; last year I ran accross some pictures from that event. There's one model cabinet there that doesn't seem to be included in this exhibit, featuring Foul and Jimbo (again from the books) with a treasure map. I'd love to know who has been saving these displays in such great condition over the decades; if anyone has any information on that please let me know. :)

The display with Governor Broadside and De Martinet on a raft has a very similar copy in the outdoors area of Pirate Land in LEGOLAND Billund; it would have been built around the same time. It's been moved a few times, but it's still there as far as I know.

I'm actually putting the finishing touches on a Pirates video that includes information from this touring show; is it okay if I use some of these images and credit you, @CvS?

[CvS]

On 9/18/2023 at 9:07 PM, TalonCard said:

This is fantastic, thank you so much for taking these pictures and sharing!
I've never seen some of these angles and details before! 
The model displays are from a little-seen Pirates show that toured in Europe in the early 1990s; there's a cover story about it in the autumn 1992 Bricks n Pieces magazine here. 

The neat thing about these models is that they used characters from the ongoing pirate story from the Golden Medallion comic and storybooks;
in these pictures you can clearly see Captain Foul and Lt. de Martinet and Governor Broadside in the style of the comic.

Each of the cabinets had some kind of interactive element activated by pushing the buttons
(this feature seems to be intact in the images you posted; was it working in the exhibit?)
and an anachronistic element that kids could find and check off on a scavenger hunt style list. (This is why Captain Foul is holding a flashlight.  )

It's amazing that the exhibits have lasted this long. These are the best quality images of the displays that I'm aware of; for a long time I'd only seen the tiny pictures in the Bricks n Pieces magazine. They did resurface back in 2011 in a LEGO Mall exhibition in Hungary; last year I ran accross some pictures from that event.
There's one model cabinet there that doesn't seem to be included in this exhibit, featuring Foul and Jimbo (again from the books) with a treasure map.
I'd love to know who has been saving these displays in such great condition over the decades; if anyone has any information on that please let me know. :)

The display with Governor Broadside and De Martinet on a raft has a very similar copy in the outdoors area of Pirate Land in LEGOLAND Billund; it would have been built around the same time. It's been moved a few times, but it's still there as far as I know.

I'm actually putting the finishing touches on a Pirates video that includes information from this touring show; is it okay if I use some of these images and credit you, @CvS?

Yes, of course. No problem!
No need to credit me though.
Will you post your video here, once it's finished? I am very curious now!
Didn't expect such positive reactions in response to some snap shots...  

Now I feel extra dull that I didn't take better pictures...
There is a very slim change I'll visit the exhibition again. When I do, I will definitely take better pictures!
The exhibition will run for a longer periode, I think untill january '24 now.
That won't be easy though. The cabinets are tucked away in the corners of the 'museum cafe' / area where the kids can build themselfs to earn a 'Master builder certificate'.
You could maybe email the museum and ask if they can take some highres. pictures(?)

Really nice to read some background info about these cabinets!
Yes, they are all still working, with some moving elements and lightning effects.
Maybe that also explains why the buttons have German text next to them? 
AND the flashlight! Was already wondering why....

I think they obtained them from another LEGO-museum in The Netherlands that closed its doors (8-2022): Mini-Billund in Wagenberg.
The website states:
'By acquiring perhaps the largest LEGO collection in Europe, the Museum of the 20th Century can show a beautiful exhibition that is interesting for young and old.
Hundreds of minifigures are on display, as well as models of no less than two meters high.
There are dioramas with light, sound and moving parts, ...' 
Part of the collection of Mini-Billund 'will be up for sale in the future', according to https://www.museumestate.com/

If you Google Mini-Billund and Wagenberg you'll find some pictures. There Facebook-page is still online.
There are some pictures of the dioramas there -> Mini-Billund Facebook

The cabinet you mentioned, with Foul and Jimbo, wasn't present in Hoorn (or I didn't see it).
The Facebook-page however shows a picture of yet another cabinet that wasn't present (or displayed?) in Hoorn: the captain and the kid with green cap in the dinghy, #3.

So maybe the cabinet collection got split up?
Do you know how many there were in total?

 

[TalonCard]

Thank you! I'll definitely post the video; it'll be a small part of the fourth installment of the Redbeard biography series, though this could easily be its own video in the future! I appreciate all the leads here; I'd thought for years that this exhibit was the most likely to be lost and undocumented, but the internet is proving me wrong again! :) It's really cool to know that it's actually safely preserved in working condition; I wish I could go to the Netherlands myself now!

There are 7 model cabinets in total; Treasure Cave (#1), Pirate Attack, Escape, Storm Raft (#7), Walking the Plank, Pirate Ambush, and Jolly Tavern (#6). These names come from a British version of the checklist; I'm assuming it must exist in other languages too if the exhibit toured in Germany.

Edited September 20, 2023 by TalonCard

[CvS]

Than two are missing, or not displayed, in Hoorn at the moment, I think:

(pic. via your link)
and

(pic. from the Facebookpage of Mini-Billund)

Do you know who made them? LEGO themselfs?
Commissioned by LEGO?

[Mister Phes]

What's that little white button do?

[CvS]

9 hours ago, Mister Phes said:

What's that little white button do?

...activate the 'light, sound and moving parts,..'.

[Mister Phes]

6 hours ago, CvS said:

..activate the 'light, sound and moving parts,..'.

Yeah, but specifically what light, sound and moving parts?

Do the pirates start busting a move on the dance floor or something?

[CvS]

17 hours ago, Mister Phes said:

Yeah, but specifically what light, sound and moving parts?

Do the pirates start busting a move on the dance floor or something?

See this video (around 0.40 sec.) for an (short) example: Mini-Billund Facebook video

The treasure chest opens, with sounds and changing lights.
Can't reallt remember exactly what the other cabinets had for effects, sorry. But it wasn't anything dramatic.

[OlDesparado]

Very nice, I love them!

[CvS]

Yesterday I saw one of the 'missing' Pirates cabinets, at LEGO World 2023:

Two of the Pirates cabinets were displayed at the LEGO museum area.
One of which was the same as at the LEGO exhibition in Hoorn.

So now only one, cabinet number three (3), is still 'missing'.
I tried to find someone from the LEGO World organisation to ask if they know where the cabinets are from, who owns them etc. but no one was able to help.

More pictures.
It was quite busy all day long and thus difficult to take proper pictures, especially in the museum area.
At the end of the day it was nice and quiet there, but the kids started to rebel  etc.
(and I need a better camera/phone).