Authors/Designers of famous LEGO Space Classic sets

[___]

It would be great (at least for me ) if LEGO Company would prepare some sub website with short story from original designer/author of respective LEGO sets, where those who cares could read how they developed it, what thoughts they had when they were designing it + their pictures, maybe some proto sketches (in case they did it like that first before production) etc. - put credit where it needs to be, it'd be really nice - what do you think, hm?

[tomdobs55]

That sounds like a good idea to me. As a history buff myself I'd probably buy a book if one was released like that.

[___]

yea, book isn't bad but I'd like the website idea more as it would be free to anyone wheres book can buy only those who has money...anyway I agree with you on that

[Aanchir]

I've read about one potential issue with this. Back in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, LEGO designers were discouraged from taking individual credit for sets because it was felt that this eroded the cooperative attitude of the company, so there might not be any record of which designers worked on early LEGO Space sets. LEGO Designers only really started to get individual credit for their models in the mid-2000s, if I remember correctly. But I agree that if this were possible, it would be a fantastic feature. I think the human side of the LEGO brand — the people whose ideas and accomplishments make our favorite themes what they are — is perhaps one of the most fascinating things about the company.

I know one of the major designers for Space themes from the very beginning of LEGO Space through the design of M-Tron and "Sea-Tron", an unreleased theme which was eventually developed into Aquazone. Beyond LEGO Space, one of his most noteworthy achievements was the invention of the LEGO minifigure. Current set designer and AFOL Mark Stafford (Nabii) conducted a really enlightening interview with Jens Nygaard Knudsen for the Summer 2009 issue of BrickJournal.

[___]

I've read about one potential issue with this. Back in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, LEGO designers were discouraged from taking individual credit for sets because it was felt that this eroded the cooperative attitude of the company, so there might not be any record of which designers worked on early LEGO Space sets. LEGO Designers only really started to get individual credit for their models in the mid-2000s, if I remember correctly. But I agree that if this were possible, it would be a fantastic feature. I think the human side of the LEGO brand — the people whose ideas and accomplishments make our favorite themes what they are — is perhaps one of the most fascinating things about the company.

I know one of the major designers for Space themes from the very beginning of LEGO Space through the design of M-Tron and "Sea-Tron", an unreleased theme which was eventually developed into Aquazone. Beyond LEGO Space, one of his most noteworthy achievements was the invention of the LEGO minifigure. Current set designer and AFOL Mark Stafford (Nabii) conducted a really enlightening interview with Jens Nygaard Knudsen for the Summer 2009 issue of BrickJournal.

yayks - that's fantastic!!! I am happy I am not alone who thinks like this and who'd be fascinated if something like this ever happens...

BTW: thax a lot for the name of one of those "holly old-time LEGO designers" - Jens Nygaard Knudsen (if I understood it right? )...would be great if you could paste a link to that interview...?

Edited June 7, 2013 by bublible

[Canticleer blues]

This isn't quite classic space, but seeing as interviews from any designers of that era are so scarce, you might want to take a look at this. It's an article from Boingboing featuring Bjarne P. Tveskov, who worked on Futuron, Blacktron, Space Police I and Blacktron II sets. Mr. Tveskov also shares a few details on his experience working for Lego. Overall it's pretty interesting stuff, so feel free to check it out.

[LEGO Historian]

LEGO corporate history is very sparce... TLG was not a great company to do immaculate record keeping. So when the old timers retired... much of the TLG corporate history died with it.

I have a LOT of correspondence with the TLG Archives and Collections folks (for my Unofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors Guides on DVD/download and the upcoming book)... and the amount of information available from the company is almost embarrassingly little. The recent 6661 TV Mobile Station set of 1989 was a case in point... neither the Archive folks, nor the folks at the German marketing office had any incling about the rare German WDR promotional set version of the 6661 set. And yet it WAS produced by TLG.

The folks who created the Fantasia books on LEGO also had the same problem with the company... not a lot of information gets saved for posterity.

So when I hear individual stories about a designer or developer... I think that it's great that some part of the LEGO puzzle gets saved....

[___]

LEGO corporate history is very sparce... TLG was not a great company to do immaculate record keeping. So when the old timers retired... much of the TLG corporate history died with it.

I have a LOT of correspondence with the TLG Archives and Collections folks (for my Unofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors Guides on DVD/download and the upcoming book)... and the amount of information available from the company is almost embarrassingly little. The recent 6661 TV Mobile Station set of 1989 was a case in point... neither the Archive folks, nor the folks at the German marketing office had any incling about the rare German WDR promotional set version of the 6661 set. And yet it WAS produced by TLG.

The folks who created the Fantasia books on LEGO also had the same problem with the company... not a lot of information gets saved for posterity.

So when I hear individual stories about a designer or developer... I think that it's great that some part of the LEGO puzzle gets saved....

Jesus, I do not get it - how is it even possible to not having any idea about something I created??????? Or do not care about my history or ppl who make the history happen???? As a child I thought TLG is something like magical family forest - idealistic, good, kind, knowing its past, having interest for their workers and developers, always smailing...but more and more I get frustrated and having feeling of something rodden...I still do not understand how is this even possible happen...sad, definitely

[___]

This isn't quite classic space, but seeing as interviews from any designers of that era are so scarce, you might want to take a look at this. It's an article from Boingboing featuring Bjarne P. Tveskov, who worked on Futuron, Blacktron, Space Police I and Blacktron II sets. Mr. Tveskov also shares a few details on his experience working for Lego. Overall it's pretty interesting stuff, so feel free to check it out.

Great article, thanx...see this one I found, also interview with him about his mini sets, http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/349429

Edited June 7, 2013 by bublible

[Faefrost]

Jesus, I do not get it - how is it even possible to not having any idea about something I created??????? Or do not care about my history or ppl who make the history happen???? As a child I thought TLG is something like magical family forest - idealistic, good, kind, knowing its past, having interest for their workers and developers, always smailing...but more and more I get frustrated and having feeling of something rodden...I still do not understand how is this even possible happen...sad, definitely

To put this in perspective, do you have any idea just how much of the original art from Marvel and DC comic books were flipped over, used as scratch paper, or outright tossed as trash? The TV Networks erased the tapes of the first two US Superbowls in order to reuse the tapes. Companies rarely ever think about what they have in front of them now in terms of keeping a record for future history. But this is nothing new. Most of our actual historical records as nations is derived more often than not, not from well documented descriptions of the participants, but rather from the most mundane of accounting documents. There are few contemporary descriptions of Caesar, but somewhere his tax returns are still on file.

[___]

To put this in perspective, do you have any idea just how much of the original art from Marvel and DC comic books were flipped over, used as scratch paper, or outright tossed as trash? The TV Networks erased the tapes of the first two US Superbowls in order to reuse the tapes. Companies rarely ever think about what they have in front of them now in terms of keeping a record for future history. But this is nothing new. Most of our actual historical records as nations is derived more often than not, not from well documented descriptions of the participants, but rather from the most mundane of accounting documents. There are few contemporary descriptions of Caesar, but somewhere his tax returns are still on file.

Right, but to me it's a weak excuse, cos that way we end up in the world without any real values where only "what is now/we liv ejust once" counts which is a road to oblivion

And as for the "Super-owl tapes" (LOL): who cares anyway except you USA ppl? C'mon!

Edited June 8, 2013 by bublible

[caperberry]

Hindsight eh? I'm sure if we could time travel we could alert TLG to keep better records ;O) but really, how were they to know how important this would become? Another example - the BBC reused videotapes in the late 'sixties/early 'seventies and wiped loads of television history away, but the only common complaint you hear these days is that they wiped so much Doctor Who. There were loads of other programmes lost forever and barely anyone cares; how were they to know Doctor Who would be so special?

The designer of the classic yellow 375 Castle is known, and contributed a new model to Megs Rothrock's excellent LEGO Adventure Book. Highly recommended book!

[___]

Hindsight eh? I'm sure if we could time travel we could alert TLG to keep better records ;O) but really, how were they to know how important this would become? Another example - the BBC reused videotapes in the late 'sixties/early 'seventies and wiped loads of television history away, but the only common complaint you hear these days is that they wiped so much Doctor Who. There were loads of other programmes lost forever and barely anyone cares; how were they to know Doctor Who would be so special?

The designer of the classic yellow 375 Castle is known, and contributed a new model to Megs Rothrock's excellent LEGO Adventure Book. Highly recommended book!

Any link to that book or intefview or name or photo (anything would be great )?

[Vincent Kessels]

Any link to that book or intefview or name or photo (anything would be great )?

Just search for the title on Amazon.

[LEGO Historian]

To put this in perspective, do you have any idea just how much of the original art from Marvel and DC comic books were flipped over, used as scratch paper, or outright tossed as trash? The TV Networks erased the tapes of the first two US Superbowls in order to reuse the tapes. Companies rarely ever think about what they have in front of them now in terms of keeping a record for future history. But this is nothing new. Most of our actual historical records as nations is derived more often than not, not from well documented descriptions of the participants, but rather from the most mundane of accounting documents. There are few contemporary descriptions of Caesar, but somewhere his tax returns are still on file.

Thanks for the interesting anecdote Faefrost... but you do show how we have lost so much of our collective heritage...

I actually got a chuckle reading your comments because it reminded me of why we find no medieval correspondence or non-important documents from ages past. And the reason for that is that old letters, correspondence and minor paperwork were "recycled".... used as toilet paper by the people of that era!!

All the valuable history and documentation that went down the crapper... .unthinkable....

P.S. The alternative to using medieval parchments and documents as toilet paper was using straw... ouch!!

Edited June 12, 2013 by LEGO Historian

[___]

Thanks for the interesting anecdote Faefrost... but you do show how we have lost so much of our collective heritage...

I actually got a chuckle reading your comments because it reminded me of why we find no medieval correspondence or non-important documents from ages past. And the reason for that is that old letters, correspondence and minor paperwork were "recycled".... used as toilet paper by the people of that era!!

All the valuable history and documentation that went down the crapper... .unthinkable....

P.S. The alternative to using medieval parchments and documents as toilet paper was using straw... ouch!!

Sorry, I know I shouldn't laugh but I can't help it!

Edited June 12, 2013 by bublible

[LEGO Historian]

Bublible... laugh away! I got a chuckle when I first read about the reason for so little medieval documentation!

As for historic info about LEGO items... I've been researching for the last 7 years about old and new LEGO sets and parts... and have compiled all my research into my 2800 page Unofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors Guide as a download (desktop document). It used to be a CD and then as it got larger and more inclusive as a DVD. But with me constantly finding (or being given by other collectors) information about the history of the product... I'm making it an evolving product... that changes every day (with free upgrades every 6 months for the owners of this document).

I've long ago found that TLG (like sooooo many other companies) did very little record keeping in the early years up until the 1970s... and even with large gaps since then.

Although I don't mention specific designers, I do mention the evolution of all old and newer LEGO sets and older parts... it's amazing at how many different variations there are in the world of LEGO... some sets come in up to 8 different box designs! And because TLG was growing slowly up until the 1960s... some countries had complete autonomy from Billund and the folks in the LEGO Archives are still trying to document all of the LEGO items that were produced without their knowledge.

Countries such as Norway, Sweden, the USA and Canada were very much autonomous in what they were producing for many years. I enjoy sending my contacts at TLG Archives/Collecrtions pictures of items that they had never seen before.

Althoiugh I have documented the evolution of sets and parts... the designers have not come down to me by name. However there are people whose name I have uncovered that are an important part of LEGO history...

One of the most underrated individuals in LEGO history was Axel Thomsen... a Danish businessman who moved to Lerum Sweden to start a dollhouse building company... he became a friend of Godtfred Kirk Christiansen... he was chosen to start LEGO sales in Sweden in 1955 by a subsidiary called A/B Lundby. In 1956 he moved to Hohenwestedt Germany, a small town near the Danish border to found LEGO GmbH... the German subsidiary in March 1956... amd later became the successful Director of LEGO German... the largest market of LEGO for 20 years... until 1976, when the USA took the lead. Axel was the driving force to listen to the complaints of German retailers about the problems with the hollow bottom brick... this got Godtfred's ear... and in 1958 the tube bottom brick was born... to the great credit of Axel Thomsen.

Here's the founding of LEGO Germany on 12 January 1956... with a dinner... with Axel Thomsen (far right, with his wife opposite)... with Ole Kirk Christiansen and Godtfred Kirk Christiansen to the left of Axel....

There are many many stories and anecdotes in my 2800 page collectors guide that talk about the history of the sets, parts, instructions, boxes, artwork, the LEGO family (Christiansen's), the LEGO logo and a thousand and one things related to the product.

I uncover new information every day...

Such as these bricks that look a lot like old LEGO....

These are a LEGO "sanctioned" clone that TLG licensed to a company in Sweden in 1955... by the name of Geas Konstharts... with the bricks known as PRIMA... another relationship that TLG (and Geas) has absolutely no records about... but due to a lot of investigation... we now know why these parts look so familiar to LEGO parts... they used prototype LEGO molds (without the LEGO logo) that TLG had produced, but decided not to use since they produced ones with the LEGO logo... but TLG never threw anything away... so they shipped these to the Swedish company for producing another building toy (out of Polystyrene)... and the rest is history...

Also... there's the over 40 LEGO logos that I've helped uncover... here's a few over the last 75 years...

Or early obscure (and very rare)... LEGO windows... you could have LEGO windows in blue... as long as it was one of these 5 shades...