How to build a LEGO® Star

It’s time for our annual #BuildToGive campaign! This year, with your help, we are aiming to bring the joy of LEGO® play to up to 1.5 million children in need.

It works like this. 

You build a holiday ornament out of LEGO bricks, share it on social media with #BuildToGive, and we’ll donate a LEGO set to a child in need, through our network of charity partners.

Hmm... that seemed too easy. Let me check my notes… Nope, it really is that simple! 

This year, we’re asking fans and families around the world to grab their bricks and build that most sparkly of holiday ornaments – a star!

“But how can we build stars out of our LEGO bricks?” we hear you cry. “What’s the best way? Tell us, please, please please!!!”. 

Well, who better to calm you down than one of our wonderful Art Directors (and now honorary Goodwill Holiday Elf) – Patrick Hansen! 

Patrick’s specialty is digital 3D LEGO builds, a job that requires an expert understanding of how to use LEGO bricks to make all manner of unusual and unique objects – including stars!

Be creative

“A star is a great choice for a LEGO build, because everyone knows the shape, and so everyone should know how to build one. 

“But it’s also a tricky shape, especially to recreate with LEGO bricks. Simply because a classic star has five points, and a LEGO brick only has four corners. 

“That’s where you need to start being creative. Take all your random LEGO pieces and ignore what they actually are and instead focus on their shape. For example, a croissant piece can be perfect if you need a semicircle, or you could even use a horse as the base of your star!” 

(One of our favorite recent examples this past year of our designers using strange pieces for unexpected effects came with the LEGO Bonsai Tree, where you’ll see that the beautiful blossoms are made up of… pink frogs! But anyway… back to Patrick)

Make it sturdy

“But while you might be able to build a star, in order for it to be a proper holiday ornament that you might hang from somewhere, it needs to be sturdy, which is where the challenge comes in. 

“A lot of people make the mistake of making their builds too complicated, too early. Think back to when you were a young child and you were asked to make or draw something. You’d focus on the basics and it would be really easy to recognize. Like, if you drew a house as a kid, it would just be a square and a triangle, and everyone would know what it was. So think like a kid when you start building, and then you can get more creative as you get more confident.”

Make it stand out

So how do we go about making our stars stand out, Goodwill Holiday Elf? 

“Honestly… you can call me Patrick... 

“Making things stand out isn’t always about making them big. In fact, sometimes it can be easier to build stuff bigger – the real skill is often in making things smaller. Plus, when you’re making holiday ornaments, making them teeny-tiny makes them easier to hang up!

“Of course, you should use lots of bright colors, which will really help to make them stand out if you hang them in trees.

“And if you want to hang them up, think about that when you are building. If you are building a big star, then you might want to build in two holes for the string to loop through, so it doesn’t become imbalanced.”

“And finally, transparent LEGO elements (like those small, circular 1x1 studs) are perfect if you want to add gemstones to your stars, to give them that little bit extra sparkle!”

It’s safe to say that we can’t wait to be dazzled by your stars this holiday season! Happy building, and happy holidays!

#BuildToGive