The LEGO Group Celebrates Children's Unique Curiosity About The Cosmos By Asking Them To Explore Space Their Way

• A new global study(1) by the LEGO Group reveals that 86 percent of kids are interested in finding new planets, stars and galaxies, and 77 percent want to travel to space.
• The LEGO Group is fostering kids’ imaginations by giving the world a preview of what awaits us in the universe.
• The LEGO Group invited kids worldwide to share their ideas on space travel. Last night, their unique spaceship creations were showcased in the night sky above New York City in the first-ever 'UPO' sighting (Unidentified Playing Objects).
• The LEGO Group and the International Astronomical Union are calling for children to reimagine the constellations in their own way as Funstellations.

New York, United States, 23rd May 2024: The LEGO Group is harnessing children's creativity and imagination to show the world what may await us in space.

A new global study(1) by the LEGO Group finds that 86 percent of kids are interested in finding new planets, stars and galaxies, and 77 percent want to travel to space. Additionally, more than 3 in 5 (68 percent) children believe there are aliens in space, and 64 percent say they would want to meet one.

The LEGO Group, drawing inspiration from the universe for over 50 years, aims to unite children's curiosity about space through the ultimate creative medium of LEGO® bricks. This year, the company is unveiling many epic Space-themed sets like the LEGO® Friends Stargazing Camping Vehicle, inviting adventurers to stargaze and spot constellations, and the LEGO® City Space Explorer Rover and Alien Life Playset, enabling kids to explore new worlds and unleash their creativity.

Scientists estimate that only 4 percent of our universe has been explored, with just 646 people ever seeing the great beyond in person(2). The LEGO Group predicts that Gen Alpha’s eagerness to search the cosmos will be the key to exploring the 96 percent of the universe still to be discovered.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a UPO!

The LEGO Group asked kids across the world to share their visions of how they would like to explore the cosmos. With the help of Associate Master Builder at the LEGO House, Didac Perez Soriano, a selection of these spacecrafts were reimagined in LEGO bricks.

The LEGO Group then showcased the future of space travel according to a group of young budding space explorers – Lotty (10, UK), Sebastian (10, Denmark), Jace (13, Hong Kong SAR, China), Jillian (7, USA), Jordan (12, USA) and Orla (6, UK) – by blasting their unique designs, playfully coined Unidentified Playing Objects (UPOs), over the New York City skyline.

Taking over the most photographed skyline of all time(3), the show included a space bed UPO powered by butterfly wings complete with a snack drawer for long journeys, a turtle spaceship that walks on the moon, a dog spaceship with 360 windows to see all that space has to offer, and a dinosaur ship with a jetpack, among others.

Didac Perez Soriano, Associate Master Builder at the LEGO House, said: “Children are our inspiration for play and creativity. At LEGO House, we aim to provide the pinnacle experience for letting play and creativity run free, and that’s why I leapt at the opportunity to build 3D representations of their creative spaceships in LEGO bricks. The imagination shown by young children around the world was mind-blowing and this was one of the best experiences I have had. I’m ecstatic we can share these with the world. With so much of the universe still to be explored, we can’t say that what they have created isn’t possible or even out there already.”

Lotty Ingle, the 10-year-old designer of the butterfly wing powered bed spaceship from Leeds, UK, said: “I was over the moon when I found out that my design had been picked. I kept saying to my mum "Really?", “No, but really Mum?". I like to be eco-friendly and didn't want to use any electricity so I thought butterfly wings would be a good idea. I would love to travel to all the planets that no one has discovered yet and see if there is life there, and if they are just like us. I would really like them to try all my favourite snacks that I am bringing with me.”

All UPOs in their LEGO brick form can be viewed at the “Explore Space Your Way” exhibition at LEGO House in Billund, Denmark, until June 17. The LEGO House is the ultimate destination for celebrating everything beyond our world. The collaborative exhibition with the Technical University of Denmark at LEGO Square allows visitors to learn more about the infinite depths of space through wildly creative exhibits crafted entirely from LEGO bricks.

Reimagining the Constellations
While the constellations of our night sky have been set by astronomers in history, the LEGO Group also believes that Gen Alpha can bring a new creative lens to our view of the stars. Celebrating kids’ curiosity about the future of space, the LEGO Group is asking children to reimagine the night sky with their own Funstellations.

With a guardian’s help, children are invited to go to LEGO.com/Space to download a sky map and join the dots together to show what object or shape they can see in the stars – maybe it’s a cowboy riding a unicorn or a flying whale.

The LEGO Group will then work with the International Astronomical Union to recognise their formations as Funstellations – official reimaginations of our constellations – and update our vision of the night sky.

Debra Elmegreen, President of the International Astronomical Union, said: “We are excited to tap into the unbridled creativity of children through this collaboration by encouraging them to look up at the night sky and think about the stars. The next generation of scientists and space explorers will shape how we understand and interact with the Universe. With this project, we hope to give them a head start.”

Visit LEGO.com/Space to submit your Funstellation and explore space your way.