LEGO Bricks, Not Blocks

LEGO bricks have been a childhood play staple since the late 1950's, but even today LEGO bricks are often incorrectly referred to as LEGO "blocks" by LEGO laymen. LEGO toys were originally termed "bricks" in order to distinguish the new LEGO system from more pedestrian and mundane wooden blocks that did not have LEGO's interlocking feature. Since bricks in real life are joined together via mortar, the new LEGO toys were originally called "bricks" since they corresponded to the way in which real bricks could be used to make structures. Although brick mortar is permanent and the LEGO interlocking system is semi-permanent, LEGO pieces are still better termed "bricks" over "blocks" due to the way in which LEGO bricks can stay attached to one another while traditional blocks can only be piled one atop the other in a tenuous fashion.

Although LEGO pieces are still incorrectly referred to by parents and non-connoisseurs alike, the true LEGO connoisseur knows that the only proper way to refer to LEGO pieces is by calling them "LEGO bricks" instead of LEGO blocks. The true LEGO connoisseur would never stoop to playing with blocks, but the activity of creating a masterpiece from LEGO bricks is a genuine artistic talent. This underscores the point that LEGO bricks are not merely a toy, but are rather a system for enhancing creativity in even a civilized and adult fashion. In fact, the popularity of such new LEGO products such as LEGO Star Wars and Lego Indiana Jones, which are clearly designed for the adult consumer, illustrates the point that LEGO bricks are a dignified and grown-up toy as much as they are a toy for children.

The implication is that the people who refer to LEGO bricks as mere blocks would never be caught "playing" with LEGO bricks in the first place; they have forgotten the simple pleasure of turning a piece of their imaginations into a concrete form of physical reality. LEGO bricks have this unique ability to transform an item of pure imagination into an item within the physical world like no mere blocks could ever do.

LEGO bricks have retained their popularity across generations and across decades for this reason alone. It is true that LEGO bricks are available in more specialized shapes and varieties than they once were. But LEGO bricks have retained their interlocking feature across these decades and specialization. As such, LEGO bricks are still the most universal building system for kids and adults alike who know the true value of genuine play. Indeed, LEGO is truly a system of "bricks" and are the keystone, or rather the "key brick" of the imagination.