LEGO Studies: Examining the Building Blocks of a Transmedial PhenomenonMark J.P. Wolf Since the "Automatic Binding Bricks" that LEGO produced in 1949, and the LEGO "System of Play" that began with the release of Town Plan No. 1 (1955), LEGO bricks have gone on to become a global phenomenon, and the favorite building toy of children, as well as many an AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO). LEGO has also become a medium into which a wide number of media franchises, including Star Wars, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, Batman, Superman, Lord of the Rings, and others, have adapted their characters, vehicles, props, and settings. The LEGO Group itself has become a multimedia empire, including LEGO books, movies, television shows, video games, board games, comic books, theme parks, magazines, and even MMORPGs. LEGO Studies: Examining the Building Blocks of a Transmedial Phenomenon is the first collection to examine LEGO as both a medium into which other franchises can be adapted and a transmedial franchise of its own. Although each essay looks at a particular aspect of the LEGO phenomenon, topics such as adaptation, representation, paratexts, franchises, and interactivity intersect throughout these essays, proposing that the study of LEGO as a medium and a media empire is a rich vein barely touched upon in Media Studies. |
Contents
1 The Cultural History of LEGO | 1 |
The Case of LEGO Set 10188 | 15 |
3 Middleearth and LEGO Recreation | 40 |
How LEGO Transmedia Configures and Remixes Mythic Structures in the Ninjago and Chima Themes | 55 |
Building Creativity Across Industrial Design Cultures and Gendered Construction Play | 81 |
Digital Abstraction as Franchise Strategy in Travellers Tales LEGO Games | 105 |
LEGO Star Wars The Video Game and the Transgenerational Appeal of the LEGO Video Game Franchise | 118 |
Modularity and Programmability in MINDSTORMS and Gaming | 153 |
10 The LEGO System as a Tool for Thinking Creativity and Changing the World | 189 |
The Imperfect Art Tool | 206 |
12 LEGO Art Engages People | 216 |
13 The Virtualization of LEGO | 227 |
On the Impossibility of Studying LEGO | 241 |
DIY DisciplinarityDisAssembling LEGO Studies for the Academy | 268 |
Resource Guide for LEGO Scholarship | 275 |
289 | |
Other editions - View all
LEGO Studies: Examining the Building Blocks of a Transmedial Phenomenon Mark J.P. Wolf Limited preview - 2014 |
LEGO Studies: Examining the Building Blocks of a Transmedial Phenomenon Mark J. P. Wolf No preview available - 2014 |
LEGO Studies: Examining the Building Blocks of a Transmedial Phenomenon Mark J. P. Wolf No preview available - 2014 |