As toy fads come and go, one company continues to design products that are simultaneously addicting, challenging and boatloads of fun for both kids and adults. We're talking, of course, about Lego.
Though Lego's tiny, interlocking bricks have provided hours of entertainment to millions of people since 1949, it's the minifigure, first released in 1978, that brought life to this childhood favorite.
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In honor of 35 years of Lego people, we consulted Lego Minifigure Year By Year: A Visual History to learn more about this iconic toy. Check out 15 fun facts we learned about the little inhabitants of Lego world.
It took three years and 51 prototypes before they arrived at what would become the modern-day minifigure.
This makes it easy for minifigures to fit inside LEGO structures.
The toy company randomly packaged these special edition minifigures in LEGO Star Wars toy sets.
NBA minifigures were also the first to be based on real people, including Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.
Mr. Gold is the only character to date who cannot be found in every box of Minifigure bags.
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Image: Flickr, Sunfox