Help The Little Prince on his quest to 10,000 votes
Posted by Huw,
This LEGO Ideas project based on the bestselling book The Little Prince written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, submitted by Brickset member darthwalle, needs your help. It will be archived in just 20 days time unless it gathers 3709 more supporters before then.
The Little Prince is the third most translated book (after the Bible and Koran) and one of the best-selling books ever published.
The Ideas project proposes models of three key aspects of the book: the Breguet 14 biplane piloted by the narrator, the asteroid from which the prince falls to earth and a fox hole and apple tree where the prince first meets the fox.
The project has the support of the Saint-Exupery estate AND there's a Hollywood movie in the works, so it seems to tick all the right boxes.
You'll find photos of the models, and custom minifigures produced by minifigs.me, after the break.
Why did Colin propose this project? "The novel has been one of my favorites since I first read it in high school, and the highlight of my few semesters of French in college was reading it in the native language. I used some quotes from it for my college yearbook picture. I've read it to my older two children and now my youngest as well.
"I love the story for what it tells you about love and friendship, and as an AFOL (a grown-up who enjoys playing with what many deem to be a child's toy) I feel a special connection to it, which I emphasized with the first quote in the project description. I believe this would make a great LEGO set, even a theme (for example, the other asteroids that the little prince visits before his journey to Earth). Near the beginning of the story, the pilot/narrator draws his picture of a boa constrictor that has swallowed an elephant, something that he had drawn as a child and that the grown-ups had mistaken for a hat. He draws it again for the little prince, who immediately recognizes it for what it truly is.
"As an AFOL parent of a KFOL that resonates with me - thinking of the times when my own little prince made his own MOCs using whatever colors and parts he had on hand, and asked me what I think of his creations."
Breguet 14 biplane
This is the 'the plane most commonly associated with Saint-Exupery' says Colin. In the book, the narrator crashes the plane in the desert where he is then stranded and meets the prince, who's fallen to Earth in a tiny asteroid.
A minifigure of the narrator is provided to pilot it.
Asteroid B-612
Here's the prince's tiny asteroid, known as B-612. Colin says it's a modified Lowell Sphere.
Apple tree and fox hole
This 8x8 vignette represents the fox hole and apple tree where the prince first meets the fox.
The fox, which was introduced in the Elves sets, has been hand-painted by the Minifigs.me team to better represent a red fox.
Minifigs
Last but not least, these minifig representations of the prince have been custom made by minifigs.me.
The set would probably only include one, of course, so they've been made to provide a couple of ideas based on the clothing most associated with the character.
Here's everything together:
So, if you're a fan of the book, vote today and help make this a reality. If you've never read it, but want to help a fellow Bricksetter achieve his dreams, vote today.
Finally, if you have no interest in it at all, and couldn't care less about your peers, vote anyway!
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29 comments on this article
This was a classic childhood book of mine. Once I saw this on Ideas I just knew I had to support it since it brought back memories of reading the philosophical journey of le petit prince. I wish the best luck to this set for it would be amazing to see it in retail.
I've never 'eard of it either. But the biplane is very nice, so I supported it.
I don't know the book at all, but that biplane is lovely :-)
The Prince's green outfit might work better in sand green. Otherwise, it looks good. Those figs' faces are really creepy, though. Not LEGO-like at all. I like this one quite a lot!
me too , never heard of it
So, I've heard of it. I even read it. Seems to be a UK 'problem' :)
^
Yes, you're right, it's only your problem
Now I'm really concerned about lack of The Little Prince in UK schools. In Poland It's mandatory book to read in middle school, and i loved it! I voted for Little Prince in the bracket, too bad it was outvoted. It still has my vote on the Lego Ideas though :)
Not familiar with the book but sounds cool and I was convinced to support by this great write-up, best of luck to the creator!
I've not read the book, but I remember loving the animated adaptation of it when I was a kid.
Seems like maybe a snake should be included too...
I'm very surprised about how many people never even heard of this book. It is a very important childhood classic that is mandatory in many schools. It is a lovely book with a deeply touching story. I have read it and re-read it many times. And it's not just for kids. It was really written for adults who forgot about how to be curious, fresh and child-like. I highly recommend reading it. It's less than a hundred pages with really sweet artwork by the author himself. :)
You don't know this book? Really? After first few posts I was surprised. After next ones I'm terrified.
I can't believe how many people hasn't read this book. It needs to be a must-read in every school. You can read it 20 times and you would notice something you didn't notice the last time.
About the set, it's great! I loved it since I saw it. I really hope it gets the 10k supporters. If not, it would be great if darthwalle post or sell the instructions! I would bricklink it gladly as much as possible.
Thank you to Huw & Brickset for publishing this story! I am honored and amazed to have my project featured on Brickset, and wowed by the fantastic pictures! We've already had more than 100 votes this morning.
Obviously I'm hoping that everyone supports the project, but whether this is your "cup of tea" or not, I encourage you to check out all of the projects expiring in 20 days on LEGO Ideas. You can go to "most supported" and go down the list and support those you like that will expire soon: https://ideas.lego.com/discoversearch/f:state=Gathering%20Support/s:most_supported.
You can also sort by "expiring soon" and take a look at all of them: https://ideas.lego.com/discoversearch/f:state=Gathering%20Support/s:ending_soon.
@thehornedrat, @MrMonsieurGreen, @omnium, @bluemoose, @8BrickMario, @yuffie, @nudny, @jaitheartist, @theBrickBlogger, @Gustavo2809: Thank you for your support!
@pinioncorp: I love GlenBricker's bracket idea, and yes we lost - in the first and third rounds - to the same really cool Star Wars-themed spaceship project. But that Starfighter "Blue Vengeance" project has gotten more votes on the bracket than it has on the actual LEGO Ideas site - so, as GlenBricker has encouraged, please consider supporting it "for real" too (I have already done so): https://ideas.lego.com/projects/8042. We did beat out the original Golden Girls project in the bracket (not the one that just made it to 10K yesterday, but the earlier, very similar design that has nearly 6000 votes and also expires in 20 days): https://ideas.lego.com/projects/50814. I've supported that one (have to admit I got a kick out of that show), maybe you will too?
@8BrickMario: I love the work done by minifigs.me, and their customer service is terrific! Being faithful to the drawing in the book while putting it in minifigure form can be tricky - I'm not sure what TLG would do with the eyes if we make it, maybe they'd keep it that way, or maybe they'd just do smaller circles?
Supported! This is great. We recently bought a pop-up edition of the book for my daughter...it really is a timeless classic for both children and adults. Those who have not read it before please seek it out and do so.
I just supported and also tried to order the book on Amazon as I've never read it and I thought my (almost) four year old would like it. I just had to order it from Amazon UK though as all the reviews state that you MUST buy the version translated by Katherine Woods (that is now out of print and only available in "acceptable" quality on US Amazon).
I think one problem with the Ideas entry was the thumbnail pic did not show the complete set. I had no idea that it had a plane until I read this article. I have now supported this. I have also not read or even heard of this book. It seems to vary by country.
I second what theBrickBlogger wrote above -- my feelings exactly! I have two copies of the book: one in English and one in the original French. The book is timeless, and the author in league with Dr. Seuss, A.A. Milne, Lewis Carroll, J.R.R. Tolkien, Maurice Sendak, E.B. White, and J.K. Rowling.
I supported Colin's project both on Ideas and in the brackets, and hope he reaches 10,000 in time.
I haven't read the book (although I would like to if I can find a copy somewhere) but I have seen the CGI cartoon (which I really loved) and I love this project. Supported.
Okay, but this book is definitely on my must-read list. I read Chinese and English version several times. It really leads you to your long-forget ages hidden somewhere in your heart. Somehow people grows up and they forget about keeping curiosity, the appreciation of beauty that hidden in your life, the meaning of trust and friendship and fearless. This book will bring them to you and that's what little prince has taught me before returning to his heaven. The rose will be there and await. May everyone has his own rose cultivated in his very heart.
Wow! The "Brickset Effect" is really taking hold! Almost 300 votes today. One of the best parts of submitting this project is the interest it has stirred along the way from those who haven't heard of or read the book leaving comments on the project or on social media that they are going to check it out, and I'm very happy to see that here too. :-)
Honestly, growing up in Australia, I have never even heard of this book before in my life.
I really love this project! And up until now, I hadn't seen the fox vignette (which is very cool!) I am friends with it's creator, and I am really glad to see it get the 'brickset effect'. It is really helping out!
Just wanted to say thank you all for supporting Colin's project.
We think his builds are beautiful and we feel honoured to have helped him with the project. The ideas for the minifig and fox designs were Colin's, we just translated them into solid form. I think sticking to the original drawings captures the essence of the book nicely. Though our first iteration of the fox was a bit too creepy with out more detailing, based on how the new animation will look.
We wish Colin lots of luck with his project, it's been a pleasure to work with him.
Wiki says : "The novella is both the most-read and most-translated book in the French language, and was voted the best book of the 20th century in France. Translated into more than 250 languages and dialects (as well as braille), selling nearly two million copies annually with sales totalling over 140 million copies worldwide,it has become one of the best-selling books ever published"
It is not a niche, it is from a French writter, so our friends accross the pond just can't bother about it. While us Europeans have to endure lots of Lego adapations of US comics, US series, US movies etc etc.
Wow! We are all the way up to 6750 votes! Thank you to everyone on Brickset for the support!
Love the submission, the book and the film version with Gene Wilder. Great concept for a set. Faces, whilst faithful to the illustrations from the book, do look odd though in 3D. I wonder if it could run foul of lego ideas ban on the depiction of "warfare or war vehicles in any modern or present-day situation". Not sure what lego concider 'modern'. Hope it is old enough to slip through.
I like everything there, except for the minifigs (they're a little creepy). Great plane design, though!