Daniel August Krentz (1937 - 2016)
Posted by CapnRex101,
We are sorry to report that Daniel August Krentz, a well known designer who worked for The LEGO Group from the mid-1970s until 2000, has passed away. Daniel will be known to many of you as the designer of such classic LEGO sets as 375 Castle and 6276 Eldorado Fortress, among many others.
You can read more about Daniel's life and his brilliant work after the break, courtesy of current LEGO designer Mark Stafford (Nabii).
Update: we've updated the article with spreads from Bricks magazine of an interview with Daniel that was published last year, written by Brickset user L@go.
Daniel was born in Colorado in 1937 and first came into contact with LEGO bricks while at university, creating impressive models which caught the attention of Samsonite, the US distributor of LEGO products at the time. His fantastic creations were used as display models by Samsonite and he was subsequently employed by The LEGO Group as a set designer in Billund.
This was the first instance of an AFOL becoming a set designer and Daniel was also the first to be hired from overseas. He worked for the company from the mid-1970s until 2000 and designed many of the best known sets from the period, including all of the following:
- 375 Castle
- 6067 Guarded Inn
- 6073 Knight's Castle
- 6074 Black Falcon's Fortress
- 6078 Royal Drawbridge
- 6081 King's Mountain Fortress
- 6267 Lagoon Lock-up
- 6276 Eldorado Fortress
Daniel found love in Denmark and continued to live in Billund following his retirement. LEGO remained a significant part of his life and his work has made an enormous contribution to The LEGO Group as well as its fans.
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39 comments on this article
Sorry to hear that, may he Rest In Peace.
The yellow castle series were some of the first sets I purchased for my oldest daughter. Still have them. Sad to hear of Daniel's passing.
6276 was one of the best sets ever and I have MANY MANY fond memories and experiences to credit to that set. I'm thankful to Mr Krentz for its design and the joy it brought me... and my boys who still play with it today. His accomplishments will be honored in my family for a long time.
6276 and its re-release were sets I regret not picking up. What a life story and a good tribute to this man!
Someone should make a bricklist of the sets that he designed...
Thank you Mr. Krentz, for so many wonderful childhood memories! He designed some of my favorite Lego sets of all time. No wonder the Castle theme was so great for that long period of 1980 - 2000! He worked at a job he loved, making the world, and the Lego community, a brighter place. God bless the Krentz family, and please share our sympathies for their loss.
Exegi monumentum aere perennius
6067 Guarded Inn made my childhood...
May his soul rest in peace.
so sorry to hear that
6067 Guarded Inn and 6074 Black Falcon's Fortress were my favorite toys of my childhood. I still got them. I remember how expensive they were and how my parents made me choose which one they would buy and since I couldn't decide I helped at my neighbors around their gardens to earn the money for the cheaper one myself so i could have both. Lego sets were a rare commodity in back then socialist Yugoslavia and we had to go to Austria to buy them and of course since those were imported goods there were customs to be paid so this sets really costed a fortune. Thank you again and rest in peace.
RIP
Sorry to hear that, The Yellow Castle was my first big Lego set and still my favourite.
damn.... :'( Rest in Peace brother. Always be one of the greatest names in LEGO.
RIP
Let's hope more great designs come from the designers of today
@Transneonorangespacemen
Made one as soon as a read your post
Surprised no one else has
Black Falcon's Fortress was the highlight of my childhood collection. Many thanks, Mr. Krentz.
A tribute:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ayliffemakit/27734010795/in/dateposted-public/
Mr. Krentz designed one of my favorite sets of all time, 6276 Eldorado Fortress. I wanted that set so much as a kid, and still don't own it. One of the best of the Pirates line. And what a great contributor to LEGO Castle! 6067 Guarded Inn and 6074 Black Falcon's Fortress are such classic and brilliant sets. Rest in peace, Mr. Krentz.
That short list included many of my favourite sets. Here's a man that helped create my life, yet I've never heard of him until he died. It's sad. May he rest in peace.
Guarded Inn has to go down as one of the best LEGO sets of all time. Classic it is but does not cover it. Legendary more like. That era of Classic Castle was a golden time that brought me great happiness when I sometimes I needed it the most. I salute your sir and hope where ever you have gone to next has plenty of bricks.
Rest in pieces
R.I.P, may he become part of the great Legoland in the sky.
The sets he designed gave me such joy in my childhood - now they're giving me even more happiness as I see my daughter play with them, being inspired to build her own stories and worlds just as I was 30 years ago. Many thanks twice over Mr Krentz.
R.I.P. Many hours spent with 6073 Kings Castle. I will echo the comments of others that many of us have loved and played with sets that were designed by different designers, but it is not until something like this that we discover who designed the sets. Bricklists are better than nothing, but the set designer should be listed on the Brickset entry.
;(
I am tearing up, so sad. :(
Daniel August Krentz may not have been a household name, but he inspired generations of people through his work. I was born in 1989, too late for some of the classics listed (though I'm sure I had some of his many other ones not listed here), but I remember discovering Lego websites in the early days of the Internet and being in awe at some of the sets that had come out before my birth. Many of the ones I was particularly stunned by turned out to be by Mr. Krentz.
When the Guarded Inn was re-released, I grabbed it as soon as I could. I was 12, and I was falling in love with Bionicle--but the Guarded Inn gave me countless hours of play. I went to Legoland that summer, and I remember being disappointed when they didn't have it in stock yet. When I got the re-released Black Falcon's Fortress, it was like another dream come true.
I still remember reading the Lego Adventure Book as an AFOL and being in awe of his contributions--both because I knew he was a legend, and because his creations seemed to capture something of the heart, the spirit of Lego.
I was saddened to hear of his passing today, but few people get to leave such a legacy as Mr. Krentz. He was an inspiration, and I plan to do more building in his honor. My condolences go to his family and friends. They must miss him terribly--but I hope it brings them some comfort to know that part of him lives on in the imaginations of thousands upon thousands of people.
Thanks for sharing that interview article. Mr Krentz brought a lot of joy to a lot of people through his work, including me as a child. Few people do that. Thanks for the memories.
Wow! What a pioneer....the first American to work for LEGO in BIllund as well. Many of my son's first sets were Krantz designs, so we have fond memories of his work. And what a great loss to the world and his family.
Such sad news. :(
6276-1: Eldorado Fortress was one of my favourite sets as a child. I spent countless hours playing with that set and using 6285: Black Seas Barracuda to destroy it, then re-build it over and over and over again - I never got bored. The fun I had with those 2 sets was immeasurable, so it is with great sadness that I read of the death of Mr Krentz.
Sadly, I foolishly gave all my childhood Lego away as a stroppy teenager. I wish so badly now that I didn't do that, and losing those 2 sets is the primary reason. I may have to re-purchase Eldorado Fortress now in honour of the truly great designer responsible for it. RIP Daniel August Krentz.
Damn may he R.I.P
Rest in peace with Lego pieces.
RIP: A legend :'(
When a I came out of my dark age in 2008 all these listed sets were among the first I re-purchased as an adult.I hope Lego preserves his house full of original models so others can enjoy and remember him for years to come.Rest in peace Daniel
Rest in peace, Master!
Is there a link to the Brisk magazine article - it's too small to read here?
Click the pictures to get larger versions. The click them again when you get to Flickr to get even larger ones.
Thank you Daniel and RIP. You obviously helped bring lots of enjoyment to Lego fans for many many years. I hope you're enjoying an unlimited supply of Legos in the afterlife.
Wow... some of the really heavy castle and pirate sets came from a fellow American... I never guessed. He seems to be the catalyst for the golden age of castle. He makes me very proud and happy. I hope he was able to realize just how many people's lives he touched. Rest peacefully.