IKEA announces collaboration with LEGO
Posted by CapnRex101,
IKEA has announced that it will be joining forces with LEGO to enable greater play and creativity. Details of this collaboration have yet to be fully revealed but a press release has been provided which gives the impression that it will involve the creation of LEGO-compatible furniture.
The press release, which continues after the break, reads as follows:
'We know that play is an important part of life and we believe in the power of play. Play lets us be creative, explore, experiment, dream and discover. IKEA and the LEGO Group, join forces to encourage more play.
'Play is key to develop. And it is an essential part of a better everyday life. Play is so many different things, for so many different people. In the everyday life there are different barriers for play. Some of the barriers are more evident for grown-ups. One being that grown-ups think that playing can be messy. Other barriers are more evident to children – like grown-ups trying to create order in the play environment, where children in fact enjoy and often immerse themselves in the midst of it all.
'“It started with an invitation from the LEGO Group “Do you want to play?”. Of course we said yes to this and together we now want to enable more play by triggering play in the functionality of the everyday life. At IKEA we first and foremost want to resolve this built in or maybe just perceived conflict that play is messy in a creative, humanistic and playful way. Because we believe more play makes the home and the world a better place”, says Fredrika Inger, Business Area Manager for Children’s IKEA, at IKEA of Sweden.
'In the IKEA Play Report, IKEA asked children what they want and 47% of them said that they want more playtime with their parent. At the same time 90% of the asked parents believe play is essential to wellbeing and happiness, building on to the belief that play is important. In an upcoming study on play made by the LEGO Group, 95% of parents responded that play is fundamental to their child’s development and that playing with LEGO bricks helps their children to be creative. Then why don’t we play more? The collaboration aims to increase the opportunity for playing more. First out is to try to make the whole home a better functioning and more fun place.
'“In the LEGO Group our mission has always been to inspire and develop children through play, and there’s an exciting and fun challenge in finding a solution that can encourage more creative LEGO play while at the same time pleasing parent’s interest in household look and feel to enable children and their parents to play together. We know that creativity is a critical skill needed for the future, but we also know that tinkering, experimenting, being creative and trying out new things can be messy. In our collaboration with IKEA we therefore wish to deal with the challenge that some parents might have with the - wonderful - mess that play creates”, says Lena Dixen, Senior Vice President, Product Development at the LEGO Group.
'“Bringing people together over play and enable more play are things that are key for both us and the LEGO Group based on our respective visions, missions and values. That is why we want to explore what can happen when we work together, trying to get more of the many people to say yes to play”, says Fredrika Inger, Business Area Manager for Children’s IKEA, at IKEA of Sweden.
'In the next couple of years the first outcome of the collaboration will reach customers in IKEA stores.'
What do you think this collaboration might entail? Let us know in the comments.
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52 comments on this article
Wow. After years of FOLs buying IKEA stuff to store our bricks, LEGO decides to partner with them. I for one hope for new building tables, if only just for the massive baseplates.
Yeah, they mention mess, order, etc. So it'll be obviously unique new designs for Lego storage, tables, and maybe even exclusive sets only sold at Ikea?
Storage solutions would be the dream end result. They are notoriously difficult and expensive to come by, especially in the UK, so anything new can only be a good thing.
I demand Lego furniture! I want my next bedstand to be made out of bricks! The ultimate build experience!! ;)
http://www.brickbuilderspro.com/home-furniture-store-pdf-instructions/
I dream of something about displaying, not only storaging!
I thought this already existed. I've seen a table in the dentist waiting room with four colored LEGO baseplates.
Detolf equivalent with baseplates on each shelf please...and a horizontal version for wider displays...
I am all for this, bring it.
I can see tables with built-in sunken base-plates, with folding or sliding covers to hide away loose bricks or small lego creations, maybe printed landscapes roadways and rivers, on surfaces with lego studs in places, to attach buildings, bridges and figs.
Lego shaped furniture is also a probability.
Larger versions of Lego minifig storage cases and many other things.
Nice. I already buy all my furniture from them...
I can only hope IKEA won't be price things as expensive as Lego would. Lego board for 12$ isn't bad but imagine a table.
Ikea furniture that you clip together, rather than have to use an allen key.
Haven't got enough chairs for a party? Simple - undo the coffee table and build a new chair!
Cool!
The press release is a good example of corporate gobbledegook. I've got no idea what its trying to tell me!
I went into an IKEA once. I recall it was too large and confusing.
Interesting development nonetheless.
Just had an IKEA order delivered for four shelving units of modular IVAR to help get all the overflow of boxed sets off the floors. Amazing how much space can be saved by stacking vertically to the ceiling, and without risk of crushing boxes. Now I'll have plenty of floor space to spread out and play (or what we AFOLs call building)!
Personally, I am no fan of IKEA or their products. Iffy labor practices in the past and some other unsavory points make me spend my money elsewhere. While it seems like a natural fit for the two brands I will steer clear of any IKEA-LEGO branded items.
Yay! But NO. Lego are going to do...
Lego Walmart, Target and most importantly...
Lego Costa!! :):):)
Most ambitious crossover event since Avengers: Infinity War.
Perfect pairing. They're so similar. One company sells cardboard boxes full of loose pieces with printed instructions showing you how to make something out of them. The other company sells LEGO.
I'm really looking forward to see what comes out of this. Would be cool to see LEGO compatible furniture and storage solutions specifically designed for LEGO.
Also an IKEA play set from LEGO would be really nice!
Display cabinets for brickheadz!
The tone and content of the article seems to hint at Lego and Ikea co-branded storage and play solutions. However, Lego modular furniture would be cool. There's already Mecanno modular furniture, but it's really expensive.
Hopefully, there will be a couple Ikea themed sets from this--like a truck and store.
I'm just hoping they use the LEGO style instructions for the furniture.
I am looking forward to IKEA double-decker couch!
I love lego and i love Ikea... They both produce Amazing hotdogs, lol..
Lego just need to make the meatballs and that chocolate Almond cheesecake too..
I worked at the Ashton under lyne store (UK) back in 2007..
Their aim seems to be more kid-parent playtime. So I don’t expect afol display furniture etc. Maybe something like a dining table that claps open and ‘tada’ lego baseplates and brick storage. Curious for the results. Not an Ikea-fan though...
@_@
Architecture Ikea set!
Now even more of a reason to visit IKEA.
A giant dining room table with a a baseplate the size of it glued on. :)
Perhaps some sample furniture has already been displayed at the event LEGO held in NYC recently with the fall sets?
Also, I have always wanted to see 2x2 and 2x4 and 4x4 tile tops for the storage drawer and LEGO storage bricks already made by ROOM Copenhagen. I always thought that would be a great way to turn LEGO modular storage into play tables.
Self-assembly furniture company teams up with self-assembly toys company... pictures at eleven!
The cynic in me thinks it's more to do with Ikea plundering the talent at Lego, to make their instructions intelligable! ;o)
I personally think that if they made a shelving system with LEGO studs on the top and maybe even on the bottom it would sell extremely well.
Looking forward to the future plans that they have in store for us!!
This collaboration seems to me one of the better synergy thus far! I have been using Ikea furniture for Lego storage. Kids wish that the studded plates be glued onto the furniture. For play, for storage, for organize. Perfect!
However in terms of sales channel, I hope not to see Lego sets being sold at Ikea stores, or vice versa (if that is even possible!). Ha :)
Does this mean my sets are now going to have Brick Separators AND Allen Wrenches? Two sets of instructions, one by Lego the other by Ikea (yet, they look the same...:))
Just yankin' a leg, but it kinda' sucks that neither a Lego store nor Ikea is not likely in my in the near, far, or even alternate future. Ikea believes the Okanagan Valley, even including Kamloops; isn't a large enough population to warrant a store (people have been trying for decades), and I suspect LUG views as the same way. Maybe if Kelowna adds a 'Mastermind Toys', along w/the TRU that's already there...
When I heard this I thought they were going to make a modular building of ikea. Not a regular size but minifig scale with 4 stories. It would be nice though if they made one with small furniture in it a cafe rafters kids section and a ikea 18-wheeler and the iconic ikea sign. I know this will never happen but I wish it would
Very good! Reasonably priced storage please! And by storage, I mean at least 2 different things: (1) traditional storage of bricks in drawers, compartments, dividers, shallow boxes, etc., and (2) something akin to "project-in-progress" storage...perhaps a structure that could accommodate trays with projects of varying heights on them?
Beyond that, yes, more kid focused furniture would be awesome too. Most of the items like this I have seen to date I have been less than impressed with when I actually see the item in person. Hopefully this collaboration will result in something better!
Man, I am so tired of building all my furniture from little bricks. Maybe now I'll stop waking up with thousands of little circular impressions in my back.
This is great news! I can only hope for IKEA Furniture that looks like LEGO or stuff designed to hold LEGO, or even LEGO sets with models of IKEA furniture to realistically fill our LEGO houses. This is going to be so good for both companies. I can't wait to see what comes out of this. What ever it is, they have my money.
Going there next Friday I’ll see if there is anything new!
As @patrizio84 and others have pointed out, it will likely be kids' furniture, not storage of LEGO aimed at AFOLs, which would be a shame. Like many AFOLs, I already use IKEA shelf units for most of my display collection and would appreciate purpose-designed IKEA furniture. It's understandable though if IKEA don't see AFOLs as a sufficiently large segment to warrant its own furniture.
Would be some move if they're gonna re-release these:
https://brickset.com/sets/theme-homemaker
A couple of years to see what will come of this? Going to be a long wait...
I agree with Lee Fogel, mixed feelings about IKEA business practices. Read 'Flat-pack accounting' @economist.com.
A rather militant employee at the local IKEA escorted me off the showroom floor because they mistakenly thought the store wasn't open yet. But I had just deftly mastered their shortcuts. So, I was being led out of the store, while others were walking in, but nobody was going to convince this IKEA employee with anger/authority issues otherwise. That experience pretty much killed my enthusiasm for IKEA.
Maybe LEGO and IKEA are just planning a play area for kids, along with LEGO products for sale, at the stores?
I don't think it's going to be anything that an AFOL is hoping for. At least not the first line of products that are going to be released.
Well LEGO instructions have prepared us for IKEA instructions. They are pretty similar.
i hope we will get Lego size bookcases say 3 or 4 lego baseplates long.
Coffee table to display the new Falcon :D please!!!!
I'm predicting a UCS Billy Bookcase.