Designer of the minifig passes away
Posted by Huw,
This is slightly old news but I think it's important to post it given Jens' contribution to our collective childhood and hobby. On Wednesday last week former Chief Designer at LEGO, and creator of the LEGO Minifigure, Jens Nygaard Knudsen, passed away, aged 78.
Thanks to Mark Stafford for the following eulogy:
I only met Jens twice, on both occasions he stuck me as full of energy and enthusiasm for LEGO and designing toys. For example, I took him to take a photograph in the LEGO Idea House and he noticed a classic-space model he had designed 30 years earlier was built wrong and just had to stop, get down on his knees and fix it! Jens was made Chief Designer after the success of the minifigure he designed and led the design team throughout the 1980’s and 90’s.
He designed the LEGO Minifigure, and had a hand in pretty much every LEGO theme between 1968 and 2000, including Classic Space -- he designed the entire first wave and most of the later models too -- as well as Blacktron, Aquanauts, Ice Planet, all the Classic themes, Castle,Trains, Pirates, Adventurers etc.
He leaves behind his loving wife, three children, two grandchildren and over eight billion little plastic people infused with childhood imaginations.
Millions upon millions of happy childhood memories are owed to this man. Thank you, Jens.
Please leave a comment, all of them will be forwarded to his family.
And, if you would like to do something in his memory: build a LEGO spaceship, he would have loved that. Hashtag it as #NygaardMemorialFleet and let's see what we end up with!
Jens hired my colleague Niels Milan Pedersen in the 1970’s and they worked together until Jens retired in 2000.
“It is with great sorrow and dismay that I must announce that an amazing man, the best colleague of many years, an unforgettable friend, the most loving husband, father, father in law and grandfather: Jens Nygaard Knudsen has passed away on 19th February 2020.
"Among all those who have worked for, built with, and generally known and loved LEGO over the years Jens should be known and remembered as one of the most important designers ever. He was the man who created the LEGO Minifigure, he was behind all the classic themes: Space, Pirates, Castle, Trains and countless more besides. He was a leader and an inspired builder.
"Few have ever had as much imagination and creative power as he and no one who has got to know, or simply met Jens will be able to forget his amazing lovely and positive personality. LEGO fans around the world they should know that perhaps the most important ever creator of the LEGO Universe is no more. Honour his memory. His equal no longer exists."
Jens Nygaard Knudsen, 25 Jan 1942 – 19 Feb 2020.
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85 comments on this article
Thank you Jens for bringing such joy to the world.
Someone who was known by a few (not including me) and had a huge impact of the lives of many.
Thank you for my life, as it turned out to be!
We'll all continue building Lego's in Valhalla
While I had never heard of him until now, he has more respect from me than most people, may he rest in peace
RIP and a huge thanks for all the wonderful moments of playing with your designs!
The LEGO Minifigure is the single defining object of my childhood. Countless hours were spent happily building and playing with figures from all sets and even into adulthood, they hold a very special place in my life; on my keys, on my desk and on my shelves.
His contribution to millions of childhoods was so precious and my thoughts are with his family.
He was the father of more people than anyone else on the planet.
Rip old man human fig
May you rest in peace, and thank you for the joy you have brought!
Wow I feel a bit speechless. The creator of the minifigure has surely had a bigger cultural contribution than other artists. I feel Jens deserves wider recognition.
It says a lot that the minifigure in all its forms is an enduring symbol of the company today, as much as the Lego brick.
It's unfortunate that we often fail to recognize when people like Jens Nygaard Knudsen have such a positive impact on our lives until it's too late to thank them in person. I hope his family can appreciate how much joy that Jens brought to people of all ages from multiple generations and accept my deepest gratitude on his behalf.
‘Genius’ is used far too glibly these days. But in Jens Nygaard Knudsen’s case it is truly deserved. His creativity brought happiness to many millions of children and adults, and will likely continue to do so for years to come. How many other people can claim that?
I literally collect a creation of this man. Thank you for your work. R.I.P.
My condolences go out to the family and friends of Jens Nygaard Knudson. He brought a lot of joy and fun into our world with his playful and creative nature.
What a Superstar. Thank you Jens.
Lego has helped me through tough times, giving myself and hundreds of other AFOLS, TFOLS and children joy. Lego would not be what it is now without the Lego minifigure, the most iconic and recognisable toy besides the Lego brick itself. My thanks go to Jens, the genius behind Lego, and best wishes to his family. X
Thank you Niels, for LEGO space, the defining toy of my childhood. Thank you for the minifigure and your many other contributions to the continuing inspiration that LEGO brings me. Rest in peace.
It’s very rare that someone’s work can reach hundreds of millions of people and last for generations. Condolences to the family and god bless.
R.I.P. Jens ,I often rescue minifigs that have fallen as kids play the life out of the gift of Jens ,and like those minifigs gone but not forgotten , condolences to His family
RIP Jens, and thanks - I almost certainly wouldn’t be an AFOL without you.
I knew he was the designer of the minifig, but that he had such an impact on everything Classic Space I had no idea. This was my favorite theme during my childhood and remains so to this day.
Like others have said, he was a genius, blessed with a gift that few people posess to such a degree.
Thank you for the joy you brought to me and entire generations of of kids around the world!
Rest in peace indeed, and my condolences to your family and friends.
Since I (apparently) own over 1800 of the things it's fair to say I owe this guy a lot! Thanks for creating such a design icon.
Jens Nygaard Knudsen, Thank you. Thank you for your contributions, your designs, and the light your brought to this work. You will be missed, but your work will live on forever.
Thank you Jens Nygaard Knudsen for all your work. I never knew of you until I read this but I now realise what a legacy you have left. My condolences to your friends and family who have lost a great man.
May you rest in peace.
Thank you so very much Mr Jens Nygaard Knudsen, for the moments of happiness during my childhood and the happiness that the minifigures still bring to my family today.
Will tell your story to my daughter when she gets older. She's already in love with Lego, with only 2 years old.
Your legacy will not be forgotten.
Warm feelings to his family.
R.I.P Jens Nygaard Knudsen
As I mentioned in another article, it's really sad that he died same day as the Minifigure series 20 was announced. But I guess it can be a good thing too, if you see the series as a tribute to him
Ok. Thank you for the new and informative article. I often think of the designers who are behind the set I build, love or just look at, but I had never really thought about such key roles in both Lego development and my own history and childhood. As a person borned in 1972, I can say that the day I saw for the first time the new/actual Lego minifig design quite impressed and excited me, as at that time I never had any others than the non articulated ones, made of slightly shaped legs and arms bricks plus of course a head. I still perfectly remember today that I could made those minifigs sit with binding the two body parts with a 1x2 plate. But when I got my first set (a Castle one I think) with those new minifigs... wow, as a kid it was such a wonderful moment, for a passion that eventually last till about 12/13 years old and that would catch me back as a grown adult. When I see such detailed and various minifigs as we own today, and that model and pattern which endures time and video games and more sophisticated toys, I can just once again thank so sincerely this man who definitely changed my life. I really like the anecdote of him seeing one of the set he designed decades ago with a misplaced part or wrong built and, just like a child or I would do, just kneeled on the floor to fix it. Thank you, and RIP JN Knudsen.
Edit: look at this marvellous blue and pink castle soldier minifig. Isn't that gorgeous?
RIP Jens Nygaard Knudsen for all the joy and the fact that thanks to you we are seeing more and more advanced techniques minifigures for the current themes, they wouldn't be here without you.
Remarkable achievements and how much of an impact they've had on my life. And to think his minifigures out populate humans is testament to the creation.
I would like to give to family of Jens Nygaard Knudsen.
Jens, thank you very much. You are a dad to my very best friends, that made my childhood so special. And happy childhood usually helps to have a happy life too. Now it is time I will introduce my kids as well to minifigs you brought to this world, so the happiness can continue further.
Such a simple and perfect invention that brought joy to many. Well done and rest in piece.
While I have never played with a single set he designed (2000s kid here), it is undeniable the influence he has had. LEGO minifigures are my favourite part about collecting LEGO. I still fondly remember the first LEGO set I got (a Ninjago Temple) and the endless hours of fun playing with Kai and facing off against the skeletons. Just a year ago, I received a box of vintage LEGO from my cousin and was shocked and delighted to find a pristine blue classic spaceman helmet along with dozens of the classic smile heads. Jens, I had never heard of you before but now you’re one of the people I respect and admire the most. May your legacy live on and continue bringing joy to the kids of today. I will forever be reminded of you whenever I pick up one of those classic smiley heads, of the joy you brought and still bring. You will live on in every minifigure I own and every minifigure that will ever produced.
RIP Mr Jens!
In all honesty, I had never heard of him until I came across this news.
However, he has, as you put it, made a tremendous contribution to pretty much my entire life.
The LEGO minifigure is truly an icon and the sets designed by him are absolute classics.
Thank you for everything, mister!
Love to his family,
Mitch
Spasibo ("Thanks" in Russian) mr. Jens Nygaard Knudsen for minifigure and - especially - classic themes like Space, Aquanauts and Adventurers!
The Lego world would have never been the same without him, RIP.
Lego flags around the world should be flying at half mast today. Rest well, play well.
Thank you for adding the most important feature to our favourite building blocks, the little men who make the LEGO universe so much more lively! May he rest in peace.
We cannot be thankful enough for his contribution to the happiness of millions of children and his unforgettable influence on what simply was a golden age for Lego.
Mange tak, Jens!
I'm going to take some time today and sit down to build a ship in his honour NygaardMemorialFleet
Thank you for all my childhood memories. May you Rest In Peace.
Rest In Peace
Rest in peace Jens Nygaard Knudsen. You'll never know how much joy you brought to my childhood that continues into my adult life. May your family take comfort in knowing the joy you help bring to millions.
Wow, though I’ve never heard His name before, he has had such an impact on my life. I wonder where Lego would be without Minifigures. I’m trying to think of lego without them and it’s really not great. LEGO has made some great innovations, but none as amazing as the Minifigure. I also love the fact that he remembered how a set he designed 30 years ago was put together well enough to fix it. I’m definitely going to make a spaceship now. Thanks for this article. R.I.P. Jens Nygaard Knudsen.
R.I.P. Jens and thank you for bringing the Lego universe to life with these little people you created. Though I have never heard of you until yesterday the impact you put on my life still exists. You impacted Lego to a maximum extent and opened a new door for Lego to become more and grow. And without you we might not have had the classic space theme and perhaps many more. Thank you more times than the human mind can count. I'd say you where the master of minifigures.
I hope you know you have left an impact on the childhoods of so many young builders. You will be missed Jens, R.I.P.
The LEGO minifigure is my favourite thing and has brought me a lifetime of joy. Thank you.
Thank you Jens for your creation. My childhood wouldn't be the same without you!
My family and I send our deepest condolences to the family of a man who has contributed in bringing happiness to our family gatherings even if we never made his acquaintance.
Thanks, Jens, for endless days of fun and role-playing your marvellous invention has elicited.
May you rest in peace.
Thoughts and prayers go out to his family in this time of loss.
For personal thoughts... What many have said already holds true for me, too: I quite probably would never have even become a LEGO fan were it not for Mr. Knudsen's work. I played with the bricks as a kid, sure; but without the minifigures, they would just have been another one of those childhood hobbies that I would have grown out of after a few years. But the minifigures, with all their storytelling potential, provided that hook to keep me invested in Lego as a whole for many, many years, even to the present.
To me it's the minifigures that bring the whole building system to life, it would be so much less without them; and I'm certain that will continue to be appreciated by many future generations of Lego fans, too.
Few men have affected the world in such a positive way. Thank you Jens, and my condolences to his family.
We never knew the designers by name, what a shame but he will now go in to my personal hall of heroes. Thank you Jens!
Minifigures have always been my favorite aspect of any LEGO set. Collecting them, customizing them, and sending them off on their own exciting adventures. Each one is bristling with personality and character other toys could only dream of. We lost a hero this week.
Thank you Mr. Jens for your fun creation.
It's important his family to know just how much joy, excitement and mental stimulation he brought to the generation(s) who grew up with his designs. For someone who grew up in the 80s/90s, it brought a tear to my eye to learn that one man had such a big hand in my childhood development. Condolences to his family - but they should be very proud of his life - as I'm sure they are.
RIP Jens!
This man is a hero. May he be remembered for all time!
What would we do without the LEGO minifigure ? It wouldn't be LEGO without 'em. RIP.
It would be nice if Lego made a minifig of him in his honour
Thank you for your wonderful contribution to my childhood that continues to give me joy as an adult!
Thank you so much Jens, for making my childhood so perfect, full of joy and good memories. It would’nt be the same without your minifigures and memorable themes. You will not be forgotten. <3
In their sadness I hope Jens' family will find some comfort in knowing he left the world such an enduring and joyful legacy.
@AustinPowers: If you want to know more about his work on LEGO Space, here's a link to the interview Mark Stafford conducted with Jens and his long-time colleague Niels Milan Pedersen for BrickJournal: https://speculativeidentities.com/public/assets/research/space/The-Truth-About-Space.pdf
I love reading about the work that LEGO designers do behind the scenes to make the sets that I've loved so much in my own lifetime, but articles and interviews like this that go into the earlier history of LEGO are perhaps even more fascinating, since they give some context to how LEGO got to where they are today!
After all, it's not too difficult to draw connections between the fantastical, futuristic vehicles and brightly-colored, logo-emblazoned uniforms in Classic Space paved the way for the creative approach we've seen in more recent themes like Ninjago! To say nothing of how instrumental the minifigure was in turning LEGO from merely a building block into a tool for creative storytelling and world-building!
He was definitely a remarkably creative and charming fellow, and it's a shame I never got to meet him — although I suspect that he might not have had quite as much to talk about with a young upstart like me as he did with builders and designers like Mark who grew up playing with some of his most iconic sets! He lived a long and accomplished life, and I wish his family the best as they mourn his passing.
RIP Jens. Thanks for making my childhood.
Thank you Jens for the golden age of Lego and for my childhood memories building and playing with the wonderful sets. RIP.
Certainly an unsung hero, even in the AFOL world. RIP Jens, and thank you for everything.
Has anyone built a minifig of him? I think that would be a fitting tribute to this great man
RIP Jens, my condolences to his family, he will never be forgotten.
I would like to think that if Shakespeare was alive today he would say instead in Jens case "The good that men do lives after them".
May he rest in peace and my condolences to his family.
Rest in peace
If not for this great man, his creation of the minifigure and development of the LEGO space theme, I would not have had such a strong interest to continue building with LEGO as a child. Thank you Jens Nygaard Knudsen for enabling me with that fond formative experience!
Its impossible to describe the sheer size of the effect of the Minifig on my life. I currently own over 7000 of the little guys. Jens was definitely on my too meet list and its a shame i may never will. My thoughts are with his family.
Lego wouldn't be Lego without him.
My childhood play revolved around Lego Space. (Born 1970) I would vote for a minifig based on Jens Nygaard Knudsen in the next wave of collectible minifigs. Maybe it's already been done?
Sad day, may he rests in peace...
Thank you for wonderful childhood!
Rest in peace
Mr. Jens' impact cannot be overstated. Though I never knew him, his creation has shaped my childhood in more ways than I can count. Some of the best memories I have of my childhood are playing with the little guys, and I cannot imagine where I would be today without them. Because of this, Jens is indirectly one of the most influential men of my life.
I'm sure all LEGO fans around the world salute him and his work as one of the biggest parts of their childhood. We cannot imagine a world without him.
His creation of the minifigure has become the figurehead of the LEGO brand, and without him the company as well as the lives of millions of children would not be the same. Though Jens will be missed, his legacy will live on for years to come.
Rest in peace, Jens.
Realizing what he created, what his legacy is, that he brought so much joy to the world and made so many children all over the world happy. Truly a remarkable man.
Kids will still play with his inventions and creations for many years to come. His toys will always be alive.
Thanks for that small figure that ignited hours of adventures and took my imagination to explore space, conquer castles and sail the Caribbean seas. Strange how Jens is the play uncle I didn't knew I had, but still somehow was there.
As a kid I had only a few sets but I loved my minifigs to death! Even now when I visit home I look at my old bin and see the now well-worn figs and parts I smile. Smile even wider still because my nephews now use those same parts for play. They keep bringing smiles in my family and hopefully for generations still to come. While this man's body may have passed, his creations ensure his spirit is truly immortal. Thank you for so many happy childhood memories.
I heard the number of minifigures would eclipse the world population in 2019 but never saw a confirmation of the event. That alone states what an influence Jens was on the world.
I simply can't imagine my early childhood without Captain Redbeard, Majisto and the Blacktrons. There was so much I learned and so much inspiration in his works and everything that was based on it.
Thank you Jens for all those memories.
Just adding my voice to the many thanking Jens Nygaard Knudsen for his wonderful creativity and the gift that is the LEGO minifigure - I and my 2500+ little pals are eternally grateful. And I also echo the comments above ... come on TLG, Jens deserves a commemorative minifigure of his own.
RIP ):
My condolences to his family, he's given the world and kids everywhere some great tools to build and develop their imagination. Thank you.