LEGO House Wooden Duck: official images
Posted by Huw,
40501 The Wooden Duck, the latest set available exclusively at the LEGO House in Billund, has just been officially revealed at a press conference in Billund. Here's the press release:
An iconic piece of LEGO building heritage is now available in Billund, Denmark. Ever since the opening of LEGO House in 2017 creating exclusive products has been important as they add significantly to the experience of visiting LEGO House - the pinnacle LEGO experience.
LEGO House is now introducing a new series called: The LEGO House Limited Editions. The Wooden Duck (40501) is the first in this exclusive range of collectable products celebrating key moments in LEGO history.
The original wooden duck is one of the most iconic features in the LEGO history and you can find the wooden duck replicated in LEGO bricks many places throughout LEGO House – in the Tree of Creativity in World Explorer and even in the Red Zone.
The first three exclusive products were the LEGO House Architecture set, the Tree of Creativity and the LEGO House dinosaurs.
The story behind the LEGO duck
More than 100 years ago, 24-year-old Master Carpenter Ole Kirk Kristiansen buys a wood workshop in the tiny town of Billund, Denmark. From the very first toys coming out of Ole Kirk’s workshop, the dedication to quality and functionality is obvious. The design and the carving, sanding, and painting of each piece of toy is done to perfection because Ole Kirk is convinced that children deserve toys of high quality, made of the finest materials, so that they will last for many years of play.
In an interview from 1982, Ole Kirk’s son, Godtfred Kirk, shares the following story about his father’s focus on quality:
Working in his father’s workshop as a boy, Godtfred Kirk is laying the finishing touches on a consignment of wooden LEGO ducks. This means applying coats of varnish, and finally bringing the boxes with the finished toy ducks to the train station for dispatch. Back at the workshop, Godtfred proudly announces to his father that he has done something really clever and saved the company money.
“How did you manage that?” asks Ole Kirk.
“I gave the ducks just two coats of varnish, not three as we usually do,” is Godtfred Kirk’s answer.
Back comes his father’s prompt response:
“You will immediately fetch those ducks back, give them the last coat of varnish, pack them and return them to the station! And you will do it on your own – even if it takes you all night!”
“That taught me a lesson about quality,”
Godtfred Kirk recalls and continues to explain how he then carved out wooden signs with his father’s motto “Only the best is good enough” to hang on the walls of the workshop to remind himself and the rest of the employees never to compromise on the quality of a LEGO product.
Throughout his life, Godtfred Kirk remembers his father’s words and to this day, “Only the best is good enough” – because children deserve the best.
Duck Facts:
- Between 1932 and 1947, the LEGO company solely produced wooden toys.
- From 1947 onwards, the LEGO company produced both wooden and plastic toys before switching solely to plastic in 1960.
- The wooden duck went on the drawing board in 1935 and was produced until 1960.
- The duck was designed by LEGO founder Ole Kirk Kristiansen.
- Through the years, the wooden duck has been produced in various sizes and shapes.
- The most popular duck was the same type as the one in the exclusive LEGO House set: It has a moving beak which opens and closes when the duck is pulled back and forth.
Facts about The Wooden Duck:
- The Wooden Duck recreates an iconic moment from LEGO history. This display model perfectly captures the handmade style of the original.
- The 621-piece model measures over 8” (20cm) high, 7” (22cm) long and 1” (3cm) wide and stands on a base measuring over 5” (13cm) square.?
- Base comprises printed tiles with the words?‘ LEGO House' and ‘The wooden duck’.
- Ideal for fans of LEGO building and collectors of toy memorabilia. Suitable for ages 10 and up.
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43 comments on this article
Why just limited to the Lego House, this just drives the price up for those seeking it. Surly the profits would be better off in the pockets of the lego group
@meccanotwitch said:
"Why just limited to the Lego House, this just drives the price up for those seeking it. Surly the profits would be better off in the pockets of the lego group"
The theory is that you'll want to go to The LEGO House to get the duck but also go around the House and spend money on food and the like
@Slobrojoe said:
"The theory is that you'll want to go to The LEGO House to get the duck but also go around the House and spend money on food and the like"
As if.
The sad thing is to think if Ole Kirk saw how The LEGO Company of today cuts costs on all corners even if it means shoddy quality as a result.
He would be appalled.
Apparently its ready-built. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of a Lego set?
@meccanotwitch said:
"Why just limited to the Lego House, this just drives the price up for those seeking it. Surly the profits would be better off in the pockets of the lego group"
If someone really wants the set and not just a boxed version to sit in their store room accumulating value, then I'm sure they could Bricklink the parts for a fraction of what an official one will end up costing on the secondary market. Has anyone done a parts analysis on how common/rare the parts are?
Ready-built. That means glued. To me, that's one of the biggest LEGO sins. Since they already have the wooden minifig, it has me wondering why didn't they just have a wooden replica of the original made up? I would have bought that, as admittedly, I like handmade wooden toys, though I don't buy them that often.
But, I'm gonna see what parts it has, and if I can Bricklink it. The mechanism that moves the beak should be quite fun to build. I'm doing that with the Ferguson that was the Inside Tour set a few years back, which arguably, is the best non-Technic tractor LEGO has ever doone.
The LEGO Wooden Minifigure released last year didn't get the most positive response from everyone. Would the rerelease of the Wooden Duck have been a better choice? Can we expect a 100th anniversary edition in 2035?
It looks great but the words "ready built" sound awful when applied to Lego
Pre-assembled???? https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/855/340/23b.jpg
@Slobrojoe said:
" @meccanotwitch said:
"Why just limited to the Lego House, this just drives the price up for those seeking it. Surly the profits would be better off in the pockets of the lego group"
The theory is that you'll want to go to The LEGO House to get the duck but also go around the House and spend money on food and the like"
I want to go to the Lego House regardless lol
Maybe wait for a clarification before freaking out? We do know there are instructions, so it can't be glued, at the very least.
I'm actually very excited for the "Limited Editions", I wonder what's next!
Sorry, exsqueeze me, does double take... 'ready-built'
Seriously WTF... so at best case if I want to build it I have to dissemble it first and don't get to pop numbered bags, at worst case it's glued (highly unlikely). If the former unless it's packed in a supporting surround bits will be all over the place in the box, if the latter I refer you back to my expletive.
Whomever thought that was a strategic direction of travel needs some serious help, it's a contradiction in philosophy ... I could perhaps understand if it aimed at little kids who may want instant gratification and play with it as a toy out of the box, but it's stated as 10+..... anyone 10+ would want to build it...
@Huw, can we get clarification, maybe it's a typo, but the size of the box seems to support pre-built.... so perhaps the ask is simply one word...... WHY?
I think it's a bad translation - probably meant to be "when-built", ie "when it is built, it is this size"...
I've removed the erroneous words and also reduced the age limit by a factor of 10 :-)
@NickF22 said:
"I think it's a bad translation - probably meant to be "when-built", ie "when it is built, it is this size"..."
Ah, some sanity. That makes sense; looking more closely, the box indeed doesn't appear wide enough for the finished model.
Good man, Nick.
@Huw said:
"I've removed the erroneous words and also reduced the age limit by a factor of 10 :-)"
That clears it up then. Lego is still Lego! We're fine then, no reason to panic. I can put the pitchfork down now. :D
Such a nice and touchy story.....I have tears in my eyes. Probably Ole Kirk would also cry to see the Lamborghini (and other numerous sets) with so many different nuances of the same colors after 100 years of experience and "only the best is good enough".
My money and yours matters.
@AustinPowers said:
" @Slobrojoe said:
"The theory is that you'll want to go to The LEGO House to get the duck but also go around the House and spend money on food and the like"
As if.
The sad thing is to think if Ole Kirk saw how The LEGO Company of today cuts costs on all corners even if it means shoddy quality as a result.
He would be appalled. "
One set having some reports of mismatching colors does not equal "cutting costs on all corners". Let's keep a bit of perspective. As you might have noticed, the manufacturing of this set has faced a few unavoidable hiccups. This is the exception that makes they rule. On the whole, piece quality has been going up. Brown and other colors aren't as brittle as the used to be (so no corners being cut, in fact previously cut corners are being mended), and it's not even like every copy of the Sian has had massive discoloration. Plenty of copies have been totally fine. Also, there's practically no other sets in recent memory that have had color issues
Billund citytrip!
I can't wait to get it on my next trip to Billund!
@fakespacesquid said:
" @AustinPowers said:
" @Slobrojoe said:
"The theory is that you'll want to go to The LEGO House to get the duck but also go around the House and spend money on food and the like"
As if.
The sad thing is to think if Ole Kirk saw how The LEGO Company of today cuts costs on all corners even if it means shoddy quality as a result.
He would be appalled. "
One set having some reports of mismatching colors does not equal "cutting costs on all corners". Let's keep a bit of perspective. As you might have noticed, the manufacturing of this set has faced a few unavoidable hiccups. This is the exception that makes they rule. On the whole, piece quality has been going up. Brown and other colors aren't as brittle as the used to be (so no corners being cut, in fact previously cut corners are being mended), and it's not even like every copy of the Sian has had massive discoloration. Plenty of copies have been totally fine. Also, there's practically no other sets in recent memory that have had color issues"
Umm. I've seen plenty of variation in color in many sets... sometimes in the same piece!
@fakespacesquid
I don't know if is worth writing answers to you if according to you "One set having some reports" and "no other sets in recent memory that have had color issues"...
Maybe you have a short memory or only one set in your collection.
I am into LEGO for only the last 10 years and my first color problem appeared in Sopwith Camel in 2012 and after in numerous sets.
I was working in sorting parts and I have opened thousands of sets and touched and connected millions of parts in groups of 10. Besides COLOR problems for the same type of parts, there were numerous SHAPE problems when putting normal 1X... bricks one into another in terms of not a smooth surface.
Ignorance can be healed by experience and informing yourself.
The majority of us here including @AustinPowers and me, are loving LEGO products, because of this we criticize what is wrong, and we are hurt by constant increasing of prices while more and more often quality problems.
With a few exceptions on fans websites, this quality problem is hided under the rug.
@Felix_Mezei said:
" @fakespacesquid
I don't know if is worth writing answers to you if according to you "One set having some reports" and "no other sets in recent memory that have had color issues"...
Maybe you have a short memory or only one set in your collection.
I am into LEGO for only the last 10 years and my first color problem appeared in Sopwith Camel in 2012 and after in numerous sets.
I was working in sorting parts and I have opened thousands of sets and touched and connected millions of parts in groups of 10. Besides COLOR problems for the same type of parts, there were numerous SHAPE problems when putting normal 1X... bricks one into another in terms of not a smooth surface.
Ignorance can be healed by experience and informing yourself.
The majority of us here including @AustinPowers and me, are loving LEGO products, because of this we criticize what is wrong, and we are hurt by constant increasing of prices while more and more often quality problems.
With a few exceptions on fans websites, this quality problem is hided under the rug."
My collection is public so you can freely see that I do indeed have more than one set. I've also been into Lego for the last 19 years, so I'm not as fresh as you are.
The Sopwith Camel, being 8 years old, is a bit of a poor example. As I already said, we've seen quality improvements in many areas since then.
The two things that I take issue with are 1, expecting these things to be perfect, and 2, acting like the quality has been going down. Lego is not an exact science, since the beginning there have been difficulties with certain colors being more brittle or more prone to color differences. But as we can see with recent reddish brown and dark red elements especially, the quality has increased. Secondly, it's a farce to act like there have been more and more quality problems. Regarding the Sian, production was interrupted by COVID (in addition to lime green being more prone to color differences). With certain factories shut down, pieces had to be sourced from different countries which would naturally result in slight variations. But even then, there have been no sets in RECENT memory that have had issues on the level of the Sian. 8 years is ancient history when dealing with Lego.
Finally, the age-old myth that Lego is getting more expensive. Anyone who is serious about Lego knows that this is pure falsehood, and only perpetuated by people who don't know the facts. https://therealityprose.wordpress.com/2013/01/17/what_happened_with_lego/ is worth a look.
Edit: with regards to shape differences, I'm also well aware that there are microscopic mold differences. I've worked with GBC for years, sliding elements aren't new to me. But it would do good to remember that Lego is leaps and bounds above any competing brick in terms of consistency and fit.
@fakespacesquid said:
" @AustinPowers said:
" @Slobrojoe said:
"The theory is that you'll want to go to The LEGO House to get the duck but also go around the House and spend money on food and the like"
As if.
The sad thing is to think if Ole Kirk saw how The LEGO Company of today cuts costs on all corners even if it means shoddy quality as a result.
He would be appalled. "
One set having some reports of mismatching colors does not equal "cutting costs on all corners". Let's keep a bit of perspective. As you might have noticed, the manufacturing of this set has faced a few unavoidable hiccups. This is the exception that makes they rule. On the whole, piece quality has been going up. Brown and other colors aren't as brittle as the used to be (so no corners being cut, in fact previously cut corners are being mended), and it's not even like every copy of the Sian has had massive discoloration. Plenty of copies have been totally fine. Also, there's practically no other sets in recent memory that have had color issues"
I’ve been collecting since the seventies. The color problemS have progressively got worse the last 10 plus years. Yellows, greys and translucent colors are getting annoying. The problem is noticeable when you open different sets with the same parts. You might not notice it on a single set.
For those turning to Bricklink, the eyes and the two printed pieces on the display stand are the only exclusive parts.
And today was the day our family was going to be at LEGO house as part of our COVID-cancelled summer trip....would have been amazing timing!!!!
There are others. Check the inventory: https://brickset.com/inventories/40501-1
@fakespacesquid
I am glad I saw your points of view and long experience in collecting LEGO. There's no point to debate further with you.
I apologize for "or only one set in your collection" I've meant "or only one problematic set in your collection".
Please don't try to call "microscopic mold differences". Microscopic means that we can only see those differences with the microscope.
Please look at the white wall here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FAt7ze-QLQ
I envy you for not being a freshman and still not having colors and shapes problems into LEGO sets.
The collectable Miifigures series increased the price in my country with 50%. I will not continue to give you examples for color, shape examples because is a waste of time. Maybe other people are also stupid like me and see this problems where no problems exist.
If Brickset is quiet on this issue maybe they have their own reasons, but this doesn't mean elsewhere this things don't exist and are not discussed.
@fakespacesquid
Please do not use that link
https://therealityprose.wordpress.com/2013/01/17/what_happened_with_lego/
to prove LEGO prices are not going up.
The article is from 2013 and all the analysis and graphs are stopping at 2013. I really don't care how expensive LEGO was in 1980 in comparison with 2013.
Like you said, "8 years is ancient history when dealing with Lego", so please do not use ancient history analysis to tell the nowadays TFOLs that LEGO is not increasing prices.
@fakespacesquid said:
"One set having some reports of mismatching colors does not equal "cutting costs on all corners". Let's keep a bit of perspective."
ONE set? What on Earth are you talking about? Quality of LEGO parts has been going down for years.
Have you built the Fiat 500? Or any set with dark red pieces? Or medium blue? Or sand green? The shades even of the same piece in the same set can be all over the place, and not just on the Sian.
Add to that ever more missing pieces, something I didn't experience ten or more years ago. Sometimes whole bags are wrong. When building one of the Friends sets a bag was missing and instead one belonging to the Creator Expert Ferris Wheel was included.
And don't get me started about their switch from DHL to DPD for LEGO.com shipping. None of the parcels that have arrived since then were undamaged. Just yesterday the Creator Pirate Ship plus GWP Hot Rod was left at my doorstep (due to Covid-19 DPD doesn't hand over parcels in person here - contrary to DHL by the way), totally squashed.
So to sum up, from my experience TLG does indeed cut costs on all corners, especially when it comes to the most important aspect, the pieces. Hell, even companies that sell sets at a fraction of the cost like Qman or Xingbao by now have better quality. Or Cobi with their prints-only sets that are produced 100% in the EU yet don't cost more than LEGO that produce some of their parts in China, and not just for the Chinese market.
@AustinPowers:
Interesting. I also placed an order to get the Hot Rod, and the parcel was visibly crushed. The two sets I ordered were slightly crunched, but the Hot Rod itself has a gulley that's pressed down to less than half the thickness of the rest of the box. I've had rain damage on a few occasions (that's more a problem with the US Post Office not bagging the parcels the way FedEx would if FedEx didn't hand them off for "last mile" delivery), and I've had some that were packed terribly (small box in the bottom, large box leaned over it at an angle, and the large box is creased while the small box is crushed), presumably to save a few packing bubbles. I've never had the outer shipping carton get crushed before. Funny thing is, it's still shipped by FedEx, so it can't be blamed on different SOP. It, perhaps, _can_ be blamed on a sudden increase in volume resulting in a lot of new hires who, between the urgency and pandemic-related social distancing, are perhaps not getting the same level of training they would normally get before losing the training wheels.
Soon as I heard about this I thought I'd have to share this link on how it was built :)
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/556827941432719799/
Such a fun little video
@FuddRuckus said:
"For those turning to Bricklink, the eyes and the two printed pieces on the display stand are the only exclusive parts."
You've missed a couple. The red 2x2 macaroni tiles and the 1x2 plates with pin hole on top in bright light orange are both new for this set.
One thing. If I by this set through a third party, what language will it be in? Not that it would matter as language isn't a problem with lego but I'm just curious. ??
The line “first in this exclusive range of collectable products celebrating key moments in LEGO history” is interesting.
Wonder if this could lead to some important sets in LEGO’s history being re-released and this (exclusive, ugh) banner?
@Huw , thank you for the link to the inventory. I expect the Technic halfbeam curve 3x3 to be available in other sets soon and the other new parts are currently listed for sale in Bricks & Pieces.
@Klikstyle the red 2x2 macaroni tiles were released earlier this month as part of Hidden Side set 70436. I previously ordered two from Bricks & Pieces as my red version of 4000025 nears completion. Another previously unreleased red piece became available in 21051 Tokyo.
with the current state of World travel due to the global pandemic it is frustrating that lots of people will not be able to get this amazing set. I just hope that when World traveling gets back to some sort of normality we will be able to travel to Denmark and the Lego House to get this great build and take home a part of history.
That beak should have been a brick separator. What a missed opportunity.
Very nice set, but no trip to Billund likely for me soon...
Bricklink? Maybe but red macaroni tiles don't exist yet...
Where is everyone getting 'ready built' from? The building instructions are already available from lego.com so I don't think there's anything to worry about :).
@kelloucq said:
"Very nice set, but no trip to Billund likely for me soon...
Bricklink? Maybe but red macaroni tiles don't exist yet..."
They do in one of this year's Hidden Side sets: https://brickset.com/inventories/70436-1
@fakespacesquid said:
" @AustinPowers said:
" @Slobrojoe said:
"The theory is that you'll want to go to The LEGO House to get the duck but also go around the House and spend money on food and the like"
As if.
The sad thing is to think if Ole Kirk saw how The LEGO Company of today cuts costs on all corners even if it means shoddy quality as a result.
He would be appalled. "
One set having some reports of mismatching colors does not equal "cutting costs on all corners". Let's keep a bit of perspective. ... ... Also, there's practically no other sets in recent memory that have had color issues"
Does anyone else remember the original Knight Bus, 4755? Purple issues in every single box!
@singlow:
That set is the reason why dark-purple is so much more consistent now, as they swore off making another "mostly dark-purple" set until they could nail that problem down. The next set to be mostly dark-purple was Construct-A-Zurg, and there were no color consistency problems there.
I remember that prior to the Toy Story theme, I had been sorting my dark-purple 2x4 bricks into dark dark-purple and light dark-purple, but when they started producing the color again it was a distinctly different shade than either of the other two. As far as I'm aware, that may be the only color that has had color consistency problems in the last two decades that they appear to have fixed (at least I hope). Maybe they did have to do something drastic like restrict production to a single injection molding machine, so all the parts in that color would be dealing with the exact same calibration.