On January 28, The LEGO Group will celebrate the 60^th anniversary of the LEGO brick that has built children’s imaginations to life since its introduction January 28, 1958.

“The LEGO brick changed the way that children build and play, and for 60 years has become a childhood play staple in homes around the world for generations, so we are thrilled to celebrate children’s creativity with a one-of-a-kind model designed to commemorate the occasion,” said Amanda Madore, Senior Manager, Brand Relations for LEGO Systems, Inc. “We hope that LEGO bricks continue to entice people to build their imaginations to life for many generations to come.”

The LEGO brick has proven timeless due to its great quality, opportunity for constant reinvention and endless hours of fun. LEGO play appeals to all generations and remains as fun and relevant today as it was in 1958, inspiring generations of builders, creators and dreamers through the power of play. While the LEGO Group has constantly created new ways to play, its original mission has never changed: to build children’s future through play and imagination. The unique design and the uncompromised focus on quality and safety during the past six decades ensures that two LEGO bricks produced 60 years apart can still fit together.

In order to commemorate this milestone, The LEGO Group will surprise New York City commuters with an enormous 1,200-pound, 10-feet-tall “2×4” LEGO brick. The brick, built by LEGO Master Builders at the company’s Americas HQ in Enfield, Connecticut, utilized over 133,000 individual bricks and took 350 hours to design and build was dropped at the Home of the Toy Industry – New York City’s Flatiron Plaza. Located at the intersection of 5^th Avenue, Broadway, and 23^rd Street in Manhattan commuters are sure to be surprised by the installation on their way into work on Friday. But never fear if you can’t make it on your way to work the brick will remain there through Sunday.

The iconic LEGO® brick has inspired millions across the globe to tap into their imaginations and express themselves through creative building while posing one simple question, highlighting the theme of the anniversary celebration:  #WhatWillYouBuild?

Fans can visit www.lego.com/whatwillyoubuild, and find information about a collection of creative building sets commemorating the 60^th anniversary, simple building inspiration, and guidance for how to facilitate a building moment.

Here are a few fun facts about the Lego Brick!

• Early LEGO bricks were available in five colors: white, red, yellow, blue, and green
• Six “2×4” LEGO bricks of the same color can be combined in more than 915 million ways
• A stack of about 40 billion LEGO bricks would reach the moon
• The molds used to produce LEGO elements are accurate to within 4my/0.004mm – less than the width of a single hair. This accuracy enables the clutch power that helps bricks stay together
• LEGO bricks are now available in more than 60 different colors
• There are more than 3,700 different types of LEGO elements now in production

AND here is a time-lapsed behind the scenes look at its construction.