Journal article

How digital remix and fan culture helped the Lego comeback

Abstract:: The LEGO Movie, the highest-grossing animation film of 2014, surprised and impressed children, adults, and critics worldwide. The film's transfranchisal approach and its clever merchandising helped the Lego Group become the world's biggest toymaker in the following year. In order to provide context for understanding the Lego comeback, we first address the corporate history of the Lego Group and how its product range has developed over the years. Next, we take a closer look at adult fans of Lego (AFOL), in particular a German fan club that considers Lego building to be a form of art. The final part of our paper deals with brickfilming as a cultural practice bringing together fans, the brand, Lego-building, and filmmaking. Taking The LEGO Movie and the overwhelmingly positive response to it as a starting point for cultural analysis helps to deepen our understanding of contemporary media production and resulting (trans)formations of fan phenomena. Furthermore, investigating Lego allows us to tackle some of the key rules and mechanisms underlying cultural participation and creativity today. Ultimately, the difficult past and current success of the Lego brick may attest to the often challenged yet sometimes reaffirmed status of tangible objects in a now predominantly digitally mediated era.

Publication status:: Published

Peer review status:: Peer reviewed

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APA Style

Einwächter, S., & Simon, F. (2017). How digital remix and fan culture helped the Lego comeback. Transformative Works and Cultures, 25, 1–18.

MLA Style

Einwächter, S., and F. Simon. “How Digital Remix and Fan Culture Helped the Lego Comeback.” Transformative Works and Cultures, vol. 25, 2017, pp. 1–18.

Chicago Style

Einwächter, S., and F. Simon. 2017. “How Digital Remix and Fan Culture Helped the Lego Comeback.” Transformative Works and Cultures 25: 1–18.
Print

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Files:: Simon:Einwächter_LEGO.pdf

(Preview, Version of record, pdf, 236.4KB, Terms of use)

Publisher copy:: 10.3983/twc.2017.01047

Authors

+ Einwächter, S More by this author

Role:: Author

+ Simon, F More by this author

Institution:: University of Oxford
Division:: SSD
Department:: Oxford Internet Institute
Oxford college:: Balliol College
Role:: Author
ORCID:: 0000-0002-0371-4653

Publisher:: Organization for Transformative Works
Journal:: Transformative Works and Cultures More from this journal
Volume:: 25
Pages:: 1-18
Publication date:: 2017-09-15
Acceptance date:: 2017-05-25
DOI:: 10.3983/twc.2017.01047
EISSN:: 1941-2258

Keywords:: FFR
Pubs id:: pubs:1070075
UUID:: uuid:d826eb0b-c9fb-482a-a28e-142e1c0e3244
Local pid:: pubs:1070075
Source identifiers:: 1070075
Deposit date:: 2019-11-05
ARK identifier:: ark:/29072/ora_d826eb0bc9fb482aa28e142e1c0e3244

Terms of use

Copyright date:: 2017
Notes:: This paper is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Licence:: CC Attribution (CC BY)

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