Grab your LEGOs and get into the holiday spirit. Popular finalists Mark and Boone of LEGO Masters are sharing their own festive inspiration. These builds do not require a special kit and can be constructed with the bricks you have at home.
Whether you are an avid LEGO builder or you have recently gotten into it for the first time. Mark and Boone have put together some fun LEGO holiday decorations anyone can do.
Plus for every creation shared using the hashtag #BuildToGive, the LEGO Group will donate a LEGO set to a child in need throughout hospitals, children’s homes and vulnerable communities.
Many people are looking to get out of town to visit loved ones or simply they just want to escape for a few days. Amtrak customers can travel in the comfort of a private room at a discounted price this summer. Now, when one person purchases a Roomette, one companion can join them for free.
Roomette accommodations are offered on many routes across the country. Located in the sleeping car, a Roomette is the perfect option for customers seeking privacy and space on a short trip and added comfort and amenities when traveling overnight. All customers in private rooms receive complimentary lounge access at major stations, priority boarding and complimentary meals onboard.
Roomette accommodations are available across the national network on the following trains: California Zephyr, Capitol Limited, Cardinal, City of New Orleans, Coast Starlight, Crescent, Empire Builder, Lake Shore Limited, Silver Service, Southwest Chief, Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle.
Available on Amtrak.com or by using the Amtrak app, customers can book between Jul. 7-17, 2020 for travel from Jul. 13, 2020 through Sept. 30, 2020.
To receive this discount, use the Fare Finder from this page or enter code V306 when booking a trip on the Amtrak app. The offer is subject to availability and not available on the Auto Train. An advanced reservation of at least three days is required. Other restrictions may apply.
In an effort to simplify and safeguard the travel experience, several cleaning, contract-free and convenience measures have been implemented to every part of the customer journey. Learn more about all measures at Amtrak.com/coronavirus.
LEGO blocks have been a fan favorite of kids all over the world for decades, but some of us never grow out of the builder love. Now, we don’t have to!
The Danish brick company has announced a new experience just for adults with its LEGO® Art line. The collection, which lets builders make their own artwork portraits of famous pop culture icons, allows adults to take a blank canvas, build and reimagine unique 2D concepts of famed portraits.
Currently, the line is releasing with four sets that span across music, TV and film. The perfect-for-destressing activity even comes with soundtracks that includes music and celeb interviews!
Each set also comes with a hanging element so you can put your artwork on display. So what are the four sets?
Starting Sept. 1, you can shop LEGO® Art’s Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe (3,332 pieces), The Beatles (2,933 pieces), Marvel Studios Iron Man (3,156 pieces) and Star Wars™ The Sith™ (3,395 pieces).
The sets can be purchased from LEGO stores, LEGO.com and other retailers. LEGO® Marvel Studios Iron Man set will only available at LEGO stores and LEGO.com.
Take your love for Super Mario beyond the screen. The LEGO group just revealed the full product portfolio for its LEGO Super Mario experience. Fans can expand on the LEGO Super Mario range announced in April with a whole new range of Expansion Sets, collectible Character Packs and Power-Up Packs.
This unique partnership between LEGO and Nintendo will reinvent the way people interact with Super Mario in the physical world. The products announced today give fans the chance to build Mario’s house, search for treasure hidden by Toad and defeat a Koopa Troopa in the Guarded Fortress.
The partnership was announced earlier this year, and in April the fun-packed Adventures with Mario Starter Course was revealed alongside two Expansion Sets. The Starter Course is key to unlocking the entire play, being the only set to feature the interactive LEGO Mario figure that collects coins in game levels created with LEGO bricks. LEGO Super Mario brings new interactivity and gameplay to the traditional LEGO brick experience.
All sets come with their own series of unique challenges and characters for fans to play with, or to play against friends. In addition to the Piranha Plant Power Slide Expansion Set and Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle Expansion Set announced in April, the Expansion Set line-up includes: the Guarded Fortress Expansion Set, the Mario’s House & Yoshi Expansion Set, the Toad’s Treasure Hunt Expansion Set, the Desert Pokey Expansion Set, the Whomp’s Lava Trouble Expansion Set and the Boomer Bill Barrage Expansion Set.
Also announced today are ten collectible enemy characters that are available in blind bag Character Packs, adding that extra level of excitement. Each pack will contain a buildable character and action tag to play with – it could be a Paragoomba, Fuzzy, Spiny, Buzzy Beetle, Bullet Bill, Bob-omb, Eep Cheep, Blooper, Urchin or Peepa.
Every Expansion Set and collectible Character is made to be used with the Adventures with Mario Starter Course, for an enhanced play experience. The entry point set features seven action bricks for different interactions with the LEGO Mario figure, which has LCD screens in its eyes, mouth and belly to display instant reactions to movement, color and action bricks. In May, the LEGO Group and Nintendo also announced a series of Power-Up Packs – including Cat Mario and Builder Mario – to help boost gameplay with a variety of suits for LEGO Mario that each reveal new features and powers.
“With today’s announcement, 16 LEGO Super Mario sets have been introduced and I am really looking forward to seeing how people’s play expands with these and the unique Power-Up Packs,” said Takashi Tezuka, Executive Officer and Game Producer of Nintendo Co., Ltd. “Each player’s preferences and imagination are different. By adding already owned LEGO bricks onto the Starter Course, and different LEGO Super Mario expansion sets, we hope that people can create various different Mario worlds and continue enjoying them indefinitely.”
“The reaction to LEGO Super Mario has been incredible,” said Jonathan Bennink, Digital Design Lead on LEGO Super Mario, the LEGO Group. “Super Mario is such an icon – and fans have been highly anticipating the release of the full details of the product line. Our entire range – from the Starter Course to the Power Up Packs, through to the Expansion Sets and Character Packs – have been built to bring Super Mario, his friends – and his enemies – to life. We love how creative Nintendo and LEGO fans are, and can’t wait for them to unleash their imaginations in how they interact with Super Mario in the real world.”
Fans will also love the free LEGO Super Mario app created by the LEGO Group, a supporting feature to further enhance the physical play experience. It keeps track of scores to encourage continuous rebuilding, as well as providing digital building instructions with zoom and rotate viewing tools to make building easier, suggestions of other creative ways to build and play, and a safe forum to share ideas with friends.
The full LEGO Super Mario assortment will launch Aug. 1, but fans can preorder the LEGO Super Mario Starter Course on www.LEGO.com and from select leading retailers around the world now (subject to availability).
Now that virtual conferences have become the norm, you don’t need to miss out on the experience. Chicago-based Brickworld LEGO Expo, which regularly hosts LEGO conventions throughout the Midwest, announces the Brickworld LEGO Fireworks Virtual Con on Sat., Jun. 27 from 11 a.m.to 5 p.m. CT. The Fireworks Virtual Con will present an online array of LEGO activities for all ages, featuring exhibits, presentations, builds, games and vendors in a suite of Zoom rooms, including interactions with popular LEGO Masters TV contestants and fan favorite displays like the Great Ball Contraption, and, of course, LEGO fireworks.
Scheduled events for the Brickworld LEGO Fireworks Virtual Con include:
LEGO Masters TV contestants in a kids challenge, also judged by expo attendees
LEGO Masters TV contestants building #WishesAreWaiting hope messages
LEGO fireworks by talented builders to celebrate Independence Day
Demonstration on how to build little LEGO critters
Advanced builder demos of spaceships and a DC landmark
LEGO interactive Escape Room and interactive robot Connect Four game
Elvendale live interactive building
Brethren of the Brick Seas Pirates World
Huge LEGO train layout with expert builder Monty’s Trains
Live character sketching with fan input by Bricks in the Middle’s Kevin Hinkle
Q&A with LEGO community manager Jan Beyer and LEGO product developers
“Brickworld is pleased to continue to bring LEGO bricks to the world,” says producer Mark Larson. “Our virtual events allow global fans to learn new construction techniques, be inspired by massive buildings, participate in global games and remain #SaferAtHome!” Brickworld is also posting ongoing how-to demonstration videos so LEGO builders can improve their skills at home. Current postings include Building Round Part One and Building a Truss Bridge. Fans are encouraged to subscribe to the Brickworld YouTube channel to see the latest in alternative builds and other skills.
Build-A-Bear just launched a new online resource for kids. Workshop Wednesdays provides a variety of activities and ways to stay entertained throughout the week. Each Wednesday, Build-A-Bear will provide new, fun activities for the whole family, including recipes for easy-to-make snacks, DIY-craft ideas, coloring sheets, story time, games and more! Share your creations with #WorkshopWednesdays or upload directly to http://www.buildabear.com/celebearate for the chance to be featured on the website or the Build-A-Bear social channels.
Families can also tune into Build-A-Bear Radio, available exclusively on iHeart Radio, or the Build-A-Bear YouTube channel. Fun for the whole family, Build-A-Bear Radio features today’s top music hits and fun segments such as Story Time and ABearica’s Countdown, a weekend round-up featuring the most popular hits from the past week. Kids can also join Lindsay & Erynn for surprises, challenges, fashion and more in The Workshop or follow their furry friends’ adventures in Bearville Alive! on YouTube.
For those missing trips to their local workshop, the online Bear Builder brings the fun of the Workshop home! The Bear Builder has enhanced features that simulate the in-store experience, allowing Guests to pick their new furry friend, add scents & sounds, dress them, and even make a special wish on the heart, whether for themselves or as a gift for someone from whom they are currently apart.
Build-A-Bear President & CEO, Sharon Price John commented, “Families around the world are adjusting to extended time at home and are looking for ways to stay active, connected and entertained. Build-A-Bear has been a source and outlet for creativity, imagination and fun since we opened our first store more than 20 years ago. With Workshop Wednesdays, we hope to continue to deliver what families have come to expect from Build-A-Bear, starting with our innovative online resources and continuing with unique in-store activities when we are able to reopen our physical stores. We firmly believe in the importance of the comfort and security that furry friends can provide during stressful times, especially for children, and we are committed to our mission to “add a little more heart to life” during these unprecedented times.”
Build-A-Bear Foundation believes that teddy bears are important in these times, bringing people of all ages a sense of comfort. In support of its mission to add a little more heart to life by sharing hugs and making days a little bit brighter for those in need, the Foundation has committed to donating at least 50,000 teddy bears in 2020.
In addition to donations of furry friends, the Foundation has donated more than $250,000 to COVID-19 relief efforts. Guests can further support these initiatives and the COVID-19 response by donating to Build-A-Bear Foundation online or purchasing a Hearts ‘n’ Hugs Teddy. For every Hearts ‘n’ Hugs Teddy purchased, Build-A-Bear Workshop will donate a teddy bear to Build-A-Bear Foundation for a child impacted by COVID-19.
Your mini master builder can take their LEGO creations to a whole new level with E-Blox.
The creative E-Blox kits bring your brick designs to life with sound, lights and movement. The sets feature bricks and modules which are compatible with LEGO bricks and designed to add innovative elements, like a robot with flashing eyes or an animal that makes sounds. E-Blox also come in sets kids can use to create STEAM-based projects like a real working FM radio or an airplane propeller that spins.
E-Blox features three different categories: Circuit Blox, Power Blox and Story Blox. You can also purchase sets of add-on bricks, which you can simply use together with your existing brick sets, like LEGO. The Circuit Blox line helps kids explore concepts like electricity, current and voltage with building projects that involve lights, alarms, switches and LED lights.
The Power Blox line, which can work in conjunction with the Circuit sets, enables builders to add an electrical element to their creations with the use of LED and tin-plated blocks. When they connect to a battery block for power, they’ll light up without any wires.
The Story Blox bring reading skills into use with an interactive storybook that features QR codes. When the codes are scanned they enable kids to research using online learning sources and use that knowledge to complete themed models connected to the story.
You can shop the entire E-Blox collection here, with sets ranging in price from $10.99 to $54.99.
As if brick fans weren’t already excited about the premiere of LEGO MASTERS on Fox, now the show has announced some famous celebrity appearances you won’t want to miss.
The new competition series hosted by Will Arnett will have contestants competing for the ultimate title of LEGO Master Builder by facing themed building challenges. Each week will feature a new theme and along with it a special guest star appearance.
Fox has just revealed that stars like Mayim Bialik, Terry Crews and a few special Star Wars cast members will be joining the show. Bialik will help contestants in a space-themed episode, while Crews will guest star in a “Good vs. Evil” challenge. Nicole Byer of Nailed It! will join in the fun for a storybook-themed episode. The LEGO Movie producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller will lend their expertise to a movie genre-themed challenge.
Of course, it wouldn’t be an epic LEGO show without some Star Wars in the mix. BB-8, C3PO and R2-D2 will make an appearance on an episode which challenges contestants to build their own droids.
Do you spend hours building LEGO creations with your mini master builders? Now you can put those skills to work with a real-life job as a LEGO Master Builder at a new LEGOLAND Discovery Center.
The new LEGOLAND Discovery Center Bay Area is set to open at the Great Mall in Milpitas in early 2020 and along with all the brick building fun comes some new jobs to fill, including the highly coveted position of Master Model Builder. LEGOLAND Discovery Centers across the country, which are smaller, indoor park versions of LEGOLAND, all have a resident Master Model Builder whose job it is to create the intricate and awe-inspiring builds that visitors come to see.
photo: LEGOLAND Discovery Center
These positions rarely come open so if you live in the area and have a passion for LEGO this job could be a dream come true. In order to apply, you’ll first have to win a two-day competition taking place Jan. 18 and 19. Contestants will compete in timed builds and creative challenges. The top ten contenders will then go on to an interview and a final build challenge. One lucky winner will be selected to take on the job.
The Master Model Builder position involves leading workshops for kids and managing the Legoland Discovery Center creative workshop. Those interested in entering the competition must first submit an application here before Jan. 10, 2020. Applicants must be at least 18.
CBS’s digital streaming service CBS All Access just launched kids programming on the platform, making it easier for families to watch some of their favorite shows.
CBS also announced that it will be rolling out a library of Nickelodeon programs on the platform, with new titles bring added in Jan. 2020. More shows will continue to be added to the library over the coming weeks.
The initial series available include new seasons of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and the new Danger Mouse. Subscribers will also have access to the original Danger Mouse and popular shows, like Bob the Builder, Inspector Gadget, Madeline, Heathcliff and The Adventures of Paddington Bear.
“Bringing children’s programming to CBS All Access is a significant step toward providing even more value for our subscribers and now for their children as well,” said Marc DeBevoise, President and COO, CBS Interactive. “We’re bringing to market a fantastic roster of exclusive originals along with a library of marquee series for families, and we look forward to continuing to expand our children’s programming offering, especially with the future addition of incredible programming from Nickelodeon.”
The children’s programming will be commercial-free and feature parental pin controls on CBS.com, the CBS app for iOS and Android, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Roku and Xbox One. Additional platforms will adopt parental controls in the future.