For example, instead of a pile of bricklets I could build “just about anything” with for, say, $10.95, I now tend to see “models” I can build only one thing with (e.g. The Death Star!) for $350.00. Cool, perhaps, but makes for a brittle play experience.

However, for me, that was irrelevant to the revival of LEGO. What really, really “wows” me about the company is the customer service. Rather than a lengthy panegyric about it, here’s what I’ve experienced.

1. They have a phone number.
2. They answer it.
3. In a few rings.
4. With a human voice.
5. That is a human, actually.
6. This human has, at their fingertips, a copy of every single user’s manual for every single product they make.
7. They knew exactly what part I was missing, triple-checked with me on the phone that I was ordering the correct 10 cent part, and mailed it. Elapsed time: a minute or two.

Wow. Simple, easy, fast, smart. Makes me want to buy a LEGO, it does. :-)

That led to a more adult-oriented approach, which in turn ended with the over-complexity here. Now they’ve got a pretty comprehensive range from the very complex, detailed collector’s edition sets down to the $2.99 fireman and chef boxes.

Full disclosure: I worked in a LEGO retail store last summer and this past winter.