LEGO Takes Egypt by Storm

You would be hard pressed to find anyone living on this planet who hasn't heard of Lego. The Danish toy maker has for years been unlocking children's imagination and pushing the the notions of what can be built with simple interlocking blocks. So when CairoScene heard that Lego and M.E Tags were having a Lego re-launch event at the Intercontinental Hotel in CityStars, we quickly jumped at the opportunity to attend. Heading to the event we had initially thought that perhaps a Lego Store was officially opening in Egypt, and that the event would be well constructed Lego dreamscape. Sadly this was not the case as entering the hall, the only Lego on display were diverse lines of Lego products still in box, with little to no Lego out of the box to play with. On the invitation we were promised a day of full of surprises, we just never imagined that one of the surprises would be the lack of Lego.

The presentation began, and in a short time we were confused with what was actually happening. After watching a variety of commercials that will be airing in Egypt, and being told which different Lego lines were intended for girls or boys. It was sad that in this day and age, that Lego needs to explain their product along gender lines, as we always believed building blocks to be genderless.

By the end of the presentation it was still unclear were all of these new exciting Lego themes could be purchased. The only thing that had become apparent is that Lego has grown up, capitalising on the success of the Lego Movie, and were launching a variety of products that appeal to all age groups and gender. From building your own Lego City, to making Lego Creator animals, and even being able to create moving Lego Mindstorm robots, the Lego brand has taken it to the next level tailoring each of it's series to just about every demographic.

Looking for further answers after the presentation, we stumbled upon the right suits, and we were informed that M.E. Tags will be the official distributor of Lego in Egypt. M.E Tags currently own Toys World in Sun City Mall, and informed me that beyond their shop they plan on supplying the new Lego lines in Hallmark and Toys R Us, among other chains within in the next three days.

Suddenly, the Star Wars theme song began blaring and out of the shadow emerged none other than Lord Vader with a storm trooper bodyguard. The hall instantly erupted as everyone was eager to get there photos with the Jedi turned Sith. It was quite a surprise, as the costumes they wore looked pretty accurate. It almost seemed like the eager businessmen that bombarded Darth Vader for photos thought that it was the original Lord Vader when it was clearly not.

Despite the less than impressive launch, it is still wonderful that Egyptians will be able to purchase the latest Lego Lines for their children. In an age where kids are looking towards cell phones for entertainment, it is refreshing to know that there is still a will to help child development building creativity in a fun way. With rumours of a sequel to the smash hit Lego Movie in the works, it seems like bringing as much Lego as possible to Egypt is a no brainer, as an eager and excited market clearly exists, as good box office numbers often translate to great merchandise sales figures. Get ready to play, Cairo.