LEGO Launches Initiatives to Aid Families During COVID-19 Crisis

The LEGO Group and the LEGO Foundation have entered the fight against the residual fallout from the spread of the coronavirus and COVID-19.

The LEGO Foundation has pledged a $50 million donation that will be split between three groups of partners, each with a specific goal. The groups are: Education Cannot Wait, which provides education for kids caught in emergencies and protracted crises; a selection of existing LEGO Foundation partners whose work is already under stress from COVID-19; and charity partners serving communities where the LEGO Group has a significant presence.

The second effort stems from UNESCO estimates that more than 87% of the world’s student population — more than 1.5 billion kids — are out of school right now. LEGO creatives, along with experts in the fields of STEM and play have assembled new resources culled from the LEGO archives. The #LetsBuildTogether initiative presents a central hub for content including retro builds, daily challenges, and live build-a-longs.

Additional content will be shared across LEGO social channels in the days and weeks ahead.

The Toy Book continues to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on the toy industry in a special content hub. For a list of companies stepping up to do good in challenging times, click here.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.