00:02The summer of 2013 was the summer when people all around the world witnessed LEGO history in the making.
00:09But before we get to that, we should rewind to 1999, when the first LEGO Star Wars set was released.
00:16The toys were an instant hit, and 14 years later, on May 23, 2013,
00:22the biggest LEGO model ever built, a life-size X-Wing, was unveiled in the middle of Times Square, New
00:28York.
00:29The unveiling celebrated LEGO Star Wars fans all over the world,
00:33and simultaneously introduced the all-new story of the Yoda Chronicles.
00:38I bet you're wondering how this epic event began.
00:41The X-Wing project quickly went from concept to creation,
00:45and became the inspiration and focal point of an awesome three-day event.
00:50The life-size X-Wing was built in Kladno, a city in the Czech Republic.
01:00And then sent to the U.S. in 33 separate pieces to be assembled for its final journey to New
01:06York City.
01:10The life-size X-Wing contains a total of over 5 million LEGO bricks,
01:15weighs almost 46,000 pounds, including bricks and steel infrastructure,
01:20is 11 feet tall, and has a wingspan of 44 feet,
01:25and took 32 builders over 17,000 hours, or about 4 months, to construct.
01:31Before the X-Wing even got to New York, however,
01:34LEGO began to tease the story of the Yoda Chronicles.
01:39The strange tale of Kalduku stealing crystals from Yoda's students,
01:43and creating a dangerous new clone named Jek-14.
01:48The Yoda Chronicles story came to life in many ways,
01:51from online story content, to store events, games,
01:55pages in LEGO Club magazine, and so much more.
01:59During the event, fans who only dreamed of seeing the X-Wing up close
02:04got the opportunity to sit in the cockpit,
02:06take a picture with Yoda,
02:08or a member of the 501st Storm Trooper Legion, and more.
02:11New York passers-by built mini X-Wings to take home,
02:15visited Toys R Us to get an exclusive Yoda minifigure,
02:18and even saw a sneak preview of the upcoming TV and web series,
02:22The Yoda Chronicles.
02:23It was the largest event in LEGO history.
02:26I want you to open this. Ready?
02:28One, two, three!
02:59Following the unveil, news surrounding the X-Wing model
03:02and the Yoda Chronicles premiere went viral across the media landscape.
03:06Blogs, news outlets, entertainment, parenting, and business channels
03:10all had something to say.
03:12Social media couldn't get enough,
03:14with consumers and top journalists joining the conversation
03:17and voicing their surprise and excitement on Twitter,
03:21Reddit, Facebook, and Instagram.
03:24An event like this was only possible because of the collaboration
03:27between the LEGO Group, Lucasfilm, Cartoon Network,
03:31Toys R Us, and LEGOLAND.
03:33But the most important part of the event
03:36was the people for whom the celebration was created,
03:39LEGO Star Wars fans.
03:41And the story is not over.
