LEGO e Vespa they are two extraordinary realities that over time have gathered around them hordes of enthusiasts. And so their meeting for the new set presented just a few days ago seems almost natural. But exactly, what unites these famous brands? We asked some experts, taking the opportunity to find out more about this new project, just launched.
The new LEGO Vespa 125 set is already available
We have told you in depth the presentation of this new set. A launch that saw us reach Pontedera in the province of Pisa to find out more about the history of the iconic scooter at Piaggio Museum. In fact, it was from there that the live broadcast that showed the world the encounter between LEGO and Vespa, with a set that brings to new life one of the most memorable incarnations of two wheels.
A model that accurately reproduces the lines of the 60s with a pastel blue tint that immediately evokes sweet memories of a bygone era. 1,106 pieces for a set that will make both LEGO and Vespa lovers absolutely happy, with many small details to embellish it.
In fact, there are touches of color that still make it more interesting and dynamic this product. The most evident are undoubtedly the helmet (also with a design inspired by the vintage one, complete with goggles) and the bouquet of flowers in the luggage rack. Small references, which however further enrich the experience, almost transforming the model into the telling of a story …
The meeting between LEGO and Vespa, unveiled by Camillo Mazzola
Beyond our fascination for this new set, as we mentioned at the beginning, we had the opportunity to speak with personalities from the company itself. We were thus able to deepen the work behind this project, which unites two realities that are particularly close in spirit. Below you can find an account of our chat with Camillo MazzolaMarketing Director of LEGO Italy.
What are the points in common between LEGO and Vespa as a brand?
Definitely the iconicity. They are two iconic brands that have a not recent experience, developed over many years: 90 in our case and 75 in the case of Vespa. Both have managed to remain relevant and exciting over the course of multiple generations even with small continual adjustments. For Vespa this happens by slightly changing shapes and improving technology, recently becoming electric too. For us, on the other hand, always remaining faithful to the same brick, combining it in different ways.
In the past we made ‘basic’ houses, ‘normal’ machines. Now we make models more similar to reality, we rely on iconic partners such as The Walt Disney Company, we try to create sets that are even more engaging, both for children and in some cases for adults such as the Vespa. In the past we made Ferrari, we made Ducati, we made Bugatti… We try to evolve by always remaining ourselves and so does the Vespa and with this it remains relevant.
Precisely with regard to attention to adults: this is a relatively recent step for LEGO, which however has been increasingly developed and it seems to me that there is more and more attention to this target.
We realized that for 90 years we have been conquering, letting our imagination play and also developing children’s play skills, which then grow up. In the past we ‘resigned’ to the fact that children over a certain age began to quit the game and abandon the product. But this was a wrong belief. Because even if it is actually true that there is a fall after the age of 14, then we realized that there was a return.
Some adults grew up and either because they had children, siblings or otherwise, they continued to play. However, they did not have the same game stimuli that we are giving now. Therefore, by developing even more complex lines, more realistic, even bigger if we want, we realized that we also have a potential market for adults. And it’s not just a matter of pure business: it’s a way to make the game more engaging even for children.
Because a child who has a dad or an uncle who is passionate about LEGO is much easier to get involved. And in any case, a child who plays with his father or mother manages to have more elements in common to be with them. Many adults when they have children cannot have much in common to talk about or to be together. In this case, for various reasons, they are both attracted to the brick and are also able to do things together to have fun and build and it is something that helps the development of children a lot. So the adult for us is also a way to involve the little ones in an even more complete way.
There is therefore more than one advantage in developing this offer …
There is more than one advantage. Then lately we realized that the adult audience is potentially even bigger than we thought. This type of event demonstrates – indeed they confirm to us – how relevant this potential can be.
Well I as an adult – at least by age – I was very impressed by this new set and if I think about my personal experience I think I have given or bought more LEGO for adults (for me or for friends) than for children in the recent past … But I wanted to learn more the development of this set. What were the steps that led to the collaboration with Piaggio to create it?
We have people at LEGO whose job it is to look for this kind of partnership. To make a collaboration of this kind, it is necessary to identify the brands that have the same values as us, that can have a common interest and that can contribute to our mission of involving children and making them always play better, with a higher experience, as I said before.
It is therefore necessary to identify the potential brands and then it is necessary to verify that it is possible to build something that is in common and of interest to both. And then also be able to find an agreement. Our experts continually conduct market surveys of this type and very often come up with proposals like this.
Vespa is not an isolated case, but the continuation of a long series. I mention the latest and most famous: Bugatti, Fiat 500, the launch of the latest Ducati, the Lamborghini … Now we have Vespa and I must say that there will be many others. I already have everything we will launch in 2023 in mind and I can only say that we still have a lot of interesting things.
I will not investigate further and I will leave this aura of mystery at the end …
Naturally. The surprise makes the unveiling even more exciting.
The word to Marco Capone, General Manager of LEGO Italy
Still on the same occasion, we were able to speak with Marco Capone, General Manager of LEGO Italy. Thanks to him we learned more about the relationship between LEGO and Italy. A ten-year history, which is linked to the Italian tradition of creativity, which has always been fundamental for the company as well. Here’s what he told us.
How was this collaboration project between LEGO and Vespa born and who took the ‘first step’?
This project was born from the search for a product that could respond to a passion that is important and relevant for different targets, from adults to children: that for vehicles. In the search for a partner that was as iconic as LEGO, the combination with the Vespa was absolutely natural and spontaneous.
From this first intuition, a mutual exploration was born to verify what could be done and over time the set that has now been launched was defined. It is a Vespa 125 from ’65 in the most iconic colors of those years and which represents one of the main passions for adults which is that of vehicles, combined with the iconic Italian creativity in the Vespa brand.
Did the idea start directly with the Vespa or were other iconic Piaggio models considered?
Today we see the result of the journey. If there have been any other explorations, we don’t know this. We certainly know that Vespa represents an adequate response to this type of passion on the part of our consumers.
It’s a set aimed primarily at an adult audience, right?
Yes, for how the set was born and how it was developed, it represents a product for adults. But we know today that children can be even better at building than adults. So in reality it is a product that can be safely built by children, perhaps together with the parent. A way to unite the generations in a passion that unites them, which is precisely that of vehicles.
Which is a bit of another closeness between the two brands, this being intergenerational, of passing from father to son and in some cases from son to father …
Absolutely true. Today’s adults who play with LEGO are yesterday’s children who used to play with LEGO and transfer the same passion to their children, if they have any. This means that this product and this brand span several generations, always maintaining an aspiration for positive and fun values that last over time. Otherwise this would not be the case of a brand that has been relevant on the market for 90 years like LEGO or for 75 years like Vespa.
Vespa is perhaps one of the best known Italian brands. How important is Italianness for LEGO and how important is the Italian market for the company in a broader sense?
LEGO and Italy form a duo that has been going on for decades. The Italian branch opened 60 years ago. LEGO launched the first product 90 years ago then arrived in Italy in ’62. It is therefore …