Can Lego remain the world’s coolest toymaker?
乐高还能保持“全球最酷的玩具制造商”的地位吗?
And get greener too?
同时还能变得更环保吗?
The Venus de Milo; “Mona Lisa”; 250 skulls on a mirrored wall; a six-metre Tyrannosaurus rex. You can see all this and more at “The Art of the Brick”, a touring exhibition currently in Berlin. It is the work of Nathan Sawaya, a former lawyer. His chosen medium? Lego bricks.
米洛的维纳斯(译者注:著名的古希腊大理石雕塑,也被称为“断臂维纳斯”);《蒙娜丽莎》;挂着250个骷髅头的镜面墙;6米高的霸王龙。在“积木的艺术”柏林巡回展览上,你能看到以上所有这些,甚至更多作品。这些都是内森·萨瓦亚(Nathan Sawaya)的作品,此前他是一名律师。他选用的创作材料是什么呢?就是乐高积木。
Lego guards its bricks jealously. Early in Mr Sawaya’s artistic career, the Danish toymaker sent him a cease-and-desist order. (Now a “Lego certified professional”, he builds with the firm’s blessing.)
乐高对其积木有着强烈的保护意识。在萨瓦亚先生艺术生涯的早期,这家丹麦玩具制造商曾向他发出了一份停止侵权的禁令。(如今他已经成为“乐高认证的专业人士”,在乐高公司的许可下进行创作。)
At Lego’s headquarters in Billund, in Denmark, “master builders” work behind tinted windows, hidden from prying eyes.
在位于丹麦比隆的乐高总部,“乐高拼砌大师”们在有色玻璃窗后面工作,以防止他人窥探。(译者注:master builders 指的是“乐高拼砌大师”,是乐高公司认证的、在乐高积木搭建领域具有卓越技能和创造力的专业人士。)
This year the EU’s General Court ruled in Lego’s favour in a trademark dispute with a German company.
今年,在乐高与一家德国公司的商标纠纷中,欧盟普通法院裁定乐高胜诉。
“We are the most reputable brand in the world, so we want to be super-careful with our reputation,” says Niels Christiansen, Lego’s chief executive.
乐高首席执行官尼尔斯·克里斯蒂安森(Niels Christiansen)表示:“我们是全球声誉最佳的品牌,所以我们希望格外谨慎地维护自身声誉。”
When you are the world’s biggest toymaker, that reputation relies on keeping your customers — young and old — enchanted.
当你身为全球最大的玩具制造商时,要维持这样的声誉就得持续吸引你的顾客——无论老少。