Boy with autism builds world's largest Lego Titanic replica | The Daily Star
Skip to main content
T
Tuesday, March 28, 2023
The Daily Star
E-paper Today's News বাংলা
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Culture
  • Life & Living
  • Youth
  • Tech & Startup
  • Feature
    • Lifestyle
    • Arts & Entertainment
    • Showbiz
    • Star Health
    • Satireday
    • Shout
    • Toggle
    • Star Literature
    • In Focus
    • Star Youth
    • Shift
    • Daily Star Books
    • Roundtables
    • Star Holiday
    • weekend read
  • More
    • Environment
    • NRB
    • Supplements
    • Law & Our Rights
  • E-paper
  • বাংলা
Search Epaper T
  • Today's News
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Culture
  • Life & Living
  • Youth
  • Tech & Startup
  • Feature
    • Lifestyle
    • Arts & Entertainment
    • Showbiz
    • Star Health
    • Satireday
    • Shout
    • Toggle
    • Star Literature
    • In Focus
    • Star Youth
    • Shift
    • Daily Star Books
    • Roundtables
    • Star Holiday
    • weekend read
  • More
    • Environment
    • NRB
    • Supplements
    • Law & Our Rights

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Apps
  • Comment Policy
  • RSS
  • Sitemap
  • Advertisement
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Conference Hall
  • Archives
Healthcare

Boy with autism builds world's largest Lego Titanic replica

Star Online Report
Thu Apr 19, 2018 02:05 PM Last update on: Thu Apr 19, 2018 02:19 PM
“The Lego Boy”, Brynjar sees his LEGO Titanic at the Pigeon Forge Museum. Photo taken from Twitter

The world's largest Lego replica of the doomed Titanic liner was built over 700 hours -- 11 months -- by a 10-year-old boy from Reykjavik, Iceland, who is on the autism spectrum.

It made its American debut Monday at the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, CNN reports.

Brynjar Karl Bigisson, now 15, built the replica with 56,000 Lego bricks. It's 26 feet long and 5 feet tall.

For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.

Brynjar remembers playing with Legos for hours when he was 5. "I sometimes built from instructions, and sometimes, I used my own imagination," he told CNN.

At the time, he was obsessed with trains, but that changed when his grandfather Ludvik Ogmundsson took him fishing on a boat, sparking an interest in and appreciation for ships. By the time Brynjar was 10, he knew everything there was to know about the Titanic, the CNN report says.

"When I traveled with my mom to Legoland in Denmark and saw for the first time all the amazing big models of famous houses and planes, locations and ships, I probably then started to think about making my own Lego model. By the time I was 10, I started to think about building the Lego titanic model in a Lego man size," Brynjar said.

The project was a family affair, with grandfather Ogmundsson, an engineer, and mother Bjarney Ludviksdottir helping out. Ogmundsson scaled down the original blueprint of the Titanic to Lego size and helped figure out how many tiny toy bricks would be needed to create the model.

Ludviksdottir served as his personal cheerleader. "If she had not supported my dream project, it would have never been a reality," Brynjar said.

Donations from family and friends enabled him to buy all the Lego bricks.

Brynjar says he was able to embrace his autism through building the Titanic replica.

Before starting the project, he had difficulty communicating, which he says made him unhappy and lonely. Now, he has confidence and is giving interviews about his accomplishment.

"When I started the building process, I had a person helping me in school in every step that I took, but today, I'm studying without any support. My grades have risen, and my classmates consider me as their peer. I have had the opportunity to travel and explore and meet wonderful people," he said.

Brynjar's mother said that when she started raising her son, she felt totally blind as to what his future would look like because of his autism, and she worried about the obstacles that many children on the autism spectrum have to overcome. She is now proud to share with other parents of children on the autism spectrum that it is possible to achieve their goals.

"When your child comes to you with an interesting big crazy dream, mission or goal, he or she would like to reach and needs your help. Listen carefully and make an attempt to find ways to support the child to reach that goal. It might be the best investment you ever make for your kid," Ludviksdottir said.

She believes it can be hard for children to follow their dreams, whether they are on the autism spectrum or not. They may face financial hindrances or lack of support. But she believes in the significance of dreams.

"Dreams keep us going. That is something nobody can take away from us. It's something good to have when you are feeling a little bit stuck or sad. You can always dream."

The Lego replica was shipped from Iceland in three large pieces and then carefully reconstructed before its American debut. It will be anchored at the Titanic Museum Attraction through December 2019.

Brynjar's grandfather said he believes there are lessons to be learned from what his grandson has achieved.

"Autism does not have to be scary. Many great scientists and national leaders had and have autism. What matters is that such individuals get understanding and support, because everyone can learn from these people if they listen to what they are saying," Ogmundsson said

"When Brynjar was growing up, I often helped him with projects that called for thought and hard work that I thought would be good for him. Then he got this crazy idea to build a 6-meter ship from Lego cubes. Today he speculates a great deal about complex things that require technical understanding."

Source: CNN

Related topic:
Lego replicaTitanicboy with autism
Apple Google
Click to comment

Comments

Comments Policy

Related News

'90s Leonardo DiCaprio’s doppelganger is a Swedish bartender

Celine Dion diagnosed with rare neurological disorder

Celine Dion diagnosed with rare neurological disorder

Greenland glacier sheds big ice chunk

Last Titanic lunch menu going to auction

Oscar-winning Titanic composer dies in plane crash

৩৬ মিনিট আগে|ক্যাম্পাস

প্রক্টরের কি লিখিত অভিযোগ পাওয়ার পর তদন্ত করে ব্যবস্থা নেওয়ার কথা

‘বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় প্রশাসন ক্ষমতাসীন ছাত্র সংগঠনের কারও বিরুদ্ধে শাস্তিমূলক ব্যবস্থা নেয় না’

৩০ মিনিট আগে|ক্যাম্পাস

জাবিতে রাজউকের পরীক্ষা করা ১৩ ভবনের সবগুলোই ঝুঁকিপূর্ণ

The Daily Star
Journalism without fear or favour
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Apps
  • Comment Policy
  • RSS
  • Sitemap
  • Advertisement
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Conference Hall
  • Archives
© 2023 thedailystar.net | Powered by: RSI LAB
Copyright: Any unauthorized use or reproduction of The Daily Star content for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited and constitutes copyright infringement liable to legal action.
X