# No more "LEGOS" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 7, 2005, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488 "2005-09-07T07:26:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fifty-six](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@fifty-six](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fifty-six)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/1 "2005-09-07T07:26:06Z")
Hey make sure you dont say legos around the wrong people. Try typing in legos,com and check out the companies response, before they redirect you to lego,com. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/2 "2005-09-07T07:27:40Z")
So, we can’t refer to more than one lego as legos? Come on! ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/3 "2005-09-07T07:31:37Z")
We always called it Lego (in the singular) when I was a child. Mum would say “go and play with your Lego”. I never heard anyone use the plural form. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/4 "2005-09-07T07:33:04Z")
Interesting. So you had a box of Lego as well? Look at all the Lego I have? I wonder if it’s a geographical sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/5 "2005-09-07T07:37:09Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > Interesting. So you had a box of Lego as well? Yes > [@](#): > > Look at all the Lego I have? Yes, that’s the sort of thing we’d say as children. > [@](#): > > I wonder if it’s a geographical sort of thing. Very likely. ---
**Author:** ![zoogirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9bd4f/32.png) [@zoogirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoogirl)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/6 "2005-09-07T07:42:22Z")
When my kids had 'em, it was “lego” for the set as a whole and “legos” for the individule pieces. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/7 "2005-09-07T07:53:31Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > So, we can’t refer to more than one lego as legos? Come on! I think it’s all in an attempt to avoid genericization (?) of the brand name. If you start referring to them as “Legos” you remove the actual brand name and make it a thing. It’s the same with Kleenex Tissue - Kleenex is the brand name, not the thing. Channel-Lock is a brand of wrench, not the name of the wrench itself… Of course, I do it all the time. I google a search term, I Photoshop a picture, etc. Unfortunately, for the companies involved, this is a bad thing, because once it a name (like “Lego”) is rule generic, the ability to fight trademark infringement is lost. ---
**Author:** ![initech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/439d5e/32.png) [@initech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/initech)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/8 "2005-09-07T08:04:07Z")
It’s important to respect brand names. When I saw that page, I printed it out and xeroxed it, mimeographed it, wrapped it in cellophane, labeled it with a post-it and packed it in styrofoam. Then I choked on my beer nuts and granola, slipped on the linoleum and fell right into the jacuzzi. Long story short, one band-aid, two aspirin and a valium later, I was back on my boogie board, climbing my jungle gym and tossing my frisbee around. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/9 "2005-09-07T11:15:59Z")
Maybe it is geographical. In my house there must be 50,000 pieces of lego, they are refered to collectively, as in - “If you don’t pick up the bloody lego there will be trouble”. As I merrily suck errant pieces up the vacum cleaner (never the “special” bits just random 2X2, 1X2 blocks), I always think “AHHHHHHHHHH bloody lego” never ever “AHHHHHHHHH bloody legoS”. I don’t think it is about protecting a brand but more about what has become common lingo. Lego has been around for a bloody long time. I always wondered why America (and Canada?) have Math yet most of the English speaking world has Maths. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/10 "2005-09-07T11:18:43Z")
Confirming this. It was always “Lego” here in Australia. I heard “Legos” for the first time only within the last couple of years, on these very boards. To me, it’s as alien as saying “gravels”. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/11 "2005-09-07T11:23:25Z")
> [@calm kiwi](#): > > I always wondered why America (and Canada?) have Math yet most of the English speaking world has Maths. Also “sports” versus "sport. I do love these threads though. I have had a _lot_ of… not so much ignorance fought, but prejudices removed about the superiority of Commonwealth English over the US variety. There are so many exceptions to so many rules that it becomes impossible to defend one side or the other. ---
**Author:** ![Gerome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@Gerome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gerome)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/12 "2005-09-07T11:28:59Z")
> [@TheLoadedDog](#): > > Confirming this. It was always “Lego” here in Australia. I heard “Legos” for the first time only within the last couple of years, on these very boards. To me, it’s as alien as saying “gravels”. When I first heard “Legos” I didn’t even know what it was. Took me forever to figure it out. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/13 "2005-09-07T12:12:57Z")
Lego (the company) produces Lego bricks and blocks (and other bits and pieces) I’ve never heard the pieces being referred to as Legos other than from US posters on message boards. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/14 "2005-09-07T12:16:42Z")
They don’t want people adding an “s” to their product name to refer to it in the plural? Boy, are they fighting an uphill battle. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/15 "2005-09-07T12:33:14Z")
It seems like it is only Americans that had the ‘S’. Do the Lego chaps even care? Either way the Lego name is right out there. I remember my grandparents visited Legoland (the original) wayyyyyy back in the 70’s (and came back with very cool Lego). I don’t think Legoland care if we English speakers quibble over an ‘S’ or not. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/16 "2005-09-07T12:47:30Z")
Lego does care - if you follow the link, just before it redirects, it will tell you to please not use an “S”, because once you start using the brand name that way, it starts to become a generic term. And with Lego, they have a legitimate concern - most people I know refer to any plastic building blocks/bricks of the Lego fashion “Legos” whether they are made by them or not. ---
**Author:** ![Daithi\_Lacha](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daithi_lacha/32/5430_2.png) [@Daithi\_Lacha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daithi_Lacha)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/17 "2005-09-07T14:40:56Z")
> [@initech](#): > > It’s important to respect brand names. When I saw that page, I printed it out and xeroxed it, mimeographed it, wrapped it in cellophane, labeled it with a post-it and packed it in styrofoam. Then I choked on my beer nuts and granola, slipped on the linoleum and fell right into the jacuzzi. Long story short, one band-aid, two aspirin and a valium later, I was back on my boogie board, climbing my jungle gym and tossing my frisbee around. Good thing you didn’t cut yourself on an xacto blade, too! ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/18 "2005-09-07T18:22:07Z")
Long ago, I read that Lego® means “play well” in some northern European language. Legos, on the other hand, is a probably-misspelled African capital. ---
**Author:** ![Jpeg\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@Jpeg\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jpeg_Jones)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/19 "2005-09-07T18:51:26Z")
No, a misspelled African capital would be ‘Bfrican’. ---
**Author:** ![Corii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Corii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corii)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/20 "2005-09-07T19:21:01Z")
> [@TellMeI'mNotCrazy](#): > > Unfortunately, for the companies involved, this is a bad thing, because once it a name (like “Lego”) is rule generic, the ability to fight trademark infringement is lost. This is what happened to Aspirin in the United States. The brand name became common usage for the little white pills and they lost the trademark rights, although it seems that it was a bit more complicated than that. [Cite](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspirin) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488.md?page=2)