Building blocks

The below images have been floating around the internet and I couldn’t resist adding them here for today! If you haven’t seen them and are struggling to decipher what these are, here’s a clue: Cartoon characters.

Produced by German advertising agency Jung von Matt, this was a print advertisement for Lego and I think they did a smashing job.

I love how the agency reduced the form of each cartoon family and stripped it down to a column of color. It’s interesting to see how much our brain needs to go on before we instinctively know who those characters are. And once we’re hit with that a-ha moment, our eyes and senses adjust themselves; dredging up memories of long forgotten characters.

Yes, it’s true – we’re inexplicably bound by pop culture.

Did you manage to guess the characters behind each image? I can imagine these lot would be more easily identified by those who were born in the early 80s, like I am! If not here’s your answer:

{From top to bottom: South Park, The Smurfs, The Simpsons , Lucky Luke and the Daltons, Asterix and Obelix, Donald Duck and Nephews, Bert and Ernie, and Ninja Turtles!}

Via Minimalissimo

5 Replies to “Building blocks”

  1. nancy lili says:

    It wasn’t until you said they were supposed to be characters, but then I went back and guessed each one! Way cool. Clean, fresh, and original— I had been wondering what Lego was doing until you helped me figure it out. I dig it.

  2. Tom Redfern says:

    I really love the stark simplicity of the image here. It’s really funny how the brain processes information. You can identify each one!

  3. Joanna Swan says:

    As a major color theory addict, these are both apposite and incredible. So true; we are bound by the pop culture that surrounds us…
    what would the Frankfurt schoolies say to that?
    😉
    best, Joanna Swan

  4. Kelly says:

    Hah! I love these! It’s so amazing that we can recognize these things based just blocks of color alone. I recognized the Smurfs first. 🙂

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