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A billion Stormtroopers

leemcgleemcg Member Posts: 607
in Everything else LEGO
Was just listening to the BBC World Service's 'More or Less' podcast, which usually debunks various dodgy stats. Wouldn't usually expect a LEGO angle.

Of course The Force Awakens is out, so there is a bandwagon to be joined and they wanted to do Star Wars stats. Their question was how many Stormtroopers were there compared to soldiers on earth. From left field they seemed to turn this into a 'how many Stormtrooper toys were made'.

Anyhow, LEGO responded to their request and estimated that they had made a billion Stormtrooper minifigures. 

I use a podcast app, so not sure how to link here in a useful way, but I'm sure somebody more technologically adept can do so.


cheshirecatkiki180703GothamConstructionCo

Comments

  • cheshirecatcheshirecat Member Posts: 5,332
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03chxn5
  • TigerMothTigerMoth Member Posts: 2,343
    As that's about 1 in 7 of all minifigures ever produced, it seems a bit on the high side.
    dougts
  • cheshirecatcheshirecat Member Posts: 5,332
    ^Indeed and a shame they said it was a concrete number. A billion star wars minifigures sounds more plausible. 
  • theLEGOmantheLEGOman UKMember Posts: 1,516
    At least it wasn't a billion Jar Jar's.
    kiki180703SumoLegoLegoboyTheMaker37chuckpbobabricksMasterBeefy
  • kiki180703kiki180703 Montreal, CanadaMember Posts: 1,040
    edited December 2015
    ^ I think you mean a billion Pitfall69s @theLEGOman ;)
  • GothamConstructionCoGothamConstructionCo Colchester UKMember Posts: 731
    Although the Stormtrooper maybe the most produced SW minifigure I can't see accounting for nearly a seventh of all minifigures produced.

    @leemcg, always nice to meet a fellow radio 4 listener.
  • FauchFauch FranceMember Posts: 2,325
    maybe they meant the battle droids?
  • leemcgleemcg Member Posts: 607
    A billion to the nearest billion?
  • ZombieCoopsZombieCoops Near Manchester, UK.Member Posts: 22
    So I have some rare MF's then? ;)
  • SumoLegoSumoLego New YorkMember Posts: 12,189
    kiki180703 said:
    ^ I think you mean a billion Pitfall69s @theLEGOman ;)
    @Pitfall69 is like the Highlander - there can be only ONE!
    kiki180703
  • madforLEGOmadforLEGO Chicagoland USMember Posts: 9,436
    Do they mean stormtroopers or stormtroopers and clone troopers?
    gmonkey76kiki180703Kevin_HyattbobabricksMasterBeefy
  • CCCCCC UKMember Posts: 18,030
    I would imagine police and firemen give stormtroopers and clones a run for their money.
    madforLEGOkiki180703
  • Rainstorm26Rainstorm26 Chicago Burbs USA (and sometimes Ireland)Member Posts: 1,004
    I bet helicopters would too. 
  • FauchFauch FranceMember Posts: 2,325
    or maybe they meant flick missiles.
  • kiki180703kiki180703 Montreal, CanadaMember Posts: 1,040
    Or could they have meant lego sausages!?!?!
    mldj77BACbrixMasterBeefy
  • BACbrixBACbrix AmericaMember Posts: 655
    edited December 2015
    Brick separators 
    kiki180703MasterBeefy
  • matticus_bricksmatticus_bricks Member Posts: 648
    1 X 1 Trans Red round plates
  • binaryeyebinaryeye USMember Posts: 1,734
    Surely they're all Han Solo in disguise.
  • RedbullgivesuwindRedbullgivesuwind Brickset's Secret HeadquatersMember Posts: 1,791
    I think it is actually a billion R2-D2 based on their instance to put it in every single set. 
  • BobflipBobflip Member Posts: 484
    Could it feasibly be a million that got misheard when they confirmed it with LEGO?
  • MattsWhatMattsWhat Studley, UKMember Posts: 1,643
    Lots of suggestions about how this number came about, but what about if it is 1 billion storm trooper parts.  Afterall, LEGO have never made a stormtrooper (excluding keyrings), they just send out the parts for other people to make them.  For some data collection person at Radio 4 who doesn't 'get' LEGO, interpreting 1 billion parts to 1 billion storm troopers is an easy mistake to make.
  • leemcgleemcg Member Posts: 607
    Given that the whole purpose of "More or Less" is to debunk dodgy stats, I think this is quite funny. 
    BobflipcheshirecatGothamConstructionCoJennikiki180703MasterBeefy
  • DoubleDDoubleD Oklahoma, USAMember Posts: 488
    It is probably true, I mean think of the backstock toys r us has because of their inflated prices. I mean that has to be 500 million, right.
    kiki180703
  • jason1976jason1976 LondonMember Posts: 76
    This story is on the BBC's website now - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35170829 - this is taken from it:

    In 1999 Lego started making Star Wars toys. It was, as Ahsoka Tano would have said, "a new day, a new beginning".

    These toys have been a big success, spawning their own spin-offs, including computer games and books. And Lego was able to tell me how many Stormtrooper mini-figures it has sold.

    One billion.

    That's a massive army. The International Institute for Strategic Studies estimates there are just under 20 million military personnel on Earth today. So Lego Stormtroopers alone outnumber every army on Earth by about 50-to-1.

    Merry Christmas everyone - don't have nightmares :)

    kiki180703
  • NatebwNatebw Tampa BayMember Posts: 339
    Wow, I am always on lookout for a good factual podcast and one with a British accent seems worth checking out! :)
  • plasmodiumplasmodium UKMember Posts: 1,938
    Listening to Radio 4 (or their podcasts) is guaranteed to make you sound 40% more intelligent in social situations.
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