In the early 2000s, Lego did something that possibly had never been done before: they changed their colors. Specifically, they changed the light and dark grays to what are now often called “light bluish gray” and “dark bluish gray”.
There were several reasons for this: there were some changes in philosophy within the company, and it was believed that the new approach to colors would make those colors somewhat more vibrant, more colorful, more playful even. Some colors, such as blue and red already had this, but the grays were somewhat dull, and always had been. Lego would go on to revise their brown and even, ever so slightly, their white in the future, but the biggest changes started with the grays, and many loyal fans were not happy.
I was one of these fans. The light gray had a somewhat mythical status to me because I had seen it used so often in cool space MOCs (“my own creation”) online. That dull light gray was the building block of some of the most amazing industrial creations I had seen, and was a common color in mechs, which I had taken a particular liking to.
Some fans were outraged. Others simply felt betrayed. How could Lego have made such a huge decision without even consulting their loyal followers? Those old grays would never be produced again but were the foundation of so many amazing creations. What’s more, the old and the new could be fairly easily distinguished because the change was so great, so they were almost incompatible, meaning people would need to stock up heavily on the new ones if they wanted to fully switch over. But some older pieces were very unique and would never be produced again, meaning they would never receive an updated color. Many simply never registered the difference or never cared. Some of us, though, were angry.
I’ve always been something of a Luddite, holding onto old ways. This isn’t always a bad thing. But I vehemently rejected the new grays. The transition occurred around the time I stopped playing with toys anyway, but I still continued some of my building projects and maintained a steadfast rejection of new sets.
If this all seems rather silly, that’s because it is. The truth is, as I’ve mentioned, those old grays were veritably dull. It’s kind of a wonder they were actual Lego colors given that there’s a certain uniformity to the colors that perhaps only a color theorist could explain, and those grays don’t quite fit. Lego would also go on to massively expand the number of colors they offer, but all still have the same sort of “pop” and “shine” to them, and the old grays stick out like a sore thumb. They changed the color for a reason.
Several years ago, a friend donated a huge trove of Legos to me. It took me nearly a week to sort them all. What was cool was that there were a ton of dark bluish gray and light bluish gray pieces in it. I had long forgotten my quarrel with the switch, and these new colors had been the standard for nearly two decades, some of which I had acquired from time to time. That trove really brought my pieces up to date.
Knowing that there is no going back, yet being tired of having to differentiate between the old and new colors, I made the decision to get rid of all the old colors and replace them entirely. It helped to get rid of the sets that used these colors, so I no longer have to worry if a particular piece belonged to a particular set, but it was time.The final bastion really is a large mech I built in 10th grade that heavily employs the light grays, which I have switched over maybe 50%. It shouldn’t be long now before it’s 100%, and I’ve done fairly well weeding through the other old pieces.
What’s the point of all this? Things change, deal with it. I know that not all changes are good but they tend to level out in the long run. I’m sure when fuel injection was first introduced to the public, there were some who swore it off. “I can rebuild my carburetor, but can I rebuild a fuel injector, now, can I?” Nobody cares. Turns out fuel injection systems are far better for the environment and way more efficient. Of the two cars I’ve owned over the past 12 or so years, I have never once needed to replace one of the fuel injectors. I think I’ve heard that in rare cases carburetors have been used on specialty cars, but I think that’s highly uncommon. Time moves on. Even Amish people get caught with smartphones. There’s no point trying to live under a rock. Mind you, this doesn’t mean jumping on every new trend and pretending like it’s the future, or ignoring he downsides to new technology and social media, but when new things come along and prove that they aren’t disappearing, it’s worth taking them seriously.
I’m actually kind of excited to switch over these gray pieces to the bluish gray pieces. If nothing else, it has forced me to clean through my Legos and also get rid of those pieces I know I will never use. I’ve freed up a decent amount of space this year.