When I was in Brighton last week I picked up one of these Duplo firemen sets for Brian Mitchell's lovely little boy Henry. It's a nice set, and the suspension on Duplo vehicles has certainly improved since Sam was a toddler. But both Brian and I were struck by the same thought: this fireman has no hose or fire-extinguisher, and in fact carries some fire with him. Therefore, he is clearly meant to be one of the book-burning firemen from the great Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 (or perhaps from François Truffaut's movie version), arriving by quad-bike to set fire to a box of books, and grinning happily while they burn. What a great way to introduce kiddies to classic sci-fi and the films of the nouvelle vague!
Naturally it got us thinking about other '60s and '70s dystopias around which Lego and Duplo could base their sets. Lego Logan's Run? Lego THX1138? Duplo Soylent Green? Personally, I'm looking forward to building the giant floaty head from Lego Zardoz.
