LEGO designer behind one of the most iconic elements of all time passes away

The designer responsible for one of the most iconic and versatile LEGO elements of all time, Erling Thue Dideriksen, has sadly passed away aged 78.

Dideriksen invented the headlight brick – since nicknamed both within the LEGO Group and the LEGO community as the ‘Erling’ – in 1979, opening the door to the world of studs-not-on-top (SNOT) building techniques available today. The first piece that allowed designers to build in different directions, the Erling effectively redefined LEGO building forever.

That’s perhaps Dideriksen’s biggest legacy within the LEGO community, although he apparently has more than 20 LEGO patents to his name, including one for a wheel piece filed in 1984. The influential designer passed away on March 1, 2023, at 78 years old. A memorial page for Dideriksen has since been set up at afdøde.dk, a Danish obituaries website.

Several members of the LEGO community have expressed their thanks to Dideriksen for his contributions to the building system, including LEGO MASTERS Australia judge Ryan McNaught. “I only had the pleasure of meeting him once,” McNaught wrote on Instagram. “Nevertheless, he was a man whose foresight in the LEGO system of construction is unprecedented. What he started allowed us to use all the tools we have available to us today. RIP Erling.”

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Image: HoMa’s World of Bricks

The comments on McNaught’s post, which was accompanied by a technical drawing of the Erling brick, echo the LEGO Certified Professional’s sentiments. “It’s my favourite brick and for the very reason cited above – it was pretty much the forefather of all SNOT parts and SNOT building,” one user commented, while another added: “Good design can change the world. I think that’s exactly what this illustration shows Erling Thue Dideriksen helped do.”

While the Erling brick was originally only used for headlights in cars and trucks, it soon found more creative applications, allowing designers to twist studs in all directions. The element includes two studs – one on top, and one on the side – and two anti-studs, on the bottom and reverse side. That allows it to connect in virtually any direction, and the recessed face with the side-stud means it can fit into builds in unique and interesting ways.

It features predominantly in modular buildings, for example, including this year’s 10312 Jazz Club – where it can be seen anchoring 1×1 tiles in place either side of the main building’s windows. That’s just one application of the Erling in recent memory, but according to BrickLink, the 1×1 brick has appeared in an incredible 2,380 sets to date (including 35 products released in 2023), in 32 different colours.

The Erling is easily one of the most iconic LEGO bricks of all time, and testament to the design credentials of its creator. You can leave your own tribute to Erling Thue Dideriksen over at afdøde.dk.

Featured image: HoMa’s World of Bricks

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Chris Wharfe
I like to think of myself as a journalist first, LEGO fan second, but we all know that’s not really the case. Journalism does run through my veins, though, like some kind of weird literary blood – the sort that will no doubt one day lead to a stress-induced heart malfunction. It’s like smoking, only worse. Thankfully, I get to write about LEGO until then.

Chris Wharfe

I like to think of myself as a journalist first, LEGO fan second, but we all know that’s not really the case. Journalism does run through my veins, though, like some kind of weird literary blood – the sort that will no doubt one day lead to a stress-induced heart malfunction. It’s like smoking, only worse. Thankfully, I get to write about LEGO until then.

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