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ZEENAT MOORAD: Nostalgia a winning game for toymakers
Lego and its rivals, Hasbro and Mattel, are in an overarching tricky spot
Parenthood is endowed with a few rites of passage. Among the more treacherous is stepping barefoot on a Lego. There is an actual scientific explanation as to why stomping on the (often) lurking tiny evil of little people hurts. So. Very. Much. It’s partly our fault — we have an estimated 200,000 sensory receptors in our feet. Also, Lego (never say "Legos" — it’s akin to sacrilege) are composed entirely of ABS plastic. According to the American Chemical Society (ACS), the plastic is a polymer chain made up of three key molecules: acrylonitrile, which gives the bricks their strength; butadiene, which helps them resist any deformation; and styrene, for that Lego shininess. In other words: "That little brick doesn’t give at all under the pressure of your weight, cramming it way up into your foot [and] giving your A-delta fibres [nerve cells that are responsible for sensing pain] a whole lot to talk about," the ACS says. I realise that biology and material science are of little help in t...
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