US Military Is Giving Your Tax Dollars To LEGO... Here's Why

LEGO, yes that Lego, just got a $2 million contract from the Department of Defense for its robotics education program, according to the SAM.gov website. The classic, plastic building-brick company, has been implementing robotics into its products and toys for more than a decade. 

LEGO has an educational program that allows students to learn about robotics and coding at an early age. Lego’s Education BricQ Motion Essential Hybrid Learning Classroom Starter Pack goes for a little less than $2,000. The Department of Defense is to continue LEGO’s initiatives in helping K-12 students learn more about robotics and coding through hands-on experience. 

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LEGO’s educational products also come with supplemental teaching materials and recommendations. LEGO says that it offers STEAM learning opportunities and experiences, similar to Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) but with the inclusion of arts.

Growing Toy Market: While direct investment in LEGO is difficult due to its private ownership, you can still gain exposure to the expanding toy industry through publicly traded companies like Mattel Inc MAT, the creator of Barbie, and Hasbro, Inc HAS, among others.

Mattel’s stock has been on the rise ahead of the big Barbie blockbuster movie, trading higher by about 20% in the last month. Hasbro’s stock is well off its COVID-19 lows, but has not been trading as well as Mattel in the last month or so. 

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