The Bronx Zoo gets some much needed LEGO action

2:30 PM on 07.30.2011   |   Chris Pranger

Hey it's Saturday everyone! That means it's a great day to get outside, take your family, and head to the zoo. Better yet, head to the Bronx Zoo right now and see some of the rarest beasts this side of Narnia. We're talking tigers, gorillas, and even flamingos sculpted out of, what else, LEGO bricks. How cool is that? These "Play Well" critters are out and about near their real-life counterparts, hopefully convincing enough to fool the various animals into befriending the LEGO version, having a falling out, and freaking out once their heads explode into a thousand pieces with one good swipe. "Holy crap Tiger Bob! What's wrong with you?!" Also in my world that's what animals call themselves. Tiger Bob, Gorilla Pete, Giraffe Aloysius, that's just how my world works.

Anyway, enough out of Human Pranger regarding the way of the wild, we're talking about big ol' LEGO animals. The Bronx Zoo has decided to place these around the zoo along with little tidbits to read in hopes of generating interest in learning. The concept is meant to get kids and adults that are secretly kids to take a look and go "Whoa! That tiger's made of LEGOs! It's time to learn!" You know, because the actual animals aren't interesting enough to spark learning I suppose.

All together we've got a tiger, a gorilla, a giraffe, some flamingos (which are my wife's favorite in case you're taking notes for an eventual Pranger Quiz, though my favorite is the tiger because I love tigers), a bear, some fish, some frogs, and of course the mandatory LEGO octopus. I'm impressed with all of these, except perhaps for the bear. The gorilla has realistic eyes yet the bear looks like he's stepped out of a Tex Avery cartoon. I thought the point was to learn people! If you live near the Bronx Zoo and want to see these study aids, you have until September 30th. Then they get turned into space ships and stuff, or sucked up into the vacuum, one of the two.

[via Neatorama and pictures from Geekosystem]