LEGO® Friends and Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation Build World's Largest LEGO Lemonade Stand

PHILADELPHIA, June 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- LEGO® Friends, a new construction toy theme designed to engage more children in LEGO play, announced today that it will build the world's largest LEGO lemonade stand June 7-8. The build will take place in front of Philadelphia's National Constitution Center (NCC) in an effort to inspire children nationwide to create their own lemonade stand to benefit Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), a non-profit organization dedicated to finding better treatments and - ultimately - a cure for childhood cancer. 

On Thursday, June 7 and Friday, June 8, LEGO Friends invites residents of and visitors to Philadelphia, hometown of ALSF namesake, Alex Scott, to help build a lemonade stand out of LEGO bricks. Once completed, the stand will serve Swiss Premium™ Lemonade by Lehigh Valley Dairy Farms and become a backdrop to other LEGO building activities on Saturday, June 9 to benefit ALSF. In addition to hosting interactive programs to honor Alex Scott and her legacy, the NCC is offering free admission to children 8 years old and under who donate to ALSF at the NCC June 7 - 9.

"Earlier this year we set out to invite more children to the LEGO construction experience with the new LEGO Friends play theme and in only four months we've inspired creativity among a new and growing audience of children," said Michael McNally, brand relations director for LEGO Systems. "It moved us to celebrate others who have inspired creativity and we were instantly blown away by the story of Alex's ingenuity to redesign the traditional lemonade stand into a powerful fundraising vehicle. It is our goal to encourage that same creativity in children everywhere by helping to build the biggest National Lemonade Days weekend ever." 

While June 8-10 is the official National Lemonade Days weekend - a three day effort to raise $1 million in the battle against childhood cancer - children and families who are not able to participate in the Philadelphia event are encouraged to consider running their own lemonade stands any time during the year. Participants choose a day to host their stand and register with ALSF at which point they get a dedicated fundraising page and a pack of materials to help with the stand. Parents can learn more about participating in 2012 National Lemonade Days and find tips for running a lemonade stand for charity at http://www.AlexsLemonade.org.

"We're excited to partner with LEGO Friends to help drive awareness for National Lemonade Days and the fight against childhood cancer," said Liz Scott, Alex's mom and Co-Executive Director of ALSF. "Each year we hear from parents that participation in National Lemonade Days helped show their children that a small act can make a big difference in the community, even when it comes to a challenge as serious as childhood cancer."

LEGO Friends is a new construction play theme designed to engage more girls in the positive benefits of LEGO play. The collection is based on insights from girls worldwide on what they would like to see in a LEGO building experience: realistic building and role-play, plenty of details, and a chance to remodel, redecorate, and redesign in a character-based world. To find building instructions for creating a LEGO lemonade stand to add to any LEGO town collection, visit http://www.buildtogether.com. 

To check out a time lapse video of the world's largest LEGO Lemonade Stand as it is constructed visit Comcast Xfinity TV's LEGO On Demand channel.

Newsrooms can access b-roll of the build at www.TheNewsmarket.com.

About LEGO Systems, Inc.
LEGO Systems Inc. is the Americas division of the LEGO Group, a privately-held, family-owned firm based in Billund, Denmark. The company is committed to the development of children's creative and imaginative abilities through high-quality, creatively educational play materials. For more information, visit www.LEGO.com

LEGO and the LEGO logo are trademarks of The LEGO Group. © 2012 The LEGO Group.

About Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation
Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra "Alex" Scott (1996-2004). In 2000, 4-year-old Alex announced that she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. Since Alex held that first stand, the Foundation bearing her name has evolved into a national fundraising movement, complete with thousands of supporters across the country carrying on her legacy of hope. To date, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, a registered 501(c)3 charity, has raised more than $50million toward fulfilling Alex's dream of finding a cure, funding over 200 research projects nationally.

SOURCE LEGO Systems, Inc.