Former President Jimmy Carter has not only outlived all of the other presidents in U.S. history, but on Monday he also became the first to reach the age of 100—and according to some on social media “is now too old” for Lego.
History Calendar (@historycalendar) shared a photo of the recommended age for the plastic building blocks, which stated “4-99.”
That post has been seen more than seven million times.
While some sets, including the “Classic” or Large Creative Brick Box, do have the recommended age listed as being for those four to 99, it is clearly meant as a joke—and most sets just suggest the lower age. Lego tends to recommend sets for ages 1.5+, 4+, 6+, 9+, 13+, and 18+.
Given that former Carter spent years working with Habitat for Humanity, plus his time as a farmer and the fact that he graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree, it could be assumed the former president is more than up to the challenges of even the 18+ advanced Lego sets.
Time To Rethink The Joke On The Box
There was a time when cities should be designed with an 8 to 80 rule—meaning the spaces should be safe, convenient and enjoyable for those of all ages, but it was often touted as “8 to 80.” That was, of course, long before there was an 80-year-old in the White House.
As we’re living longer, it may be time to rethink 8 to 80 or even 4 to 99. Currently, there are around 722,000 centenarians in the world, and the number is projected to increase. Though Japan has the highest number of centenarians with approximately 146,000 currently, the United States has the second largest population of those over 100 with an estimated 108,000. That is double from just 20 years ago, and the Census Bureau projected that the number could be six times higher within the next 40 years.
That could be just in time for the 100th anniversary of Lego being introduced in the United States, which occurred in 1961—about seven years after the Danish toy line took Europe by storm. By 1971, it became one of the biggest sellers in the U.S.
“Now might be a time for Lego to rethink the age recommendations, maybe to 4-100+,” suggested brand marketing expert Scott Steinberg. “We’re seeing Americans have better access to health care, and many are living longer healthier lives. Many are young at heart—and could be building with Lego well into their golden years. If 30 is the new 20 today, then 100 may be the new 50 in just a little while.”
No Partisan Politics
President Carter may have been no stranger to partisan politics during his time in the White House, but there was surprisingly none of it this week on social media as he marked his 100th birthday.
“Carter as a Navy man has been a port in the storm throughout his political career,” said Steinberg. “But we saw that on social media this week that he earned the respect of nearly everyone.”
That was somewhat notable given the political divide on the social platforms.
“The President Carter/Lego meme reminds me of Twitter from the early 2010s when it had much simpler, light-hearted content to go along with a growing news audience,” added Jason Mollica, professor in the School of Communication Studies at James Madison University.
“The post has over seven million views, with others only hitting around six to seven hundred,” said Mollica. “It shows that posts can cut through the typical negative tone on the platform. The History Calendar account even said it normally doesn’t post meme content. The post also didn’t insult the former president; it highlighted that he’s now 100 years old, which can be viewed as a ‘badge of honor.'”
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