Legendary wildlife documentarian, narrator, presenter and historian Sir David Attenborough turns 100 this week. Social media was flooded with birthday wishes for the legend, with some joking that now that Attenborough has reached triple figures, he will never be able to play with Lego again. It turns out that the presenter's influence is great enough that Lego officials have lifted the age limit for him.
Some people may not have realized it yet, but the packaging of some Lego products indicates that the sets are suitable for people aged 4 to 99. It's a playful way of showing that LEGO is designed for everyone, not just kids - it could be misleading if the box only said 4+. The thing is, even though 4-99 is more of a playful slogan than a hard and fast rule, every time a celebrity turns 100, people joke that they can never play with Lego again.
The joke was played out earlier this year when Dick Van Dyke celebrated his 100th birthday, and it was repeated on Friday for Sir David's birthday. However, LEGO is paying homage to Attenborough in a way it didn't give to Van Dyke, although the actor would now benefit from the tweak as well. Lego announced on its official Instagram account that it has officially changed the age limit so that Attenborough can continue playing with Lego without worrying that the Lego police will come and take him away.
"Happy 100th birthday, Sir David Attenborough. There is no age limit for those who always have fun," Lego wrote on Instagram on Friday, alongside a photo of a barrel of Lego bricks whose age range had been changed. Lest anyone joke that this time next year Attenborough will have to change it again when he is 101 years old, the recommended applicable age has now been changed to "4-100+ years old", which really covers everyone.
It's unclear whether Attenborough enjoys building the occasional Lego set. He is one of the few people who was born when LEGO was founded in 1932 and is still alive today. If he hasn't played before but wants to give it a try, I recommend this "Mighty Rhino and Birds" set (be sure to say it in his voice). But then again, he’s seen enough animals in his job, so maybe he can wait for the new Forza Horizon 6 set to be released this summer. I'm sure he'd love those.