The 17-year-old Hungarian Lego designer, whose tabletop foosball is now available as a set by LEGO

There are two types of Lego players. One follows the instructions and is amazed to see a miniature version of the Arc de Triomphe, for example. The other uses engineering thinking and artistic creativity to create something new. When did you realize that the world could be more exciting if you sometimes leave the instructions?

I got my first Lego set when I was two or three years old, and I started building from my own ideas very early on, but it was only five or six years ago that I started designing things that I was happy to share with others. Of course, before that, I built a lot from the manual, because that's how you learn how to start building in a way that makes the end result stable.

You have three siblings, are there no fights at home over the bricks?

My sister is not so keen on Lego. I've managed to "infect" my two brothers to some extent, although they're not as big fans as I am, but sometimes they come to me and we build together.

Which structures capture your imagination the most?

I'm more interested in vehicles, I mainly build cars, I don't really like static things. The idea for the foosball table came to me because I wanted to design a structure that would not only be an exhibit and just stand there, but something you could play with.

How did the idea of a tabletop foosball become a real set?

Ideas can be submitted to the LEGO Ideas site and if they receive at least 10,000 votes, they will be considered by the company. I think these designs make the most interesting Lego sets: I've seen typewriters and pianos made from LEGO bricks. I submitted this for a separate competition, where the theme was sport.

My tabletop foosball table won the public vote, but the really big opportunity was that the company wanted to make a set from my idea out of the many entries.

Image

Donát Fehérvári – Photo: László Katona

How should we imagine the designing process? Do you just pour the Lego onto the carpet and start stacking the bricks?

When I build, I don't usually use traditional blocks, but Technic parts, and I keep all my pieces and parts in separate boxes. However, on the Ideas site, you build things digitally. For example, when doing the tabletop foosball, I never built that with real parts. There's 3D software specifically designed for Lego building, and all the parts are available in unlimited quantities, so the building is really limited only by your imagination.

Once you’ve been selected, have you been involved in the planning process, too?

They contacted me online and that's how they told me I was the winner. Later they showed me two prototypes. The first one was completely different from the final one because it was designed to be bigger, but because of stability problems the whole thing had to be squeezed a bit. My original design was more similar to the first design, with eleven against eleven, but for the reasons I mentioned earlier, in the end, there were only ten players on the board. When I came up with an idea, they were open to it, but I had little input because the company has really professional designers who know what makes a good set.

In 2022, on the list of Highlights of Hungary, you were nominated by Vivien Mádai, television program producer, editor, and presenter.  How did you take it that your story became well-known and popular in Hungary?

I was very surprised when I found out that I had been nominated, I didn't expect to win the Family Friendly Special Award at all. There was an award ceremony in Budapest where I was able to go and meet a lot of people.

It was great to see the diversity and how many people in Hungary have great ideas.

Do you think it's possible that in a few years, you'll still be designing structures, but not with Lego bricks, but with screws, pedals, electronic cables, tubes, and indicators?

I want to work as a development engineer in the motor industry. I really hope that my dream will come true and that I will be able to continue creating new things.