Lego and Ikea have teamed up to make cleaning up fun again

After teasing a collab for months, Ikea and Lego have finally unveiled the fruits of their combined efforts: a playful storage solution called Bygglek. Some surfaces of the boxes are set with Lego studs, and there's even one with a “special Lego brick set.”

“Where adults often see mess, children see a stimulating creative environment, said Andreas Fredriksson, an Ikea designer, “and Bygglek will help bridge the gap between these two views to ensure more creative play in homes around the world.”

Storage solutions aren’t exactly exciting, for the most part — you’re much more likely to find plain, translucent plastic bins than anything else these days. So the latest team-up between Lego and Ikea is more than welcome.

Made with kids in mind — Though we’d be the first to remind you that Lego is for people of all ages, Ikea has developed the Bygglek line in the distinct effort to make cleaning up seem like less of a chore for children.

A recent report from Ikea showed that 47 percent of children involved in the study wanted more playtime with their parents, and 90 percent of parents said they believe play is “essential to wellbeing and happiness.” But 51 percent of those parents also said they feel a compulsion to tidy up around their kids even while they’re still playing.

So Ikea set out to make clean-up time into playtime. “Bygglek is more than boxes,” said Rasmus Buch Løgstrup, a designer at the Lego Group. “It is storage and play intertwined.”

Boxes and bricks — The Bygglek range includes four different products:

• a set of three small boxes ($9.99 for the set)
• two different sets of bigger boxes (one $12.99, the other $14.99)
• a set of 201 Lego bricks to get started ($14.99)

Ikea also mentions that the Bygglek line is compatible with all existing Lego bricks — which means you can use it with your brand-new Lego Super Mario kits, if so inclined.

Lego is having a bit of a renaissance right now. The classic building blocks are being used to examine how user interface design works, releasing replicas of rare cars, and now, and the brand is using its momentum to build masterpieces of nostalgia like the immense and beautiful Lego NES set. There are even Lego sets that teach kids how to program.

The Bygglek collection is set to be available beginning October 1 throughout North America and Europe (except Russia). The rest of the world will see the set sometime this year, too, the company says.