Citations › Citation ID: 141

C141. BOOK: Daniel Konstanski, The Secret Life of LEGO Bricks: The Inside Story of a Design Icon (Unbound, 2022), p. 237-238.

Horns on Viking helmets may very well be a fiction, but thanks to years of Hollywood films they were absolutely the public’s perception of medieval Norse warriors. Grey horns sticking out from the side of a grey helmet just wasn’t right, and the LEGO Group did not yet have the expertise in casting dual-colour elements that would come in later years. One designer proposed a solution: develop the metallic grey helmet with two holes on either side into which a separate white horn, which he had specifically created for that purpose, could be placed.

The now ubiquitous Barb, Small (part 53451) was originally created as horns attached to the sides of a Viking helmet. ... The horn has been used for teeth, animal horns, claws and much more across hundreds of sets. Higherups caught that vision and approved the extra frame.