Just in Time for July 4, Kids Construct Largest American Flag Made of LEGOs

Oh say can you see? The giant American flag made from LEGOs.

ByABC News
July 3, 2015, 9:19 AM

— -- Oh, say can you see ... this giant American flag made from LEGOs?

It should be pretty easy to spot because it’s the largest of its kind, constructed from over 100,000 LEGO bricks.

PHOTO: LEGO master builder Chris Steininger places a brick while building the world's largest LEGO American flag.
LEGO master builder Chris Steininger places a brick while building the world's largest LEGO American flag.

Earlier this week in Washington, D.C., children and their families lined up to help build it at the National Museum of American History. The Smithsonian Institution, which includes the museum, and LEGO partnered to set a record ahead of Independence Day.

PHOTO: Emily Wong and Natalie Liu built a 40-piece "four-times brick" to add to the flag. Each "four-times brick" represents a standard brick from the Steininger's scale model.
Emily Wong and Natalie Liu built a 40-piece "four-times brick" to add to the flag. Each "four-times brick" represents a standard brick from the Steininger's scale model.

The thousands of bricks were stacked together to build the giant stars and stripes. The father-son team of Dan and Chris Steininger, who are LEGO “master builders,” designed the flag back at LEGO headquarters.

PHOTO: More than 15,000 museum visitors helped father-son LEGO master builder team Dan and Chris Steininger create the 9.5-by-14-foot flag.
More than 15,000 museum visitors helped father-son LEGO master builder team Dan and Chris Steininger create the 9.5-by-14-foot flag.

“This is massive but it’s a pretty simple pattern to follow,” Dan Steininger said. They brought their plan to life with the help of kids who put together bricks that were used for the final product.

A total of six master builder teams travel around the world to put together projects for LEGO. Dan and Chris are the only father-son duo. Dan said he began to build LEGO projects when he would bring home LEGOs for his son for the holidays. He has a background in sculpting and said he realized “what a sweet medium LEGOs are.” This hobby morphed into a 26-year career that he now shares with his son.

PHOTO: The new Innovation Wing at the National Museum of American History features interactive learning spaces for visitors all all ages.
The new Innovation Wing at the National Museum of American History features interactive learning spaces for visitors all all ages.

The record-breaking flag project was also meant to highlight the opening of the museum’s new innovation wing, a 45,000-square-foot interactive learning space. The wing features exhibitions on the history of American business, “hot spots” of invention and the National Numismatics Collection -- a showcase of coins and currency.