World’s Largest Lego Titanic Replica, Built by Young Autistic Boy, On Display in Tennessee

Meghan Overdeep
Updated

Full steam ahead, to northeast Tennessee!

Earlier this week, the world’s largest Lego replica of the Titanic made its American debut at the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge. The staggering to-scale model of the ill-fated ocean liner stands at 26 feet long and five feet tall and took 10-year-old Brynjar Karl Birgisson, from Iceland, 56,000 Lego bricks and 700 hours to complete.

Now 15, Birgisson, who is on the autism spectrum, accompanied his creation across the Atlantic, where it will be on display through December 2019. While he’s in town, Bigisson plans to visit area schools, where he will speak with students about living (and thriving) with autism.

According to CNN, the project was a family affair. His grandfather Ogmundsson, an engineer, and his mother Bjarney Ludviksdottir both helped him to bring a miniaturized version of the famous ship to life. Ogmundsson scaled down the original blueprint of the Titanic to Lego size and helped figure out how many bricks he would need to create the model.

Birgisson says that recreating the Titanic helped him to embrace his autism. Before starting the project, he had difficulty communicating, which made him unhappy and lonely. Now, he has confidence and is even giving interviews.

“When I started the building process, I had a person helping me in school in every step that I took, but today, I’m studying without any support. My grades have risen, and my classmates consider me as their peer. I have had the opportunity to travel and explore and meet wonderful people,” he told CNN.

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The Lego replica was shipped from Iceland in three large pieces and then carefully reconstructed before its stateside debut.

“We’re proud that the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, TN, will be the first and only place in the United States where it can be seen,” the attraction’s owner, Mary Kellogg-Joslyn, said in a release.

To learn more and purchase tickets, visit TitanicPigeonForge.com.