Tweet
Some fun-loving employees at Legoland California distracted the amusement park's general manager Monday morning long enough to replace his blue Volvo with a nearly identical model made from 200,000 Lego bricks.
The general manager, Peter Ronchetti, discovered the switch when he walked out of his office building to go to lunch, said a park spokeswoman who watched and photographed the prank. A video has since been posted on YouTube.
Ronchetti was texting on his Blackberry and never noticed his vehicle had changed until he was nearly upon it, said the spokeswoman, Beth Chee.
"Then, he finally looks and sees his car and he stops dead ... there's almost no expression, then there's almost relief as he sees his (own) car parked further down the lot," she said. At that point, Ronchettiburst out laughing and then walked around the Lego vehicle, touching the windows and pretending to unlock it.
Ronchetti said Tuesday he was "shocked" to see the lifesize Lego Volvo sitting in his parking space, but soon realized he shouldn't have been.
"We have a very fun, creative team here at Legoland California and it really was the perfect prank," he said. "I can tell you that I won't leave my keys laying around ever again."
Tim Petsche, Legoland model shop supervisor, thought up the trick and put his plan into action with help from employees in several departments, Chee said.
They already had the mock 2004 Volvo XC90 on hand ---- it's the vehicle that's often on display out at the front entrance gate.
That car, which contains 201,076 Lego bricks and weighs 2,935 pounds, had been looking a little tired lately, and had been pulled into the model shop for repairs.
"We .... brought it in for a facelift essentially," Chee said, describing how employees sand-blasted the vehicle's exterior to return it to a youthful look.
On Monday morning, someone snuck away with Ronchetti's car keys and "relocated" his real blue Volvo. Moments later a forklift placed his new "car" in his parking place while his employees kept him from looking out his office window, Chee said.
"I think this is the biggest Lego prank we've done since I've been here," Chee said Tuesday, adding that she's worked for the Carlsbad park for four years.
Legoland employees are known for their pranks, but typically they're birthday-related tricks that involve "redecorating" an employee's cubicle, Chee said. One year, employees turned the entertainment manager's office into an igloo.
"He actually had to crawl underneath to get into his cubicle," Chee said.
Link
The general manager, Peter Ronchetti, discovered the switch when he walked out of his office building to go to lunch, said a park spokeswoman who watched and photographed the prank. A video has since been posted on YouTube.
Ronchetti was texting on his Blackberry and never noticed his vehicle had changed until he was nearly upon it, said the spokeswoman, Beth Chee.
"Then, he finally looks and sees his car and he stops dead ... there's almost no expression, then there's almost relief as he sees his (own) car parked further down the lot," she said. At that point, Ronchettiburst out laughing and then walked around the Lego vehicle, touching the windows and pretending to unlock it.
Ronchetti said Tuesday he was "shocked" to see the lifesize Lego Volvo sitting in his parking space, but soon realized he shouldn't have been.
"We have a very fun, creative team here at Legoland California and it really was the perfect prank," he said. "I can tell you that I won't leave my keys laying around ever again."
Tim Petsche, Legoland model shop supervisor, thought up the trick and put his plan into action with help from employees in several departments, Chee said.
They already had the mock 2004 Volvo XC90 on hand ---- it's the vehicle that's often on display out at the front entrance gate.
That car, which contains 201,076 Lego bricks and weighs 2,935 pounds, had been looking a little tired lately, and had been pulled into the model shop for repairs.
"We .... brought it in for a facelift essentially," Chee said, describing how employees sand-blasted the vehicle's exterior to return it to a youthful look.
On Monday morning, someone snuck away with Ronchetti's car keys and "relocated" his real blue Volvo. Moments later a forklift placed his new "car" in his parking place while his employees kept him from looking out his office window, Chee said.
"I think this is the biggest Lego prank we've done since I've been here," Chee said Tuesday, adding that she's worked for the Carlsbad park for four years.
Legoland employees are known for their pranks, but typically they're birthday-related tricks that involve "redecorating" an employee's cubicle, Chee said. One year, employees turned the entertainment manager's office into an igloo.
"He actually had to crawl underneath to get into his cubicle," Chee said.
Link
Comment