Lego has been telling us for several years of children’s ability to “Rebuild the World." with the power of their imaginations. And now it’s put that theory to the test in its biggest ever holiday ad campaign, handing creative control to a group of kids.

Their ideas are brought to life in a film that shows how the children designed a fantastical vehicle made of Lego bricks to help them deliver presents. Their invention – a steampunk-like mashup of a space shuttle, a giant inflatable giraffe, a fairytale castle and more – also features none other than Katy Perry atop the vehicle.

The ad opens on the group of children working on the creation, before running outside to be greeted by Perry, who’s wearing an outfit inspired by Lego bricks and belting out “Firework” (though eagle-eyed viewers might spot that earlier, we glimpsed her as a worker helping to bring the invention to life.) They roll through countryside and city streets, their progress aided by other characters including a superhero and a princess, for example when the vehicle gets stuck in a sandpit, before exiting down a giant slide to deliver some gifts to other kids. The endline is "Build a Playful Holiday."

The film was created via the internal Lego Agency, and directed by Traktor, the Stink collective that has been responsible for many of the ads in the Rebuild the World series, with post production by The Mill. It will air in a three minute version (above) on Lego.com and on Katy Perry's social channels, as well as 60-and 30-second versions on TV and OLV channels.

You can also see some of the behind-the-scenes action in the film below. 

During the creative process, Perry was named by the kids as the pop star they would most like to feature in their ad. However, the brand had already been in "conversations" with her prior to that, according to Nicole Taylor, senior vice president and head of the Lego Agency, so it was “lucky” that the kids “spontaneously” had the same idea.

It’s the first time a celebrity has featured in a Lego ad since the beginning of the "Rebuild the World" campaign. "It was a leap, but we recognized that if it was done in the right balanced way, it would add value,” said Taylor.  “She’s fun and she’s funny, and we knew that she’d bring some magic. However, she’s complementary to this ad rather than the star of it – kids are the central part of the campaign.”

Perry was also appear in social components to the campaign, including in videos of children interviewing her and building a gift as part of Lego's #BuildToGive initiative. And the kids’ fantastical invention – which Lego has dubbed “The Thing” – will play a central role across the campaign, including appearing in stores, although it won't be available to buy as a kit.

The kids featured in the campaign come from a number of countries and were cast with diversity in mind. Lego worked with them for several weeks in advance of shooting the main film, first in a two day shoot giving them boxes up of Lego bricks and asking them to come up with the perfect delivery vehicle. Based on their ideas, Lego then built the vehicle and surprised the kids with it, so that their reactions when they see it appear on set are totally genuine.  The kids also played a role in designing print ads and store window decorations.

Taylor, a former DDB executive, joined Lego in January 2022, after the campaign idea had already started to be developed, but said: “What I loved was the more authentic approach around putting kids in charge, and creating a space for them to make the vehicle."

The holiday campaign will run across a variety of channels including TV, digital, out of home, social and e-commerce, and in Lego stores across 35 markets.  As part of it, the Lego Group has also launched digital and in-store wishlists for children to let their parents know what their perfect gift would be. There will also be an online Lego Gift Finder so gift givers can easily find the products that inspire the children in the film.