LEGO & MUJI teamed up to make a hole punch that cut out stud-shaped holes

[Garth Gator]

 

LEGO and MUJI, two titans of design and functionality, once crossed paths in an unexpected way with the release of a co-branded hole punch in 2009. A hole-in-one? Not quite.

 

Released in 2009, the Stud Punch was a simple yet revolutionary idea—allowing paper to become a part of the plasticky LEGO universe. Builders could construct, say, a sprawling LEGO city, complete with bustling paper streets, paper toy cars, and towering paper buildings.

 

Although it combined LEGO’s winning building blocks with MUJI’s minimalist aesthetic, the Stud Punch wasn’t without its flaws. This tool was specifically designed to create 5.1 mm holes, the perfect size for a LEGO stud to fit through. This precision, however, was both its biggest selling point and its Achilles’ heel. 

 

Aligning multiple punches for larger paper elements proved tricky, and the 1:1 fit for LEGO studs left little room for error. Additionally, the lack of clear instructions might have left some hobbyists scratching their heads. Experimentation became the name of the game, and the game got frustrating fast.

 

This forgotten piece of stationery punched above its weight. Too much perfection can lead to imperfections. Agree?

 

 

 

 

• https://youtu.be/MBZO8j5l-SQ
• https://www.solidsmack.com/design/stud-hole-puncher-the-center-of-lego-muji-joint-venture/

 

Images: Chris Cook and Heiko Kueverling | Dreamstime.com