Who uses Serious Play sets?

Mainly trained facilitators running workshops for companies, public organisations and universities.

Why do the kits have so many pieces?

Each participant builds their own model, so a kit has to supply enough bricks for a whole group at once.

Which Serious Play set is the largest?

The Window Exploration Bag (2000409-2) from 2024, with 5,500 pieces.

Serious Play

Sets: 21
Since: 2003
Newest set: 2024

Serious Play is not a toy line but a facilitation method used in business workshops, and these 21 sets from 2003 to 2024 supply its bricks. Some contain more than 5,000 pieces.

Sets per decade

Sets per year

21 sets

2020s

2010s

2000s

About Serious Play

Thinking with your hands

In a Serious Play session, a trained facilitator asks the group a question and each participant builds an answer. The models are metaphors rather than replicas, and participants take turns explaining what they have built. The approach is meant to give everyone an equal voice and to make abstract topics such as strategy, team roles or company values easier to discuss. It is used by companies, public bodies and universities, and the theme belongs to Educational and Dacta. The sets themselves are mixed assortments rather than kits for a particular build.

Kits measured in thousands

Workshop groups need a lot of material, so piece counts are high. The Window Exploration Bag (2000409-2) from 2024 leads with 5,500 pieces, and an earlier set with the same name (2000409-1) from 2010 has 5,200. The Enterprise RTS (2000400-1) from 2003 has 5,255 pieces. Next come the Foundation Skills Set (2000402-1) from 2004 with 2,986 pieces and Serious Play Module 1 (3357-1) from 2007 with 2,219. That makes several of these kits larger than most retail sets, although they come without instructions for any single model.

Kits for specific exercises

Some sets are tailored to particular parts of a workshop. The Identity and Landscape Kit exists in two versions, 2000430-1 from 2013 with 2,854 pieces and 2000430-2 from 2022 with 2,810. The Connections Kit (2000431-1) from 2013 adds 2,448 pieces. Contents tend to mix basic bricks with figures, plants, wheels and unusual elements that invite metaphor. If you own one of these kits, the parts lists show which elements it holds, and What can I build? reveals which regular sets you could build from such a large assortment.

FAQ

Who uses Serious Play sets?: Mainly trained facilitators running workshops for companies, public organisations and universities.
Why do the kits have so many pieces?: Each participant builds their own model, so a kit has to supply enough bricks for a whole group at once.
Which Serious Play set is the largest?: The Window Exploration Bag (2000409-2) from 2024, with 5,500 pieces.