Brynjar Karl Broke a World Record with Nothing but Legos

Fall 2020 • Spotlight • Kids Corner

Brynjar Karl, 17, is best known for building the largest LEGO Titanic worldwide. But he was just ten at the time, crediting his child-like thinking and autistic mind.

By Alana Blumenstein

When Brynjar Karl broke the world record for building the largest LEGO Titanic, he had no idea his life would change. Born in Reykjavik, Iceland, Brynjar was just ten when he built the 26-foot-long replica – and his story went viral. At 17, he is charming, expressive and kind, with a big heart and a mission to help others. But his greatest gift? His autism.

“I had a rough childhood, but a big dream,” says Brynjar on a Zoom with KidsRead2Kids. “I wanted to do something special and it became much bigger than I expected.”

The project required over 56,000 LEGO bricks, 700 hours, and eleven, long months. Today, his work is featured at the Pigeon Forge museum in Tennessee, where it has been seen by over two million visitors.

Brynjar credits his child-like thinking for his success. “When you’re a child, you … want to think big,” he says. “When you're an adult, or even like, at my age, you think, ‘It's not gonna work.’”

Brynjar’s big dream soon went viral – all thanks to a Kickstarter campaign. His video, which kindly asked the public if they could help him “accumulate 56 thousand Lego cubes,” received over 67K views on YouTube. Eleven months later, Brynjar was featured on Discovery Science, CBS News, and other major channels.

Today, Brynjar is proudest of his journey with autism. Since the project, he says his social skills have greatly improved, allowing him to engage in conversations. “I can keep a conversation going now,” he explains. “But when I was young, I couldn’t even bother doing things like this.”

His mother, Bjarney Ludviksdottir, was well familiar with his behavior. “He wasn't able to attract kids,” she explains. “He didn't know how to make that connection.” Bjarney adds that, in the past, her son sometimes used strange words and didn’t know how to make friends.

Brynjar was five years old when he was first diagnosed, but he wasn’t given the news until much later. What he didn’t see was the team his mother had gathered behind him. “In Iceland, we are not so much ahead like you and these things,” Bjarney says. “I'm proud of the people that were supporting him.”

Alongside his teachers, Bjarney developed a plan for her son. Brynjar’s teachers worked hard to ensure he had a positive experience. Their ethic and kindness quickly made an impact on Brynjar’s education and life.

When Brynjar was around nine or ten, his diagnosis was explained. “They told me that I was a bit different,” he says. But he didn’t feel different at all, adding that he took the news in stride. “That's not gonna change me because I'm still me,” Brynjar says. “That doesn't make me any worse in any sense.”

Soon after, Brynjar set to build the largest LEGO Titanic, and the blocks fell into place. “He was always training his communication skills,” Bjarney says, adding that visitors often came to his building site. “When he got the opportunity to talk about his interest, then he could communicate.”

Bjarney believes passion was the key to her son’s success. “It doesn't matter if it's autism, ADHD, dyslexia,” she says. “When they're allowed to develop through their interest, something sparks.”

Today, their mission is far from over. Brynjar’s documentary, How the Titantic Became My Lifeboat, premiered in April. A producer and director, Bjarney has four years of experience with documentaries. One day, it occurred to her that Brynjar’s story needed to be shared with the world.

“I’m the mother always with the camera, always recording,” she laughs. “I found myself having loads of material on my desk, and I thought to myself, why not … make a documentary out of it?”

Brynjar explains they wanted to be an example for others. “People usually think of autism like it’s a bad thing,” he says. In sharing his journey, Brynjar strives to give hope and to educate others on what it’s like to be autistic. “We want to give that story to everyone to make everyone understand how I felt, but … there’s a big change if you just let them dream big.”

 On that note, Bjarney encourages parents to support their child’s dreams. When a child comes up with a crazy idea, it’s very easy to say, “let’s talk later and forget about it,” she says. But she urges parents to think again.

 “My message to parents is stop and think and see if you can maybe find a way to help the kid get there on his own,” she says. “That's what we did. We were … behind him, he was leading the way.”

 Still, Brynjar’s own big dreams revolve around the sea. He is currently working at a whale washing company. “I think the sea life is actually pretty amazing,” he says. “When I'm on, it's just like, you're gliding.”

His dreams don’t end there. He even hopes to run his own ship one day. “I want to become a captain,” Brynjar says. “That's my next target.”

He’s aware that it’s a big ambition, he says. But Brynjar isn’t worried. On the contrary, he believes in himself and his abilities – and the world should too. “I think I can absolutely do it,” he tells us.

His message to kids is the same. “You shouldn't be scared for it because it's a dream,” he says. “I say go for it.”

Even if it means breaking a world record.