The 2020 Census results have been delayed due to CoVID (yes, Bricklynites have also suffered from this virus), but a preliminary estimate has the population at 36,054 –that’s up from 33,794 in 2010.

The adjoining City of South Bricklyn has an estimated 2020 population of 18,072, a little over half that of Bricklyn. The enclave of Bricklyn Junction has a population of just 4,736

Together the three cities constitute the “Tripartite Realm of Bricklyn,” with an estimated 2020 population of 58,862.

First of all, to clarify Bricklyn is comprised not just of bricks, but also of tiles, plates, and many other LEGO parts (and even some non-LEGO parts — which raises serious consistency issues that will be addressed in a future post).

But assuming you mean all LEGO parts, the answer is that we do not know for sure. The problem lays, we’re afraid to say, in the sloppy record keeping in the early years of Bricklyn’s existence. Quite frankly (and regrettably) there was no proper inventory system in place.

Shortly after Bricklyn taxpayers learned of this shambolic state of affairs at a town meeting back in 2016, the then Bricklyn Dept. of Public Works Director (who will remain nameless) was fired, and YMK Spiro Brickburger appointed Chulpin B. Spancer to head DPW. Soon after, a well-organized inventory and brick ordering system was put in place.📍

📍The Bricklyn system was apparently modeled after the well-known inventory system developed in Blackburn, Lancashire, after the Borough Council (back in 1967) incredibly found at least 4,000 potholes on Borough roadways, apparently enough to fill the Albert Hall. For more on this, see “A Day in the Life.”

But, to at least provide you with a “guess-timate” we would say there are approximately 23,000 LEGO pieces currently in Bricklyn. Of course, many of those were from the installation of over 1,200 tiles for the new bike and pedestrian system which Bricklyn voters approved through two bond issue votes last year.

This “existential” question will be addressed in several future posts. For now, we advise you to read the “About Bricklyn” page, especially if you intend to visit Bricklyn at some time in the future. Bear in mind also that Bricklyn’s nickname is “A City Within a City.” For a parallel situation, we would recommend you take a look at British author China Mieville’s book, The City & the City.

Visits are certainly possible! As an Outlander,🌀 you can use U.S. currency in Bricklyn, even though the official currency is the CopperDonut 🍩.

Because of rapidly changing travel regulations due to CoVID, we advise you to contact the Bricklyn Chamber of Commerce (bricklynvt@gmail.com). Their staff, led by Tom Brickorti, can provide you with guidance in obtaining a travel visa though the Consulate of Outland Affairs.

Please note that only certain portions of Bricklyn are open to Outlanders (as much of Bricklyn is inaccessible, as it is located behind the Great Wall of Bricklyn). Travel to Bricklyn also needs to be in the company of one of the helpful minder guides from the Chamber of Commerce.

Clearly the biggest news story of 2020 was the Simpson family’s move to Bricklyn that January. What’s more, within a few months many others from Springfield also arrived. The reason for the move of this nationally celebrated family to Bricklyn — true cultural icons — has been subject to rumor and rampant speculation.

At this point, we at The Bricklyn Eagle still don’t know all the facts, though we are following up on an intriguing lead: that members of the Bricklyn business community, — worried that Bricklyn was losing it’s hold on the title of “Donut Capital of America” — took undisclosed steps to entice Homer to move to Bricklyn and serve as the City’s “donut ambassador.”

As for the others from Springfield now in Bricklyn, word on the street has it that they feared fading into obscurity if they didn’t follow the Simpsons to Bricklyn. More on the Simpsons in future posts!

Good questions, but questions that require both an understanding of the form of government followed in Bricklyn and knowledge of the history of Brickburger’s reign (or, term of office as some would call it). These are too complex to address in a FAQ, and will be discussed in future posts. Suffice it to say, Brickburger is called the “YMK” (“Yuppie Mayor-King”) of Bricklyn, first elected in 2012.

Bricklyn’s form of governance can best be described as a city-state that functions as a democracy, while retaining some aspects of its royal Danish heritage. But Bricklyn is not part of the Danish Realm, though occasional efforts have been made by some for Denmark to re-absorb Bricklyn into its own Realm.

Bricklyn’s elected mayors are afforded the option of also being designated King of the Tripartite Realm of Bricklyn (which includes Bricklyn, South Bricklyn, and Bricklyn Junction). While most newly elected mayors turn down this ceremonial title and role, Brickburger did not. Also, note that Bricklyn mayors traditionally include in their title some defining characteristic about their background — in Brickburger’s case, that is seen in the “Yuppie” part of his title.

One final point worth making. There has not yet been a woman Mayor of Bricklyn. However, Hilma Plater-Zybrick currently serves as President of the Federal Council of the Realm of Bricklyn (FCRB). More about Plater-Zybrick in future posts.

LEGO scholars Sondra Bacharach and Roy T. Cook have noted in their book, LEGO and Philosophy: Constructing Reality Brick by Brick,📍 that LEGO can “be used to make pointed commentary on, draw philosophical insights into, and learn more about the world we live in.” And that’s one of the things we’re going to try to do right here in Bricklyn, Vermont.

📍 “Introduction: Play Well, Philosophize Well!,” in LEGO and Philosophy (John Wiley and Sons 2017, p. 3), edited by Bacharach and Cook.

Many writers have created remarkable alternative worlds, and used that as a way of re-imaging how things are done (or not done) in the real world. We’d cite two books in particular, Ursula Le Guin’s Always Coming Home, and Christopher Priest’s The Islanders. Le Guin and Priest weave the stories of the inhabitants of their imagined worlds with questions of how the cities and towns in these worlds developed and grew.