An independent, Chicago-based retailer, Citizen Brick has raised over $16,000 by selling custom-made LEGO figurines of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and Molotov cocktails branded with a Ukrainian flag.
The company prints its own Lego designs and often sells them in sets that fans could not get anywhere else. Citizen Brick also offers a variety of items that Lego would have a lot of trouble selling officially, like cigarettes, condoms and bandaged heads. They’ve also previously made set pieces that include a Lego strip club, a Breaking Bad set and Squid Game figures.
After the military conflict in Ukraine began two weeks ago, the company announced a fund-raising sale that offered shoppers the chance to purchase two custom items - a President Volodymyr Zelensky minifig for $100 and Molotov Cocktails for $10. Citizen Brick stated that 100 percent of the profits would be going towards Direct Relief - a charity that provides assistance to doctors and nurses in vulnerable communities by giving them necessary medical supplies.
Citizen Brick claims it’s already raised $16,540 through the sales on their website and $170 through donations on Facebook. They’ve also stated that their sales skyrocketed once their post was shared by Ukraine’s official Instagram account.
“We're scrambling to make another batch since this got picked up on the Ukrainian Instagram page,” Joe Trupia, Citizen Brick’s owner, told Motherboard in an email.