BrickTopia Stock Exchange - Second and Third Floors

Here, one sees the floor of the stock exchange. The BrickTopia Stock Exchange was started by toy merchants some years ago in response to the quickly accelerating variety of different LEGO sets offered by the LEGO company.  The merchants found themselves unable to stock such a large variety.  Although some lines would do well, others would be disasters and would wipe out all their profits. To help share the risk, the Stock Exchange was started so that other businesses and even individuals could buy stock in particular LEGO themes.  This money was then put towards purchasing LEGO sets of that theme to be sold by the represented merchants. If the sets sold well, then investors would reap a percentage of the profits.  If the sets sold poorly, then investors would help distribute the losses. This picture shows the center of the floor. Klaus VonBrickenstein, the exchange president, looks on from his balcony. The center of the floor is reserved for new or recently infused product lines.  Each product line is reprented by a man or woman dressed up like LEGO figures in that line. Today, the man in the turban, on the left, is representing the new Adventurers Orient LEGO sets.  These are an up-and-coming growth stock that seems to be selling well.  Analyst are bullish on the future of this product line. In the center, the man in the basketball outfit represents the NBA product line.  As with all products with licensed copyrights, the NBA line is expected to do well.  This stock is already somewhat pricy for many investors. On the right, the man is representing the new train sets.  Although trains have been around for about 25 years, many recent sets have infused this product line and driven up the cost of the associated stock.
In the rear of this photo, one can see the "Blue Chip" stock area.  These are stable, yet pricy stocks with long, successful records.  Buying into the Harry Potter or Star Wars lines will virtually guarantee a profit, but future growth prospects and short-term gains are apt to be limited. On the lower left, a man is dressed up as the famous LEGO villan, Ogel.  This man represents the Alpha Team product line.  This line seems to have its up's and downs, with some reasonably succesful sets, and others that are so-so.  Also, this line has suffered some setbacks as a result of parental criticism of its somewhat violent themes.  This stock is currently ranked by analysts as a "hold, or sell."
Here, one sees the other side of the exchange floor. The woman in the Minnie Mouse suit represents the Disney set line.  Although licensed with a big name, the sets of this line have been relatively few and have not really scored a hit.  This stock is in danger of being delisted due to its poor performance lately. Next to Minnie is a very small lady dressed up as a fairy.  She represents the Bellville fairy sets.  These sets have done moderately well, and have been repeatedly infused by new offerings.  However, as with other lines targeted at the relatively small "female" builder market, investor's have generally avoided this stock. On the lower right is a woman dressed in Medieval attire representing the recent castle sets (including several which have been re-introduced).  The inexpensive price of these sets and classic designs have made them a big winner, especially with adult fans, and this stock is doing well.
On the third floor are various offices for brokerage houses. Here, one sees the office of Brick&Brack. Founded last year by Otto Brack (on the lower right), this company utilizes advanced computer models in an attempt to model potential investor behavior. Unfortunately, these models have had a hard time predicting human desires and Brick&Brack's predictions have run only marginally ahead of the average stock performance. Otto's friend, Duplo Brick (to the left of Otto), is a brilliant marketeer.  Although the mathematical value of the analysists results have been meager at best, Duplo has done a fantastic job of getting huge sales volumes through his sales savvy.  His secret is to use massive SPAM attacks on all known email servers in the country.  Although he gets less than a 1% hit, this still provides millions of leads.  It is surprising how many people will buy nearly useless products from an email advertisement.
Down the hall is the Brokerage of Dumbledore and Snape.  Formerly of Hogwarts School of Magic, these partners ventured forth to find greater profit elsewhere. Their staff of mages, true-seers and wizards pour tirelessly over ancient texts and crystal balls, hoping to find the next great stock tip. Strangely enough, their predictions have been surprisingly accurate, and customers have flocked to their brokerage. Rumor has it that the pair has been casting magic spells on toy customers in order to ensure success in the stocks they predict.  Many merchants have noted the appearance of swarms of zombie-eyed customers immediately after Dumbledore and Snape have issued a predition.  However, investigators have yet been unable to find any proof for such allegations.

Back