Unofficial Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Lego created to raise money for war-torn country
Independent retailer Citizen Brick also made Lego-like molotov cocktails in support of the Ukrainian people
Toy company raises money for Ukraine with Zelenskyy figurine
Joe Trupia, owner of Citizen Brick, says all proceeds go to the non-profit Direct Relief.
There's more than one way to help Ukraine.
A Chicago-based retailer that specializes in building custom Lego-like items raised money for the war-torn country by creating a minifigure based on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Along with the Lego-like version of the Ukrainian leader, customers could also purchase tiny Lego-like Molotov cocktails.
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Citizen Brick created the two custom items and announced them on its Facebook page. The post noted that the Zelenksyy figurine sold for $100, while the Molotov cocktails sold for $10 each.
Also, the Lego-ish bottle for each Molotov cocktail had a Ukrainian flag printed on its side.
During an appearance on "Fox & Friends" this week, Citizen Brick owner Joe Trupia explained, "We were very affected by the images we saw of people fleeing Ukraine and wanted to do something that was in our wheelhouse. That we knew our collectors and our customers would respond to it."
A spokesperson for Lego told Fox Business, "This initiative has absolutely nothing to do with the LEGO Group. It’s the work of an independent retailer which has no connection to the company."
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President Zelenskyy, seen here giving a speech in Kyiv in February 2022, became an unofficial Lego figure thanks to a retailer in Chicago. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
Citizen Brick posted a follow-up message after the sale, announcing that all the mini-figures and cocktails had sold out.
On Facebook, Citizen Brick wrote, "A huge thank you to everyone who donated to yesterday's fundraiser for Ukraine. Through the sale of the President Zelenskyy minifigs (and Molotov Cocktails, which got our last post pulled down, go figure) we were able to raise $16,540! The entire amount was donated to Direct Relief to assist their efforts to bring medical supplies to those in need."
Direct Relief is a non-profit organization that does humanitarian work and provides emergency medical assistance both nationally and internationally.
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Citizen Brick's post continued, "As you may have noticed, the minifigs sold out almost immediately. We made as many as possible in a frantic 24 hrs, with the CB crew coming in on their day off to print."
It continued, "We know there were some folks who tried to get one and couldn't. We hope they'll consider making a direct donation to a relevant charity nonetheless."