Kids in Panama can now build a LEGO® replica of the Panama Canal. The toy maker has released a 1,184-piece set with working locks that raise and lower ships just as they do in the real world.
When the Panama Canal opened in 1914, it was an engineering marvel and changed international shipping. Using the lock system, cargo ships could pass between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the 48-mile canal. They didn’t have to take the long way around South America. This greatly reduced travel times and shipping costs. Today, 14,000 ships travel through the canal each year.