Benny
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- This article is about The LEGO Movie character. For the Bob the Builder excavator or the Classic Space minifigure he is based on, see Benny (Bob the Builder) or Blue Classic Spaceman, respectively.
- “Spaceship! Spaceship! Spaceship! SPACE-SHIP!!!!!”
- ―Benny
Benny, also referred to as 1980-Something Space-Guy, is a supporting character in The LEGO Movie voiced by Charlie Day. Benny makes two appearances in the toyline based on the film. The character's inclusion and design are influenced heavily by the Blue Classic Spaceman from the 1980's. In fact, Benny's inclusion in the film is because co-director Chris Miller requested that a character from the Classic Space era appear in a large role because of his nostalgia for the theme.[1] He will appear in a Dimensions set, 71214 Fun Pack in September.
Description[edit | edit source]
Benny wears a simple blue space suit devoid of printing except for the Classic Space logo of a bright red spaceship streaking around a warm gold planet, both outlined in silver. However, pixelated and scratch effects are used to simulate wear, as homage to the quality of the minifigures he is based. Similarly, his helmet is moulded with a "crack" on the chinstrap, as some of the old helmets from those minifigures could easily crack. Benny's face is double-sided, a much more recent attribute of minifigures, but still simplistic. One side is the classic smile face with two black dots for eyes and a curve for the mouth. The other side is a wide-mouthed, enthusiastic grin with a tongue sticking out. Benny also wears a pair of air tanks on his back, connected at his neck.
Benny's 2015 variation is mostly identical to his 2014 variant, aside from the headpiece. On one side of his head, printing depicts a smiling face with eyebrows slanted down to the sides. The other side of his head features a face with open eyes, no eyebrows, and a wide gaping smile.
In other media[edit | edit source]
Benny is a playable character in The LEGO Movie Video Game unlocked for play after completing level seven "Attack on Cloud Cuckoo Land." He carries a laser gun as a weapon, is able to hack computers, and is a Master Builder. This means that he is able to disassemble certain objects which regular characters cannot and turn them into new things to solve puzzles and find collectables.
As part of promotion for the Emmet Awards building/video contest, Benny wears a blue suit with an opened jacket revealing a golden bowtie, white vest to match white gloves, and a golden waistcoat. He has a golden pin of the Classic Space logo on one of the jacket's flaps. He still wears his helmet.[2] This minifigure has not been produced by LEGO.
Background[edit | edit source]
Benny is a blue suited spaceman obsessed with building spaceships. He is enthusiastic and optimistic about Emmet's ideas, more-so than his other friends, even though he is disappointed when it doesn't involve building a spaceship. Benny has a crack in his helmet, which leads to oxygen deficiency and implies brain damage.[3] He is skilled at piloting flying vehicles, including fighters and freighters, and at using computers (despite the fact that he failed to disable the Kragle's shield system).
Benny is one of several classic era spacemen who became Master Builders after Lord Business acquired the Kragle and took control of the LEGO universe. Benny and the rest of the master builders who had not previously been captured were assembled at Cloud Cuckoo Land once Emmet, the prophesied "special," found the Piece of Resistance. After Emmet displayed his confusion and ineptness to lead them to victory against Lord Business, many of the Master Builders left, but were too late as a tracking device placed on Emmet's leg by Bad Cop led to Robo SWAT straight to Cloud Cuckoo. In the haste to escape, Benny introduced himself to Emmet, Vitruvius, Wyldstyle, Unikitty, and Batman and suggested that they build a spaceship to escape. He enthusiastically began to build one before he was told it was too obvious. Instead, they build a chaotic bat-space-rainbow-submarine. It was, however, unstable and sprouted a leak. The six of them hid in Emmet's double-decker couch under the seats and were overlooked by Bad Cop because the couch was too absurd to come from Master Builders.
MetalBeard, however, recognized that those were the kind of ideas needed to defeat Lord Business. He took the escapees aboard and Emmet created a set of instructions so that they could work together and avoid another situation like the submarine.
When they infiltrated Octan Tower, Benny was paired with MetalBeard and tasked with disabling the shield around the Kragle so that Emmet and Wyldstyle could place the Piece of Resistance on it. Benny had difficulty using Business' computer, which would listen to every command except for disabling the shields until MetalBeard tried. However, Emmet was distracted from capping the Kragle when he saw that Wyldstyle had been attacked by Business' minions and Benny was wrangled up along with the other conspirators and taken to the think-tank where Business used the creativity from captured Master Builders to create instruction manuals. Vitruvius briefly battled with Lord Business' henchmen and seemingly won before Business killed him with an "otherworldly relic" (a Lincoln head penny) and admitted that he had made up the prophecy with his dying words. Benny and the others were locked in think tanks and watched while Business removed the Piece of Resistance from Emmet's back and flung off the edge of the universe. Business then left in the top floor of his office building from which he would use the Kragle to reshape the universe in his image, starting with Emmet's hometown of Bricksburg. Emmet, who was tied to the battery that would power the self-destruct, sacrificed himself by jumping over the edge of the universe with the battery, which freed Benny and the other Master Builders.
Benny helped Wyldstyle to hijack an episode of Where are my Pants by sending her message of encouragement to fight against Lord Business across the universe. He was then allowed to build his spaceship so that he, Wyldstyle, Unikitty, MetalBeard, and Batman could get to the defense of Bricksburg quickly. However, soon after arriving they were plucked from the spaceship by Micro Managers and forced to make their stand on foot. Things looked grim as the Micro Managers began to revert the citizens' vehicles and workplaces which had been remodeled into battle machines, but Emmet returned in a mech made from construction equipment after an encounter with the man upstairs and his son. Emmet convinced Lord Business that everyone is special and must be allowed to express themselves in their own way, not just in Business' vision. Business decided that Emmet was right, and used the Piece of Resistance to cap the Kragle himself and freed the frozen citizens from their peril.
Benny then celebrated liberation with his friends and the people of Bricksburg.
Gallery of Variations[edit | edit source]
|  |  |  |  |
| Standard | 2015 variation | 2019 variation | Apocalypse Benny | Apocalypse Benny (Welding Backpack) |
Notes[edit | edit source]
- Benny's LEGO.com biography describes him as a "‘80s era spaceman" when the the minifigures he was based on were actually from the mid 80's.[3]
- Track 13 from The LEGO Movie's soundtrack is entitled "Cloud Cuckooland And Ben The Spaceman" and composed by Mark Mothersbaugh. It plays during the introductions of both Cloud Cuckooland and Benny.
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- 70810 MetalBeard's Sea Cow
- 70816 Benny's Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP!
- 70818 Double-Decker Couch
- 70821 Emmet and Benny's 'Build and Fix' Workshop!
- 71023 The LEGO Movie 2 Collectible Minifigures
- 70434 MetalBeard's Heavy Metal Motor Trike!
- 70837 Shimmer & Shine Sparkle Spa!
- 70841 Benny's Space Squad
- 71214 Fun Pack
Movie Appearances[edit | edit source]
Video Game Appearances[edit | edit source]
LEGO.com Description[edit | edit source]
This is a description taken from LEGO.com. Please do not modify it.
This ‘70s era spaceman suffers from a cracked helmet and lack of oxygen. His first love will always be spaceships but he will do anything to help his fellow LEGO Master Builders.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
Alternate expression
2015 version
Benny on his Dimensions base
Benny among his fellow master builders
- Bennyspaceman.jpg
In a photo shared by The LEGO Movie's Facebook page revealing his name
- BennyCharlieDay.jpg
A movie poster advertising Charlie Day as Benny
CGI
- BennyTLM.png
CGI
Benny and his friends aboard the submarine
- Astro Benny.png
Benny as he appears in The LEGO Movie Video Game
- How-benny1.jpg
Benny on the Emmet awards website
