Back in February 2022, The LEGO Foundation started an initiative to donate LEGO MRI Scanners to hospitals worldwide to help ease children’s fears of using the machine. Today LEGO has announced that over one million children around the world have used the LEGO MRI Scanner set to reduce anxiety. Since 2023, more than 10,000 LEGO MRI Scanner sets have been donated to hospitals and health professionals around the world.

Play-based LEGO® MRI Scanner set reduces anxiety and sedation for children in hospitals worldwide

BILLUND, DENMARK, 13 October 2025 – Over one million children around the world have used the LEGO Group’s MRI Scanner set, helping transform a potentially stressful medical procedure through a playful, hands-on learning experience.

The set, which features a scanner, patient bed, waiting room, scanning room, staff minifigures and medical accessories, was designed by the LEGO Group and the LEGO Foundation to help children understand MRI procedures by learning through play. MRI scans are frequently used in pediatric care because they do not use radiation. But for many children, the experience can be overwhelming requiring them to lie still in a large, noisy machine for extended periods. As a result, sedation or general anesthesia is often used.

New research conducted by the LEGO Group revealed that 96% of healthcare professionals globally who used the LEGO MRI Scanner set say the model helps alleviate children’s anxiety, and 46% report that it has reduced the need for sedation or anesthesia during MRI procedures.

Since 2023, more than 10,000 LEGO MRI Scanner sets have been donated to hospitals and health professionals around the world as part of the LEGO Group’s commitment to unlocking the power of play for children, especially those who may need it most.

From Scan to Smiles
Through role play and storytelling, the LEGO MRI Scanner allows hospital staff to offer a more child-centered, playful approach when they prepare a child for a scan. The research also showed that 95% of healthcare professionals using the set say it improves the family’s hospital experience, while 94% find it fun and engaging for children.

The LEGO Group has gathered testimonials from children, parents and healthcare professionals around the world, including five-year-old Ivy from Edinburgh, Scotland. At the age of two, Ivy began having prolonged seizures. After being put to sleep for her first MRI scan, her family and hospital team wanted to try her second scan at age four awake. Ivy was referred to the procedural anxiety team at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh, UK, where she was first introduced to the LEGO MRI Scanner model.

Speaking about their recent experience, Ivy’s mum Rachel said: “On the day of her second scan Ivy did really well and was even a bit excited! If we hadn’t played with the LEGO MRI model beforehand, I think she would have had a full meltdown and would no doubt have needed general anesthetic. Nobody wants their child to be put to sleep if you can avoid it.”

“Ivy is a visual learner and loves LEGO bricks, so seeing and explaining the procedure through play was a game changer. It really helped her to understand what to expect, took away any nerves and made things go plain sailing. Coming into hospital can be a stressful experience, but playing with this model made our whole family feel more relaxed, calm and prepared.”

Ivy added: “I liked playing with the LEGO toy. It made me feel relaxed. I didn’t like the loud noises in the real machine. But I knew what was happening. I wasn’t scared. I was brave.”

Traci Aoki-Tan, Certified Child Life Specialist at Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Centre in the US, said: “Usually, when we walk in with the LEGO MRI scanner set, the faces on the kids light up. They can’t wait to touch and play with it. The entire mood in the room gets brighter as soon as we walk in. Even anxious parents – you can see their shoulders drop.”

Jannie Bøge Steinmeier Larsen, a Project Radiographer at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, which is halfway through its Children Centered Care project exploring how to make MRI scans a more positive experience, said: “In our Children Centered Care project, the LEGO MRI model is invaluable for engaging children with wide-ranging conditions from migraine, convulsions, or cancer, creating safety and curiosity. Early results show that the vast majority of children can be MRI scanned without general anesthesia, reducing their risks and discomfort, while allocating resources for other patients. Families feel their child is seen and heard. This approach enhances both examination quality and the relationship between the child and the healthcare system.”

Diana Ringe Krogh, Vice President and Head of Social Responsibility, said: “Our MRI Scanner set shows how a simple act of play can have a big impact. We know scans can be unfamiliar and even scary for children. By giving children the opportunity to explore, ask questions, and play their way through a medical procedure, we’re helping them feel safer and more in control. It is amazing to see how this set is reducing the number of children who need to be put to sleep for their scans and improving the whole families experience and wellbeing at what can be a difficult and stressful time.”

The sets are not available for sale and are instead donated to hospitals through the LEGO Group’s Social Responsibility team’s partners across the globe including Fairy Bricks, Starlight Children’s Foundation and United Way. The program supports the LEGO Group’s broader ambition to ensure more children can access the benefits of learning through play, including in clinical settings.

To learn more about the LEGO MRI scanner, please visit our website here.

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