Today's LEGO catalog goes way beyond just bricks. You can start with the Star Wars LEGO sets, which includes scene recreations from the movies and dozens of vehicles, aircraft, and structures, from X-Wings and Tie Fighters to the Death Star itself. The little LEGO Darth Vader is outrageously cute.

Star Wars is just one of the many licensed properties around which LEGO has built lavish sets. Others are Harry Potter, Spider-Man, Batman, Bob the Builder, and -- coming in August 2006 -- Spongebob Squarepants. It was only a matter of time, right?

LEGO has tried to create its own characters and stories. The company introduced a character named Jack Stone as the hero of several LEGO sets and a series of videos and computer games. Jack Stone went around stopping crooks and rescuing citizens. His slogan was “Can Do, Will Do, Done!” (a bit reminiscent of Bob the Builder's can-do slogan). For some reason, the Jack Stone plastic figure was made on a larger scale than other LEGO people, and he therefore never integrated well into the rest of the LEGO world. The company no longer generates new Jack Stone products.

LEGO has had more success with its Bionicle franchise, a series of legendary creatures that look like metal skeletons wearing oversized masks. The initial storyline involved heroes called Toa, from the island of Mata Nui, who are under the power of an evil beast called Makuta. Bionicle has spawned several new series of figures as the story keeps advancing. There are Bionicle Movies, video games, and books as well.

Exoforce is a LEGO version of Japanese mecha robots, packaged similarly to Japanese Gundam. Each unit is a robot exo-skeleton with a smaller boy inside, controlling the robot. LEGO’s Dino Attack sets pair pre-molded dinosaurs with manned LEGO vehicles that are meant to battle against them.

LEGO RC Racers are more like traditional radio-controlled cars than like traditional LEGO bricks.

LEGO in recent years has moved into sports sets. The company produced a playable basketball game and secured a license from the NBA and its players to produce player figures. The little Allen Iverson is even cuter than the little Darth Vader. LEGO also sells playable soccer and hockey games.

What's your favorite LEGO product? Share your recommendations in the comments area.