Lego has been running the Lego CUUSOO project for a couple of years now. Most Lego fans are familiar with the site, but may not know just where it came from. Brick Fanatics has written up a great article containing the history of the CUUSOO project and where it is going. It all started as a tiny side project from Japan and is currently on the verge of becoming mainstream. All thanks to a little Lego DeLorean (and Minecraft).
“Originally only available in Japan, the user created ideas website was a joint venture between CUUSOO and The LEGO Group and allowed Japanese LEGO fans to submit their ideas to The LEGO Group in a more formal way. Once a project reached 1000 supporters it was then reviewed by The LEGO Group for consideration on whether it should go into production.” — Brick Fanatics
You can find the full article on the Brick Fanatics website: http://brickfanatics.co.uk/how-the-delorean-effect-changed-cuusoo/
Lego has also created a video explaining the concept of the CUUSOO website: