Living in a
34 ;e Costco Connection DECEMBER 2012
By Bryan Reesman
LEGO IS NOT just kid stuff anymore. United
through online forums and conventions,
Adult Fans of LEGO (AFOLs), grown-ups
with disposable income and ambitious ideas,
are proudly embracing their inner child in an
era of Big Bang Theory chic.
AFOLs express their LEGO love in special ways: building replicas of the Empire
State Building or the Eiffel Tower, amassing
armies of mini-figures, creating massive
micro-cities using tiny bricks and tiles.
They’re pretty amazing.
Costco member Nathan Sawaya (aka the
“Brick Artist”) transferred his talent for
sculpting in traditional media to adult LEGO
creations. “When I was 10 years old, I asked
my parents for a dog, but they said no,” recalls
Sawaya. “So I built my very own life-size dog
out of LEGO bricks. It was my first aha
moment, when I realized that I could build
anything out of LEGO. If I wanted to pretend
to be an astronaut, I could build myself a
rocket. If I wanted to be a rock star, I could
build myself a guitar.”
Sawaya has created everything from
a 15-foot-tall, 53-foot-long
Hollywood billboard
(using more than
500,000 bricks) to a
20-foot-long, life-size
replica of a
Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton. His The
Art of the Brick exhibition
has been touring globally
since 2007, and celebrities,
corporations and art collectors have purchased his
sculptures.
Other notable AFOLs
include Sean Kenney, who creates
everything from exhibition-size pieces
e h n a 15-foot-tall, 53-foot-long
u g c 7 corporations and art collec- s
cw
m
world
Fan loyalty built brick by brick
to personal brick portraits mounted on wood,
and Iain Heath, who became famous for his
LEGO Stephen Hawking and also constructs
foot-tall brick portraits of famous people,
such as Freddie Mercury and the comedy
troupe Monty Python. LEGO takes these
folks seriously—they have developed relationships with more than 70 AFOL user
groups totaling more than 70,000 members.
Since 1999, LEGO has reached young
converts by releasing movie and TV crossover
sets for such franchises as Pirates of the
Caribbean, The Lord of the Rings, Dora the
Explorer and, most successfully, Star Wars.
The tie-ins can lead kids to take apart the
themed sets to build their own creations.
Behind the bricks
The beloved interlocking LEGO bricks
first emerged in 1949 and have since
expanded into electric trains, themed sets,
computer-controlled sets, robotic invention
systems and multiplayer online gaming.
LEGO is now the world’s third-largest toy
manufacturer.
Sarah Herman, author of A Million Little
Bricks: The Unofficial Illustrated History of the
Lego Phenomenon (Skyhorse Publishing,
2012), pinpoints part of their eternal appeal.
“I had a sister and a brother, and we would get
the sets and stuff at Christmas and for birthdays,” says Herman. “Then everything just
ended up in these giant plastic tubs of
mixed LEGO, and the three of us
played together. There were no
arguments, and there were no
fights over it. I have a lot of
happy memories of LEGO.”
She has collected a few sets as
an adult and regularly checks
out their new products.
” ended up in these giant plastic tubs of nded up in these giant plastic tubs of d t
arguments, and there were no a
The Costco Connection The LEGO Ideas Book and The LEGO Book, both by Daniel Lipkowitz, are available in most warehouses and ready to serve as inspiration for LEGO fans of all ages.
Beyond the bricks
Beyond brick building, the LEGO phenomenon has inspired comic books, homemade movies, children’s robotics programs,
video games, LEGOLAND theme parks and
the first North American LEGOLAND hotel,
under construction in California. The LEGO
experience is truly a family affair.
AFOL Daniel Lipkowitz penned The Lego
Book and The Lego Ideas Book, which are ideal
for helping fans of all ages explore the unlimited building world. Lipkowitz also writes
comics and articles for the popular LEGO
Club monthly magazine. Animated LEGO
projects he has scripted for franchises such as
The Avengers and The Lord of the Rings have
appeared on TV and in movie theaters. One
stop-motion Star Wars short clocked more
than 8 million views on You Tube.
“I used to spend hours putting together
my official sets and then rebuilding them into
something new,” recalls Lipkowitz. “That’s
just what I see kids today doing as well.
Models were a lot simpler back then, so I’m a
little envious of all of the new pieces and col-
ors they have to play with these days.”
Sawaya adds, “The LEGO brand encour-
ages and thrives on creativity and imagina-
tion. I believe I can create anything out of
LEGO bricks.” C
Bryan Reesman is New York-based freelance
writer.
