“This isn’t a toy… it’s a highly sophisticated interlocking brick system,” said The Lego Movie in 2014, and that statement is truer than ever.
It’s hard to trace when Lego became a big deal with adults. Perhaps it was with the more advanced Technic sets starting in 1977. Perhaps it was in 2000 with their Ultimate Collector Series. Or perhaps the children who grew up on the first Lego sets in the 1950s simply continued playing into adulthood. Regardless of when it happened, when Lego declared “adults welcome” with their 2020 advertisement campaign, there was already a well-established fanbase of adult fans who continue to redefine the toy brand.
Dr. Jantina Ellens, Assistant Professor of Core and English classes at Redeemer, is one such fan. When I first entered her office, I noticed a tall pink Lego orchid on her windowsill, and on her shelf, a partially built set showcasing women of NASA.
“Ask me about my Lego collection,” Dr. Ellens said on the first day of classes this semester. So I did. I knew she was a fan of Lego, but I didn’t realize just how much of a fan she was.
Dr. Ellens, her husband, and kids have an expansive Lego collection with sets varying from pirate ships to plants to Hogwarts Castle from Harry Potter to the Ewok Village from Star Wars. She showed me just a fraction of the hundreds of drawers and several shelving systems where she organizes pieces and explained that it has been a years-long process. I was in awe.
Some might ask, why are adults spending so much money on collecting plastic bricks? Why do so many dorms have Lego flowers in their windows instead of neglected houseplants? Why were my coworkers this summer spending their meagre camp paychecks on new Lego Star Wars sets? Why does my English professor feel so passionately about Lego?
Admittedly, she said, “there is some nostalgia for it. I’ve been collecting and playing Lego my entire life, starting with Duplo when I was very small and playing with my siblings. I got back into it once I had kids—it’s really fun to build and a good way to spend time together as a family.”
However, she finds there are many other reasons to collect Lego.
Since there are Lego sets designed for a wide range of skills and ages, from simple, oversized Duplo blocks for the littlest ones to complex architecture, everyone can get in on an evening of Lego building. Some sets are even designed to be built collaboratively.
In addition, Dr. Ellens describes building with Lego as “meditative.” Focusing on an intricate set can help relieve stress. I agreed with her on that—I have, for one, bought a Lego set to relax at the end of a long school week. Plus, it’s an activity where you can completely disconnect from technology.
And finally, Dr. Ellens points out that there is Lego for all different interests. Nowadays, there are more adult-oriented sets than ever, including recreations of famous architecture and artwork, scenes from movies, elaborate car models, and Dr. Ellens’s favourite, the botanicals collection.
Chances are, there’s a Lego set out there for you, regardless of how experienced you are or what you’re interested in.
“There’s just something about the way you get to create with Lego,” said Dr. Ellens. “Newer sets have such a neat way of using old pieces. It doesn’t get boring.” She pointed out how the orchid on her desk uses frogs, shields, and spiderweb-shaped bricks to create the flowers, and the two of us marvelled at the ingenuity of the designers.
“I think I might have to get another Lego set now,” I admitted, thinking of my slowly growing collection on my dorm room bookshelf.
“Do it!” Dr. Ellens laughed.
Is Lego a toy? Essentially, yes. But it’s more than a toy. It’s the kind of thing you don’t grow out of—and who doesn’t need some more play and imagination in their life?