We no longer have a dining room table. Instead, we have a Lego assembly platform that’s our grandchildren’s favorite spot.
Kirk Christiansen started making wooden Legos in 1932. The company shifted the focus from wood to plastic bricks in the late 1940s. The company experienced a major slump in the early 2000s, but they went back to the basics and partnered with major franchises.
The result was success to the tune of billions of dollars.
They added franchises like Nintendo, Disney and Pixar, and the company outperformed all competitors.
Now fans can create entire universes in worlds including the Harry Potter, Marvel and Star Wars stories.
Legos aren’t cheap. One of the most expensive sets is a replica of the Death Star from Star Wars. That will set a buyer back $999. The Eiffel Tower, with 10,000 pieces, is only $629.
Lego sets are great for children because there aren’t written directions. Step-by-step large drawings guide Lego builders.
Simpler sets might have a manual with 10-12 pages. The bigger models can have five or six instruction manuals.
But these aren’t the Legos from your childhood. A Star Wars set with SMART play make engine and laser-shooting noises.
People can build a model Bugatti racing car or a mini orchid or rose. Legos have hidden compartments, moving parts and some even launch projectiles.
My sister, Diane, is a master builder. She has a massive collection of Legos, including a small working carousel she built with her granddaughters and an entire city she had on display at her office building.
Our 17-year-old grandson had an impressive collection of Lego displays, and he enjoys talking about the fun he had putting those sets together.
Our 14-year-old grandson was interested in Legos from an early age. He went from Spider-Man to Ninjago to Star Wars.
His interest waned as sports took over, but his younger brother started putting together Lego cars and Minecraft sets. Older brother came back around, and Legos are now at the top of his hobby list.
Watching the two boys sit together at our dining room table, rifling through the boxes of loose Legos and creating new designs, was a treat. In what seemed like divine intervention, a flyer popped up on my computer for a Lego Brick Expo in Katy that same day.
The event stated they’d have sets for sale, appearances by Lego masters and dozens of displays.
We loaded up the car and headed north. The center was packed with merchants selling literally thousands of Legos. There were retired sets for sale and completed sets to dazzle everyone’s imagination.
One of the most impressive was a complete replica of downtown Houston made from Legos. Another was a huge replica of a temple, and a glow-in-the-dark diorama.
Members of the Houston Brick Club – Lego lovers – were there to answer questions and talk Legos.
I called my sister and had her on Facetime as we walked around. She now has a list of the Expos close to her, and I know she’ll be the first one in line to enter the event.
What amazed me at the Expo was the people. The center was packed with Lego fans of all ages. Parents were just as interested in Lego sets as their children. Gray-haired retirees were purchasing sets as were Goth-dressed teens.
Something simple can spark the imaginations of young and old, and interest is growing. Judging from the huge crowd when we were there, and the excited looks on the faces of people hugging their purchases, the Lego company has the right idea.
We can all learn something from these little plastic bricks. Turn off the video game, put away your phone and create something tangible with your hands and a little bit of imagination.
This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.