What’s the Deal With LEGO?

Nostalgia might be the glue that holds LEGO together

A LEGO set was not in my parent’s budget when I was a child. LEGO is quite expensive here in Ireland; in Brazil, it’s like straight-out armed robbery. For years, I longed to buy one and have fun building with the blocks. But how do you justify spending so much money on plastic bricks?

Well, last week, I finally did it. I bought a LEGO set.

I love Winnie the Pooh and was very impressed with the set launched in early 2021. I remember when one of my friends sent me pictures of it just before the launch — I was dazzled and slightly tempted. However, I also had a baby on the way and a toddler to boot. I knew I wouldn’t have the time or the headspace to assemble tiny pieces of coloured plastic amidst sleepless nights and endless feeds.

Now, the baby is two, the toddler is almost four, and that set is about to be discontinued. As a bonus, it was also discounted. Plus, they offered a smaller Disney 100 set for free. I love free stuff! I couldn’t resist. The child in me spoke louder, and I bought my first-ever LEGO set.

It arrived very quickly, packed neatly in a cute box. When I opened it, I found the instruction booklet inside its own cardboard container with two sticker sheets and all the little LEGO pieces inside seven separate bags. All so neatly packed and organised, I was instantly in love.

I admit I’m very impressed with the booklet they sent. It isn’t exactly an hour-long reading material, but it’s beautifully made and shares a bit about the product and the designer who created the model. I thought it was a nice touch. Although, at the same time, what the heck am I supposed to do with that once I finish my set? Well, it doesn’t matter.

“Since its first publication in 1926, the timeless adventures of Winnie the Pooh and his friends have won the hearts of kids of all ages. Generations of parents have passed the stories on to their kids and continue to discover new meanings and hidden gems in the books.” — quote from the booklet that came with the LEGO Winnie the Pooh set.

I was pleased to find out that this set was born as a LEGO IDEAS. If you’re anything like me, you have no idea what this means, so I’ll tell you. This means the set was born as an idea by a LEGO fan, gathered a lot of support from the LEGO community and then became an official product. Isn’t that awesome?

The original idea had the same figures, although they looked slightly different (I wonder if that’s why Christopher Robin wasn’t included in the set? I do miss him!). It also had the same idea of a sign for the 100 Acre Wood and Pooh’s house coming out from inside the tree. Even the slanted roof with different coloured tiles is present in the original model.

The set went on sale for LEGO Insiders (a kind of VIP LEGO store for super fans) on the 18th of March, 2021. Apparently, it was sold out in less than 10 hours! Well, they brought the set back at some point, and it’s still available on their website. However, it is now marked as “last chance”, meaning the set will be retired soon. And the tag worked on me because it added weight to my decision to buy the product.

Did I mention I’ve never done LEGO before and was excited to finally try it?

I have two kids, and they have had birthday parties. So, of course, we already own some LEGO. But since the older one is still only three, they’re all DUPLO LEGO — not exactly the same thing.

I couldn’t resist building my model the same day it arrived, even though I didn’t have much time before waking up my younger daughter from her nap. I guess that’s where the disappointment set in. I opened the bag marked 1. It had another two small bags inside it. After checking the instructions, I opened them, too. I found a lot of bricks inside those bags — some of them made specifically for this set (or at least, it looks like that).

The instructions are really easy to follow, perhaps a bit too easy (hey, the pack says 18+; I was expecting something more challenging). There’s really no challenge to building a LEGO model. Well, not this model, in any case. Maybe it’s different with other sets; I wouldn’t know. I don’t know exactly what I expected… I knew you build LEGO by following the instructions — at least when it comes to kits like this one. So, I’m not sure what I expected to find.

But I didn’t quite find it. It was way too quick and effortless to follow the instructions. I didn’t finish it all on the same day, but I could have, easily. I don’t think it took me two hours to complete this set, even though it says it should be three to four hours. I wish I had timed how long it took me.

Before I knew it, the set was finished and ready. And then what? What do you do with a LEGO model once you finish building it? Perhaps you’ll have hours of imaginative play with your set if you’re a child, but I don’t plan on doing any of that. Someday, I’ll share it with my girls, but right now, they’re too young and would only destroy it. For now, it’ll sit on my desk, beside my computer — so I’ll be looking at it every morning. Perhaps, I will change the scene every once in a while, to keep it fresh.

So, what’s the deal with LEGO?

I had fun building the model, but it was much easier than I envisioned. I don’t even know how it could be more challenging, but I thought it would be, and I also missed some sort of freedom while building it. I changed a few things to make it my own, but it was minor adjustments, and it didn’t feel like enough.

The finished product is absolutely adorable, and I love having it on my desk. I won’t be playing with it, but it adds a little dash of colour and whimsical energy to my working space. I admit, I’m looking forward to building these sets with my girls, as I think there is a challenge for kids to follow the instructions, and I’ll be able to observe and help when needed. Also, I know we will play with the sets, hopefully for many hours — so that’s a bonus.

However, as an adult (hey, technically, I am an adult, all right?) who has never played with LEGO before, something was lacking; therefore, this will be the last LEGO set I purchase for myself. Unless the Steamboat Willie set I got for free changes my mind; I already own it, I may as well build it.

I guess nostalgia might indeed be the secret ingredient to LEGO, and you can’t order that on Amazon.