Back in January, I visited a LEGO store for the first time in years while on a date. Legos were a major part of my childhood, and I deeply believe that if I never got into them, I would be nowhere near the person I am today. You’d have to drag 7 year old me out of a LEGO store kicking and clawing the floor to get me to leave. I wanted everything in those stores, and looking at all the kits kept my mind entertained for hours. But when I go now, I feel almost nothing.
What changed? Nostalgia? Wishing to be a child again? Where did the downfall of Legos begin for me?
What changed? Nostalgia? Wishing to be a child again? Where did the downfall of Legos begin for me?
The downfall really started when Lego models evolved from simple houses and train sets, and indulged in more popular media oriented sets. When you walked in a LEGO store before, the first thing you used to see were the individual brick machines, where you could buy any assortment of bricks you wanted. It allowed kids' minds to run rampant with whatever they wanted to build in that moment with a natural constraint that made them think of creative ways to make things or solve problems.
Nowadays when you walk in, not only do those not exist, but the shelves are lined with branded Legos from every form of media: Marvel, Star Wars, Disney, Pixar, Barbie, LEGO Friends, Ford, Minecraft, Harry Potter books, everything and anything that you could think of, they have it. It’s almost overwhelming. The simple and basic Lego kits are so hidden away that it’s nearly impossible to even find something that actually was original.
Legos to me were always creativity tests. Sure, you can buy a kit and build it and take some pictures, but the most fun part was always to think outside the box and imagine what you can make with those same pieces from your own mind. Mixing and matching different sets, letting your imagination run rampant. That's what Legos were to me. Nowadays it feels like that spark has disappeared.
Nowadays when you walk in, not only do those not exist, but the shelves are lined with branded Legos from every form of media: Marvel, Star Wars, Disney, Pixar, Barbie, LEGO Friends, Ford, Minecraft, Harry Potter books, everything and anything that you could think of, they have it. It’s almost overwhelming. The simple and basic Lego kits are so hidden away that it’s nearly impossible to even find something that actually was original.
Legos to me were always creativity tests. Sure, you can buy a kit and build it and take some pictures, but the most fun part was always to think outside the box and imagine what you can make with those same pieces from your own mind. Mixing and matching different sets, letting your imagination run rampant. That's what Legos were to me. Nowadays it feels like that spark has disappeared.
At first when writing this article, I wanted to delve into the “issue with Legos” and find the reason why kids weren’t as interested in Legos as I used to be. Maybe it was the marketing, or heavily franchised sets, or even the exorbitant pricing for sets that only get higher and higher as the years go on. But then I thought: what if it was just me who enjoyed them that much, and as I evolved into using other creative outlets, I left Legos behind as a simple memory of my past? Legos have always held a special place in my heart, but I’ve simply grown out of them.
khemmer Denard
