Channel your inner child with Lego

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/03/2021 (814 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

What is your earliest memory of Lego? 

When I was a kid we had some basic red bricks, but I went on to appreciate the evolution of these colourful building blocks as an assistant builder during my son’s Star Wars Lego phase.

The history of Lego began in 1932 when Danish toy maker Ole Kirk Christiansen, named his toy company by combining the Danish words LEg GOdt which means play well. His grandson still runs the company today. Coincidently, Lego in Latin means “I put together.”

Canadians have been enjoying Lego since 1962, and today’s themes, colours and shapes offer an outlet of unlimited imagination to young and old alike. One such group of enthusiasts is the Manitoba Lego Users Group of MBLUG.

MBLUG is a group of Adult Fans of Lego. Scott Templeton has been a member since 2018, and I asked him several questions, including when his love of brick-building began.

“I started building around four years old, since my older brother had Lego. We preferred to throw everything into a bucket and build our own creations. I always suggest beginning builders look at the 4+ line for young builders and the Creator 3-in-1 line for others.

“If looking for a real challenge, look at the Creator Expert sets. My personal favourite is the Colosseum. It looks amazing on my coffee table.”

How did you discover the Manitoba Lego group?

“I found the group when I was attending the Winnipeg ComicCon and was amazed by the custom creations on display. Right now, my goals are to create a hockey rink like the old Winnipeg Arena, or maybe the Burton Cummings Theatre. I guess you could say I have an interest in local architecture.“
COVID-19 restrictions have made it difficult for social groups to continue their activities. How has MBLUG adapted?

“We participated in some virtual shows such as Ai-Kon and Lego Brick Fair. We have been meeting regularly over Zoom and doing building challenges. Right now, we are doing a contest where you can only build using 256 studs of baseplate. Otherwise, we all communicate regularly on Discord, sharing builds, links, sales, and other Lego topics.”

I’ve always wondered how Lego comes up with the different sets. You mentioned the Ideas theme.

“Ideas is very unique because they are based on fan creations. Lego fans build sets and collect votes. Once a set reaches 10,000 votes, Lego looks over the finalists and picks one to become an actual Lego set. This usually results in some sets and themes that are not normally produced. For instance, the next Ideas set to be released is based on Winnie the Pooh.”

Wanda Prychitko is a community correspondent for St. James-Assiniboia. Contact wprychitko@yahoo.ca