Why do you collect LEGO?

[hagridshut]

I have found myself wondering why I occasionally buy a LEGO set, or spend time refurbishing my old sets from the 1980's and 1990's.  Here are my reasons:

1. Nostalgia.  I enjoyed building LEGO sets and still do. 
2. Experiencing sets that I missed out on.  Although I had a good number of sets as a child, and some of my friends also had a lot of LEGO, there are many LEGO sets that I did not have the opportunity to either build or see in person.  
3. Appreciating LEGO as art.  I like discovering how LEGO designers take something complex, and create a LEGO model that captures the essence of that thing, with only a few hundred or perhaps a few thousand components.  For example, the world of Harry Potter is very rich in terms of people, locations, and stories.  It is a great challenge to convey the vastness and random curiosities of Hogwarts, or the decrepit yet charming and cozy Burrow, or the personalities of the many characters.  More generally speaking, I also like to see different building techniques, creative new uses for existing pieces, and interesting color palates. 

Do you collect LEGO?  Any thoughts on why LEGO has great appeal to people across many generations?

[Mylenium]

9 hours ago, hagridshut said:

Do you collect LEGO?

I don't because a) I have no use for nostalgia and b) I find the whole notion of collecting plastic toys just weird. You know, it simply degrades and all that.

9 hours ago, hagridshut said:

Any thoughts on why LEGO has great appeal to people across many generations?

As always: Ask a hundred people, get a hundred different answers. In my case it's simply a different outlet for my artistic and technical inclinations. No more, no less.

Mylenium

[MAB]

Different reasons: I collect parts because I like to build. I collect some minifigures because I like the licenses they come from.

11 hours ago, hagridshut said:

Any thoughts on why LEGO has great appeal to people across many generations?

I imagine a lot of it comes from being able to build something from small parts, and that anyone from a small child that can put bricks together upwards can do it.

[koalayummies]

For me its all about building. Making something on your own is what it's all about. Official sets are used for parts.

18 hours ago, hagridshut said:

Nostalgia.

The pieces, possible connections, colors and thus total creative potential of Lego today makes the Lego from "back in my day" look ancient, primitive and unattractive.

8 hours ago, Mylenium said:

I have no use for nostalgia.

Agreed.

[Peppermint_M]

I "collect" to increase my palette of parts and colours for my own creations. I have thousands of parts but they are never enough! 

Of course, I have fondness for some themes I enjoyed as a child, which I work to re-imagine and improve. I never had a "dark ages" LEGO has always been my constant hobby. 

I believe the appeal across generations is threefold:

Longevity of the product: LEGO I owned as a child in the 90s fits with the LEGO I was handed down from the 70s and 80s. These all combine with sets I purchase today. While there are some colour variations, cosmetic damage or UV affected parts, everything still functions as designed. 

Personal Attachment: While my grandparents generation did not have and did not play with LEGO, my parents did. I am not a parent, but many of my peers are and we grew up with LEGO. They want to share that with their children. My mother bought Duplo and then System sets for me as she had enjoyed the sets her brother owned (Classic Yellow Castle!), I buy my little cousin and my friend's children LEGO to play with.

Value as a toy:  LEGO, even the sets with an existing story from in-house or popular media still allows for free play. Sure, some of the oldesters might complain that Harry Potter and Luke Skywalker tag-teaming on Darth Vader and Voldemort with a bit of help from Iron Man and Legolas is not a "true" imaginative game, but it seems pretty creative. Not to mention there is fine-motor skills development, shape recognition and a whole host of other valuable experience to be developed from building according to instructions and freely. 

 

So those are my thoughts.

[DOOM!]

Because Lego is fun! It is also a great way to mentally unwind without zoning in front of the TV. Keeps the creative juices flowing. :)

[Carrera124]

I collect, because I simply like the looks and the style of the late 1970s and 1980s sets.

The modern sets from year 2000 until today, they don't appeal to me. Many of them appear ugly to me, with only very few exceptions.

[KotZ]

I collect official sets now because they're ones I really like, they have minifigs I like, and they're an outlet for me to work on photography and photoshop. I collected sets as a kid because I loved playing with them and creating stories with the characters and making brickfilms. Most of my sets have always stayed together, especially now. I did always have a bunch of spare parts to build whatever I wanted as a kid, usually very colorful. Various purist custom figs would be made for ongoing storylines I had for myself, my brother, and friends. It was always my favorite toy.

Now, I collect specific parts/sets from Bricklink and PaB because I either didn't own a specific set as a kid and always wanted it, or in the case of parts, it's something I need for a physical MOC. I do a lot of building in LDD as well, so LEGO always is around me. Like Peppermint_M, I never had a dark ages. I was still buying stuff in high school and college or building in LDD. Of course, school and other activities also were very important, but I never stopped building or paying attention to LEGO.

I've worked at an LDC, I've worked on LEGO Masters. I basically eat sleep breathe this toy.

I collect because it gives me a great outlet to be creative, to figure out problems (mainly in writing or filmmaking, minifigs are great for blocking out scenes), and it's calming. Yeah, sometimes looking for that one piece I swear I just saw can be frustrating, but building and designing is extremely relaxing for me.

And because I'm addicted.

[hagridshut]

Good to hear everyone's perspectives.  

I also enjoy LEGO as a hobby for one tangential reason: the community and shared interest with people, both local and around the world.  It's just fun sometimes to build a random MOC with a friend, or assemble the latest Winter Village set. 

[KotZ]

1 hour ago, hagridshut said:

Good to hear everyone's perspectives.  

I also enjoy LEGO as a hobby for one tangential reason: the community and shared interest with people, both local and around the world.  It's just fun sometimes to build a random MOC with a friend, or assemble the latest Winter Village set. 

I've met a lot of good people through LEGO, and it's always fun to discuss stuff or work on MOCs together.