How do people handle this? Do you tell people or do you keep it mostly to yourself :)

I don't go around saying " Hi! I'm Alex and I'm an AFOL!". My close family knows about it and so does my girlfriend. She's kind of an AFOL, and I'm the cause of it. My brother gets a lot of his info from me. He doesn't find it strange. My mom doesn't either. My dad on the other hand acts embarrassed by it. I'm not that cussing SOB he was. My friends have their strange hobbies and I have mine. They have no problem with it. Some of the store employees give me weird looks and such. The Lego Store manager where I live is an AFOL. Most people keep to themselves. I don't tell most people I meet unless we become friends. It's not really any of their business. No one has really said anything bad about me either. Overall, being an AFOL doesn't affect my social life much.

My family know, my mum loves it because she used to like watching me build sets when I was a kid, my sister loves it as she gets most of the sets for me, and excuse for her to shop, my brother and dad dont say much, my best mate thinks its cool and wishes he could but not with the work he does and with 2 rugrats.

I am a TFOL and everybody at my school knows that I am a huge Lego fan (mostly because of almost all of my school projects include lego some how ) amd many people that liking lego is stupid or that you like the same sex as yours (I don't) but my teachers like the stuff that I make and I get extra credit and some people really like what I make and I know that the kids who make fun of me have low self esteams and can only feel good about making fun of others or are jealous. But I am fine about saying that I like lego and at a High school band night, where 8th graders come and play with the high school band and I built a small stand for my music which connects to my clarinet and the high schoolers really liked it and my band teacher was impressed that I made it. My mom, my step dad, and my dad think that I should grow up to become an engineer or an architect because of what I make. I don't mind what people say about me being a TFOL.

As a TFOL I dont go round shouting it to the world. When I do go into buy lego though the employees give strange looks and when I go in with my little brother and my mum they will usually give the bag to my little brother instead. My two brothers do like the star wars sets I get but they arent into it enough to buy the sets, they leave that to me. My Mum is fine with it and gladly likes to pay for sets on occasions when I say I will pay her back but she never takes the money out if my bank account. My dad doesnt really mind the hobbby as such but rather the money I put toward all the sets. I get $10 a week which in New Zealand is about $7 US. Out of the $520 I get a year probably $50 of that doesnt get spent on lego. When I get my first job that amount of money and sets I will have is going to sky rocket which is great news for me, not so great news for my shelves . My friends know that I am a fan of lego but they dont really think its that weird. I don't really care about what people at school say about me it because I probably wont even see them when I graduate so it doesn't matter me. I don't exactly tell them about it anyway. Lego is perfect for what kind of line of work I want to get into anyway (architecture and engineering) so it makes me think about structures and designs a lot.

I would love to have a lego store where I live so I could work there, it would the perfect job for me.

Edited November 15, 200915 yr by Roncanator

I think at first, my family thought it was a little odd-- but now my parents actually seem oddly proud of the fact. I think it was a matter of putting it in perspective. I've worked with the LEGO company on a few major projects, which immediately seems to garner some respect right there. But in addition, doing things like expositions at train shows and other "professional" venues also makes people seem to realize that "Oh-- this is actually serious!". And suddenly, it goes from being an oddity to being some sort of more legitimate activity.

Showing people actual models that I've made meets with mixed results. Some people are simply impressed no matter what you show them. You can show them a UCS Star Wars model that you built by following instructions and they'll be impressed. Or you can show them an amazingly detailed model the size of a 16x16 baseplate and they might not really appreciate it. Or they might be blown away. Seems to be a mixed bag-- but I can't be sure of the reaction I'll get based on showing off models. It's the same thing at train shows-- some people are impressed with things just because they're a LARGE amount of LEGO. And some will be unimpressed no matter how large or well built things are.

Generally, however, most people I've talked to are fascinated with the hobby. It's not always their cup of tea, but they're typically interested in what we do. And maybe that has to do with the typical demographic that I talk to as well. I talk to my co-workers at a financial data company, people at train shows, or other LEGO events. And most of those people are generally from a similar cross-section of middle-class/upper-middle-class areas of the USA. Perhaps I'd get a different reaction from other groups, but I can't really say...

DaveE

Hi, I'm 18 years old.

I only heard 1 people in my boarding house said? You buy that for $130?

Don't you read in that box written "6-12"?

Actually he's joking and I didn't care much.

And another people in my boarding house, they just amazed about my Legos.

My parents and brother, they support this Legoism. As long as I'm happy with it.

They didn't grummble though. My brother almost became AFOL too. But he resisted well.

Just wait the time though.

I tell other people. It doesn't really matter what they think, as long as they don't try to kill me as a result. If your friends judge you, maybe they aren't that great friends. It's not like you are doing something morally offensive.

As a TFOL myself i usualy keep it to myself at school, but after visiting one of my friends house i realized they had an impressive collection themself, and soon found out all of my friends have LEGO. Though they are not as interested in them as i am. When i go to a lego store, i like talking with other people about it too, i met quite a few TFOL and AFOLs in the store on opening day. Overall, im not afraid to tell people about it, heck when i have parties at my house i usualy have all my stuff on display!

Edit: Besides who doesnt like asking for a cheese slope and getting one

Edited November 15, 200915 yr by MrTools

I'm a TFOL, and I don't think anyone else knows.

I prefer not to say.

Unfortunate, in my climate people just doesn't understand it!

It looks like nobody seems to consider this as a serious, intellect-demanded, time consuming, expensive and most important, very satisfying hobby, except Lego builders.

When I was 11, one of my creation, truck mounted crane, was presented on a national TV station, in a show for kids.

I was a hero to a neighborhood kids.

Now, when I am 24, I prefer not to talk about "playing with Legos".

It is better to show directly the unique creation to a person and then reaction is very good, the person admires my work.

If I just say I like to construct with Legos, without showing anything, person often looks me with the negative amazement!

But when I tell that my other hobbies are motorcycles and working out in Gym, it looks like I am back on right track in their eyes!

I think that major problem for low-graded opinion is that the people are not informed properly, also it looks like it is never going to change, but it is just more more motivating for me to keep building better and better!

Hey there everyone

A couple of years ago pretty much everyone in my class found out I like lego and since then I was kinda taken the piss out of by some people. My 2 best friends don't care and one owns a huge collection of old mint condition pirate lego. But anyway I am always shouted lego at when the topic comes up but these days I just ignore them and my friends will normally start to piss them off. The best thing to do is stay proud.

Anyway I think there are 2 Afol's as teacher's at my school. One put up pictures of it in his main teaching room and I saw the other 1 on brickshelf searching it.

When I was a teen and still buying and playing withe Lego my mother was a little non-plussed to say the least. My dad didn't mind (it kept me out of trouble in the house intead of hanging out with "the wrong crowd") my sister thought it was ok and my little brother thought it was the best thing ever.

Now that I am in both legal and social estimates an adult my mother is resigned to the fact and likes it when I let her build the town sets (she is trying to convince me to buy the medival marketplace).

My work collegues know it is my hobby, but they also know I am a nerd. One guy loves motorcycles, the other watches two films a day. We all have our hobbies.

One person called me a loon, but in a good way.

No one has a problem with my hobby I have passed the weird teen thing and passed ino Eccentricity.

I'm still a TFOL but still. My mom and dad have no problem with it in fact they like the fact that I'm different from the other boys at my school in short they are all spitting cussing perverted football players. Nearly all of my friend still play with Lego quite often and often ask me what sets are going to come out soon. But I'm occasionally made fun of but barely some people call me "Lego man" as an insult but really I take it as a compliment also due to my experience with Lego I'm very mechanically inclined which always helps. And my dad knows I'm into mechanical stuff so he lets me help him repair the car sometimes and shows me the inner workings of things. So yeah so far nothing bad really happens.

I think that for everyone in this thread saying you don't tell anyone or you keep this info to yourself should be thinking about how you view yourself.

I'm 27 and I am an AFOL, I don't tell every new person I meet but if anyone asks me or sees my LEGO's and ask what's up with that, I tell them, I break off on a tangent about how much I like building them and photographing them.

So I don't introduce myself as a LEGO fanatic, but if it ever comes up or they ask what my hobbies are, I'll let them know. I think hiding somethign like this is just like hiding anything else, your ashamed of it. What fun is collecting LEGO's if your ashamed of them??

I'm with Big Cam on this one. I don't go telling everyone I know that I still "play" with Lego, but if it comes up, I'm not afraid to admit it. I also often use Lego for school projects, so people will find out that way.

When I'm at the toy store, and see people having trouble deciding which set to get (usually adults), I'll let them know what I think the recipient will enjoy, and if a new version of the set is coming out soon.

But I guess I haven't really answered the question . People generally seem genuinely interested in it, and usually want to see my MOCs.

Hmm, I tell everybody who is interested or willing to listen.

I guess I feel no shame, must be my Dutch nature.

And when you visit my house it is quite in your face, since the living room is filled with Lego.

I must admit some people don't really understand, untill I show them some MOCs.

And even then I often have to tell them I really designed and build it myself.

But actually out of a hundred people 99 are interested, since they had Lego as a kid as well.

Well i don't just go and tell everybody, but people always love my creations and i have had nothing but good reactions so far.

Thanks everybody for the replies to this, it sounds like nobody has had any real bad experiences with this which is good.

Paul

Thanks everybody for the replies to this, it sounds like nobody has had any real bad experiences with this which is good.

Paul

The worst thing that can really happen is someone will make fun of you for still playing with toys (depending on your age). If something like that bothers you then only you can help yourself with that. I rarely give a hoot what someone else thinks about me, unless it's my wife or close family.

I get a few friendly ribs from friends, but nothing demeaning or condescending. Everybody has their thing, so I reciprocate.

My apologies to TFOLs, but I've noticed the only flak I've ever gotten are from teenagers, especially ones with a romantic notion of what it means to be grown up. But I was much the same way, so I can hardly blame them.

In the end, I don't actually care what anybody thinks. This is my thing, and I'd be happy to share with anybody interested, but just as happy if I didn't.

I don't tell everyone just to tell them but I am rather reserved in sharing personal information so that's nothing new but I don't try and hide it. I am proud of my collection and MOC's. Many people I know are pleasantly surprised, interested and impressed. I am a big boss guy at work and people have a tendancy to be intimidated so it's a quirky thing that reveals another side of me that isn't readily aparent to many. Plus in my book a little weird is a good thing. Life is way to short, do things that you enjoy when you have time to do it. We all have to spend a lot of time doing things we don't. Lego makes me happy.

I'm a TFOL, and I've never gotten any "funny looks" from people when I buy LEGO. I march proudly to the cashier with my LEGO sets!

As for family, my younger brother who isn't into LEGO pretends not to be interested in it, but whatever, I don't care. He spends most of his time in front of his computer fiddling around with Windows for no apparent reason.... My parents have a "oh no, not more LEGO" attitude in a sort of sarcastic way, they don't really mind. My mum badgers me every day because she wants to build the Pirate Advent Calendar set (I'm opening my advent calendar early because I can't take it with me when I go overseas in December).

My friends think it's a strange kind of hobby, but they think it's interesting at the same time. LEGO is sort of nostalgic for them.

But I think it's a great hobby, it's like an art in my opinion.

I'm an AFOL of 23, I've been married for three years, and my in-laws have never understood it, they think it's immature and a waste of money.

This weekend I showed them my beach house MOC that I've just finished, and there was a satisfying stunned silence.

Not that it's an amazing MOC or anything, just that they had never seen Lego beyond sets and the boxy stuff kids build. They were genuinely interested in it, the details and especially my design process.

My mother in-law asked if I'd like Lego for christmas! Yes Please!

My wife and I are 29 and are both AFOL's. Stacy is even a LEGO Ambassador for this cycle and having her as a building buddy makes being a LEGO geek all the more fun! If co-workers or friends ask about our hobbies or what we're into, LEGO is always the first thing that gets brought up. I don't think anyone has ever said anything negative about us being into LEGO...at least not that I know of. When I tell people at work, they are always intrigued and I have a number of MOC's displayed on my file cabinets in my office. People often stop by to see 'what's new' as I rotate them often. I also get a lot of LEGO related links from co-workers whenever a LEGO story is in the news. My family loves that we are into LEGO and they always get us LEGO sets for birthday, Christmas, and any other time they can think of. They even help us setup and tear-down at the local Model Train Show we exhibit at each March.

In summary, pretty much everyone that knows me knows I am a huge LEGO fan and I have had no issues with it. The people I know are generally pretty open and accepting people. Plus, I think the LEGO hobby is starting to go a little more mainstream and is being looked at as a legitimate adult hobby.

-Dave