Lego brings nostalgia and fun to adult collectors
Building Lego isn’t just for kids. But what’s the real appeal for adult LEGO fans?
Sahara Haney’s first experience with Lego wasn’t love at first sight.
Haney, 36, and her husband were looking for the perfect activity for a date night. They bought a small Lego set to build.
“We hated it,” Haney recalls. “I’m like, ‘Oh, no, Lego isn’t for me.'”
But earlier this year, Haney wanted to renovate her home office. She was looking for “cute accessories” and came up with a Lego set of roses and sunflowers.
“I fell in love with it,” she said. She enjoyed following instructions and building elaborate sets. “My brain turned off.”
Now she’s part of a group of adults who are passionate about Lego. Some join fan clubs, participate in conventions, and share their love on social media.
Haney estimates that some months he spends $1,000 on Lego sets.
And these aren’t your kids’ Legos. Complex sets for adults to assemble can cost hundreds of dollars. Lego recently released its most expensive Lego set, Star Wars Death Star, for $999.99.
Adults’ passion for LEGO evokes nostalgia
Nostalgia has driven the popularity and growth of the adult Lego market, said Toy Book editor-in-chief James Zahn.
“Nostalgia has always been an important part of the toy industry,” Zahn said. There has always been a market for toys and items that “evoke special emotions: warm feelings, good childhood memories.” And for generations, Lego has been a part of it.
Lego’s rise in popularity coincides with the replacement of popular traditional model kits such as cars and airplanes that have been around for decades and have lost their luster and become difficult to obtain, Zahn said.
Zahn said Lego made its own sets before licensing out the rights to make sets for Star Wars and other games. They sold well, he said, but weren’t as successful as when Lego was able to license sets based on franchises like Harry Potter, Marvel and DC Comics.
The company has also developed sets for different price points and skill levels. For example, Zahn said the new F1 race series will have some sets designed for children and others for the oldest members of the family.
He said some enthusiasts use Lego sets as investments, and some keep factory-sealed boxes on hand, because “Lego has the potential to outperform the stock market. This is a really unique scenario, and I don’t think anyone could have predicted it.”
Lego also welcomes adult fans
“We at the LEGO Group have long recognized that the fun of LEGO® building transcends ages and has many benefits for adults,” Genevieve Cruz, head of adult consumer group and franchises at the LEGO Group, told USA TODAY. “Building with LEGO bricks allows adults to relax, express their creativity, and gain a sense of accomplishment as they explore their passions further.”
The floral Lego plant collection is “very popular with adult builders looking for mindfulness, self-care and a way to decorate their personal spaces, while Lego icon sets, modeled after pop culture icons such as ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Shire,’ offer nostalgic and creative explorations of fandom,” she said, adding that there are more than 100 sets designed for the 18+ market.
Even adults can relax with Lego
Haney said she loves being able to “shut off” her mind and relax while building Lego sets.
“As an adult and especially as a professional, I’m always working. I lead a team of over 30 people, so my mind is always going, going, going,” said Haney, a higher education digital learning director who lives in Denham Springs, Louisiana. “Sometimes you just need to give your head a break.”
As a millennial, Haney said she also loves the childhood memories brought back when building Lego sets like Mario, Pac-Man and Game Boy.
Haney, who started making videos about her passion for Lego earlier this year, said she has found a large community online who share her love for the building blocks.
“We all bond over something so simple that it really sparks the inner child in all of us,” she said.
Haney estimates he owns more than 100 Lego sets. Many are built and displayed in her home office, while others sit in closets awaiting construction.
Adults can relive childhood love with LEGO
Simon Hemmings, 47, who grew up in the UK and moved to the US in 2009, has been building Lego sets for as long as he can remember.
Hemmings, who lives in Denver, recalls working on sets until his early teens, then taking a break during college.
Then, about 10 or 15 years ago, I started paying attention to Lego building sets and my interest reignited.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said Hemmings, who works in sales for a telecommunications company. “It’s a way to muffle the noise.”
Hemmings also noticed that there were Lego sets marketed toward her Gen X age group. For example, the Beatles-themed Fab Four and Yellow Submarine sets.
“They’re doing a really good job of catering to adult audiences right now,” Hemmings said.
Hemmings said that although she has disposable income to pursue her hobbies, she won’t spend more than $250 or $300 on a Lego set, and often buys sets that cost as little as $25.
Recalling his childhood, working with more complex sets was satisfying for him.
“The feel of the bricks and the way they click together is very satisfying,” he said. “I don’t fully understand what’s going on inside my brain, but I think it’s the tactile nature of the brain. There’s a comforting aspect to that.”
There’s also the satisfaction of “I put up a big pile of bricks, and before I know it, I’ve built a Mini Cooper or something.”
“I think hobbies are very undervalued in today’s society,” Hemmings says. “I think it’s worth taking a little time to do something that’s meaningful to you.”
Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at blinfisher@USATODAY.com or follow her at @blinfisher on X, Facebook and Instagram and @blinfisher.bsky.social on Bluesky.. Sign up for our free The Daily Money newsletter, breaking down complex consumer and financial news. Subscribe here.
