Childhood Obsessions: Lego

Especially for those who had/have a similar attachment to the little plastic brick

Everyone by now will surely be familiar with the little Lego brick known all across the world. First created in Denmark, 1932, the Lego company first started making a series of wooden toys, and it wasn't until 1942 in which the company began making the first plastic bricks along with other plastic modules and models, At the time of writing there is an average of 80 bricks per person on Earth. Lego (Danish for "play well") has entered the hearts of many people from young to old and today I will be writing about how it has played a role in my life.

As I have written before, I was a major fan of Thomas The Tank Engine growing up from my earliest days. I had most of the characters and destinations so one day on holiday in 2009 when we walked into a Smyth's toy shop there was nothing really there that I fancied picking up. My dad suggested having a look around as the store was just massive. While walking around I came across an aisle full of all kinds of Lego sets. My eyes then became fixed on a Lego SpongeBob SquarePants set of the Krusty Krab and this became my first ever Lego purchase.

By the time Christmas came, I had a handful of sets, enough to build a little town with plenty of Minifigures and vehicles. For Christmas of the same year, I also got a small little camera so I was mad taking photos and videos of anything and everything, including my Lego. Soon I got the hang of making short movies of Lego, be it a short story or film shot of my collection.

Christmas 2009

Stop Animation

As I grew up I began watching YouTube videos of other people's Lego shorts and skits which included film and an interesting method called Stop Animation. Stop Animation is a series of shots taken of a prop or setting where you slightly move the inanimate object frame by frame in order to give the illusion of movement. I was fascinated with the concept and would watch them for hours on end.

Many years went by with many more purchases from the smallest of cars to a massive Hogwarts Castle. As time progressed the quality of the Stop Animations advanced as well into more thrilling effects. I had always wanted to make my own sort of video content so I began writing scripts and plots for a Lego series I would post on YouTube. I dipped in and out of the hobby for a few years till March of this year when I created an Instagram page to post my first proper Stop Animation test.

Quirky Productions

My Instagram and YouTube pages I decided to call "Quirky Productions" would feature many different types of films, animations, and even a bit of photography. I have worked consistently on building my Instagram page for the longest time with several smaller projects gearing up to start producing my own series on YouTube, although currently, I have already released a few smaller video projects on my channel.

Another somewhat unrelated project I have been working on is the recreation of the sights of Co Kerry. So far I have built the old Dingle and Tralee passenger engine, Blennervile windmill, and Rose of Tralee park. If all goes as planned I hope to build the statue of St Brendan situated in Fenit village next. In the future, I would like to display some sort of layout at an exhibit to present some of my builds. 

The Blennerville Windmill with my Lego recreation

Conclusion

My life would be entirely different if I had not stumbled across the Lego SpongeBob SquarePants set that day in 2009. I more than likely never would have begun watching those YouTube videos and never came into to hobby I'm into now. As an adult fan of Lego (AFOL), it still holds a spot in my heart to this day like many others as it gives you the creative liberty to construct anything you dream of while also developing your imagination.

If you would like to check out my work I have left the links below and would be so grateful!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quirky_productions_2021/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaS1I-OOEPrKVYVhTjx2w-w