Lego Club for Adults?

[Derek]

I was just wondering, has TLC ever considered creating a club (like the one for kids) for adults?

I think that it would be a great idea, and there could be an official TLC published magazine for AFOL's (but this isn't completely necessary). But the same idea with coupons and such.

Even an adult oriented Brickmaster would be nice, where the sets are more advanced and appeal to AFOLS. (small lModular Building style add-ons come to mind- EX. A newspaper or food stand)

What do you think? Would you subscribe and/or pay for this?

-darthperson

[cagri]

As some of us will remember, TLG had a survey about Brickjournal a few months ago. Maybe we can take it as a market research for similar products. They could make their own adult magazine or they could provide support for Brickjournal. We can't know that yet..

But it would be great to have the idea books back if not magazines. They were inspiring to me in my childhood..

[Big Cam]

I personally think its a great idea and I'd partake, but the reality is for every AFOL, there are probably 10 kids.

LEGO is a childrens toy and has always been marketed as one. I don't see it happening but we can hope.

[Markypops]

True there may be one adult for every ten kids who purchase LEGO but the average adult also has a greater purchasing power than most children and this is more than likely reflected in the quantity that they buy.

[Davey]

True there may be one adult for every ten kids who purchase LEGO but the average adult also has a greater purchasing power than most children and this is more than likely reflected in the quantity that they buy.

Exactly! I remember hearing Jørgen say in a recent interview that the average family spends $62 on LEGO sets each year. My wife and I easily spend 100x that each year. So, in our particular case 1 Adult Family = 100+ Kid Families. This probably isn't true for everyone but the truth of the matter is that AFOL's generally spend much more per year than the average family.

-Dave

[Nabii]

Brick Journal is fully supported by LEGO, it has at least two articles in every issue from deep inside the development of LEGO sets or/and from the history side of LEGO. Plus features instructions, interviews, MOC showcases and discussions with LEGO fans from around the world. What else would you want an AFOL magazine to provide?

[blueandwhite]

Brick Journal is fully supported by LEGO, it has at least two articles in every issue from deep inside the development of LEGO sets or/and from the history side of LEGO. Plus features instructions, interviews, MOC showcases and discussions with LEGO fans from around the world. What else would you want an AFOL magazine to provide?

Honestly, I fully respect what Brickjournal brings to the table and feel that LEGO would have a hard time matching the quality of Meno's publication. Moreover, an adult publication coming from LEGO themselves could kill Brickjournal which I don't think anybody would want to see. Brickjournal as an independent publication can look at issues in the AFOL community that LEGO would likely never consider/touch making it an ideal publication.

If anything, I would like to see LEGO produce an annual idea book comprised of some of the year's best MOCs photographed professionally. Given the number of public displays and conventions which LEGO is involved with, this probably wouldn't be that hard for them to do. That is something I could easily see myself purchasing.

[The Eye]

I think the only good thing about that is it might make some people feel more secure about what they're buying. Besides the fact, as said by blueandwhite, it would kill Brickjournal. We'd have to choose one.

[Ogre]

As some of us will remember, TLG had a survey about Brickjournal a few months ago. Maybe we can take it as a market research for similar products. They could make their own adult magazine or they could provide support for Brickjournal. We can't know that yet..

But it would be great to have the idea books back if not magazines. They were inspiring to me in my childhood..

I would love to see TLG bring back the 'idea book'. The older ones has some really inspiring models in them and the stickers were pretty good, too. Later books weren't quite as good but, were still better than no book at all.

I'd also like to see the Brickmaster program expanded so that us fans in Canada could get in on the action.

Exactly! I remember hearing Jørgen say in a recent interview that the average family spends $62 on LEGO sets each year. My wife and I easily spend 100x that each year. So, in our particular case 1 Adult Family = 100+ Kid Families. This probably isn't true for everyone but the truth of the matter is that AFOL's generally spend much more per year than the average family.

-Dave

$62 per YEAR????? Heck, pretty much every LEGO shopping trip of mine costs more than that, and there are far more than one per year. LOL!

And here's the thing...how many 'kids' are doing the BUYING of the LEGO sets? Not many, I'd bet! 'Mom' and 'Dad', as well as other family members (meaning: ADULTS) are usually the ones forking over the dough.

[Aanchir]

As far as magazines go, I agree that Brickjournal and "The Brick" are both suitable resources for AFOLs (I ought to get a BrickJournal subscription myself). But one thing I'd like is if there were more online official LEGO content for AFOLs.

The LEGO Club website on LEGO.com is a wonderful resource, containing interviews with employees, online building instructions, and various entertaining articles. But I personally wish there were a similar page targeted towards AFOLs, with more in-depth articles, more behind-the-scenes content that wouldn't necessarily interest kids, and information about things way back in LEGO's history that will spark nostalgia in AFOL readers.

This was one of the things I asked for on the recent survey LEGO put out. Sadly, I'm afraid it might be drowned out by silly requests like "fewer stickers" and "cheaper sets", things that LEGO isn't likely to change anytime soon.

[squiz]

Exactly! I remember hearing Jørgen say in a recent interview that the average family spends $62 on LEGO sets each year. My wife and I easily spend 100x that each year. So, in our particular case 1 Adult Family = 100+ Kid Families. This probably isn't true for everyone but the truth of the matter is that AFOL's generally spend much more per year than the average family.

-Dave

It was posted on here a few months ago that 5% of lego income is from afols. So thats 1 adult for every 19 kids buying (or being bought) lego based on that. But as you metioned Adults have the ability to spend much more on lego which probably results in an even higher ratio of kids in relation to adults buying lego.

As mentioned brickjournal is a great source of info for afols.

[KDog]

When I first glimpsed at this thread, I envisioned pole dancers constructed from LEGO. :-D

[private_lego]

I just hope that when such a club would be raised, it would be available to everyone.

Now days there are a lot of things, like brickmaster, which are only available in parts of the world.

Even the free lego magazine is only available in the UK, the Netherlands & Germany. Not in Belgium, which is a neighbour country.

[Munkay]

True there may be one adult for every ten kids who purchase LEGO but the average adult also has a greater purchasing power than most children and this is more than likely reflected in the quantity that they buy.

Though I'm sure the numer is more like 30 to 50 kids to every adult , remember there is also at minimum one adult for each of those ten kids. A few small sets every month or so, then then a few larger purchases a year for each child. In all, it probably equals to more than the purchase of the average AFOL. Now thats not to say that the adult fan should be ignored, but at the same time we need to understand that kids have, and probably always will be catered to first over AFOL.

Exactly! I remember hearing Jørgen say in a recent interview that the average family spends $62 on LEGO sets each year. My wife and I easily spend 100x that each year. So, in our particular case 1 Adult Family = 100+ Kid Families. This probably isn't true for everyone but the truth of the matter is that AFOL's generally spend much more per year than the average family.

-Dave

Maybe in Europe. But in the U.S. i can tell you that number is false. I'm part of a local LEGO club and we have good ties with our local LEGO store. According to them, the average family spends more like $300 a year.

That said, I'm not really sure that a "club" dedicated to only adults is going to serve any more of a purpose than one just scrolling through current catalogs and publishings already dedicated to the hobby. So i think it would be a bit difficult to focus on the specifics of what an AFOL likes. There seems to be a big following for nearly every theme. SW and Town/City being the most popular. I don't necessary see AFOL getting any more info on these sets than whats currently available. TLG already focues on AFOL with the modular building sets such as Cafe' Corner, Fire Brigade, etc., as well as USC sets such as the Mileinium Falcon. These sets have a much higher details than your average builds and in conjuction have a much higher price tag to go with it. So its clear to me that these sets are targeted with AFOL in mind, but i'm not sure if we could fill an intire magazine, nor build on club with these few sets we get every year.

[Ogre]

Maybe in Europe. But in the U.S. i can tell you that number is false. I'm part of a local LEGO club and we have good ties with our local LEGO store. According to them, the average family spends more like $300 a year.

Ah, yes...but, that's the "average family shopping at a LEGO store", not "an average family". I'm going to guess that the 'average family' just hits their local toy store/big box retailer to get their offspring a new LEGO set, instead of making a concerted effort to hit a "LEGO store". The "family average" of those shopping at LEGO stores will be factored into the OVERALL "average family expenditure". Those $300 per year shoppers will be added to the mix with those that just pick up an 'impulse set' here and there for their child and the results averaged-out.

[mobricki]

I think it would be nice if tlc would make a few more sets a year for afol. Like I was saying in the pirates section I would like to see them bring in a historical theme with maybe an official lego set of the HMS Victory or maybe something along this line.

[freeedrik]

I was just wondering, has TLC ever considered creating a club (like the one for kids) for adults?

I think that it would be a great idea, and there could be an official TLC published magazine for AFOL's (but this isn't completely necessary). But the same idea with coupons and such.

Even an adult oriented Brickmaster would be nice, where the sets are more advanced and appeal to AFOLS. (small lModular Building style add-ons come to mind- EX. A newspaper or food stand)

What do you think? Would you subscribe and/or pay for this?

-darthperson

I dont think that TLG has concidered that. Why woud they do that when we creates our own lego clubs ? But it woud be pretty cool i guess

[Colonel]

I dont think that TLG has concidered that. Why woud they do that when we creates our own lego clubs ? But it woud be pretty cool i guess

Oh yes they have!

[davee123]

Oh yes they have!

My wife worked for LEGO Futura at one point, and the thing she realized is that LEGO has pretty much thought of EVERYTHING. Someone would come up with an idea, and presto, you could go down to the basement and pull out some proposal for your idea that had been suggested years ago and never implemented. Often, they would supposedly go down to the archives in order to look for inspiration-- a new twist on an idea that had been turned down before.

DaveE

[Henri]

When I first glimpsed at this thread, I envisioned pole dancers constructed from LEGO. :-D

You mean something like what you find inside this building (6th picture) ?

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=38147&hl=henri&st=0

lol,

Henri

[Jedi Master Fangorn]

Perhaps the answer to Lego starting a new journal or continuing with Brickjournal/other journals is that Lego should buy out an existing one, then make it into what they want with input from us?