I know this will make some people mad, but I am really not impressed with the modern Lego aesthetic. Yes, you can make a lot of really cool stuff out of it, but it’s become a consumer product, not a creative one. Lego has become little more than a modular plastic model kit and I think that it’s lost a lot of what made basic creative toys of the past special.

So let’s talk about it.Now from Lego’s perspective, it’s a no-brainer. They used to produce these kits that people would take home and play with for a long period of time and Lego wouldn’t make any more money. Now, it’s endless kits that people buy and put together and then go looking for their next fix, while Lego laughs all the way to the bank. From a financial standpoint, it’s genius. From a creative one though, it’s completely bankrupt.

See, you used to get a box of stuff, back in the day, you’d dump it out on the floor or in a plastic bin and then it would be up to you to make something out of it. It was all up to your own creativity. You’d make something, then you’d take it all apart and you’d make something else. It was endless fun without having to whip out your wallet over and over again. Like I said, that’s for Lego’s benefit, not the person who wants to make something.

The problem with modern Lego is that the sets are only good for one thing. All of the creativity has been wrung out of the product. Like I said, it’s like the old cheap plastic model kits that used to clog the shelves of toy stores. Remember when we used to have those? You’d take them home, you’d pop the parts out of the sprues and stick it together and then you went to find something else to do. It was a one-and-done project and at the price point, that was fine. It was quick, cheap entertainment.

Lego isn’t like that. Their kits are expensive and complex but ultimately lead the same result. Granted, that’s because plastic production costs a lot, but the end result remains the same.

My kids, back when they were young, they had basic Lego kits and they spent hour after hour putting them together and taking them apart. Their rooms were covered in loose Legos all the time. It wasn’t fun to step on. Then, when the “new” kits came out, they just lost interest. It wasn’t fun anymore to just follow instructions and do what you’re told. All of the creativity was gone. It was just following pictures on a page. Where is the fun in that?

It’s like Lincoln Logs. Remember those? Here’s a bunch of parts. Do something with it. Or Erector Sets. There was no defined end-goal, you just got to make what you wanted and see how it’s done. These were actually educational, not just a means to fill the company’s bank account. That seems to be the only point of modern Lego.

I’m not trying to insult people who enjoy it. If you like it, whatever floats your boat. I’m just saying that I see no point to it and I’m entitled to my opinion. It’s why I stopped caring pretty early on about those plastic model kits. Sure, it was cool to have a whole set of Star Wars models tacked up to the ceiling, hanging on strings, but after that… what? What’s the point? I had a friend who would buy an endless array of those cheap WWII airplane models, put them together and then take them out in the back yard, stick a firecracker in them and blow them up. It might have been exciting for a second, then you had to clean it all up and start over. What’s the point? I just don’t get it.