In a cozy café in Kingston upon Thames, just outside London, nine people meet in the early evening to drink and chat. At first glance, it might look like a book club, but when they reach into their bags, they pull out packs of Lego instead of paperbacks.
Geoff Lay, who organized the gathering, used to work in software development before recently starting Noble Brick, a company that runs Lego-focused events. “I was one of those kids where you couldn’t go into my bedroom because the floor was covered in pieces,” he says. After taking a break from the hobby, the 44-year-old got back into Lego 10 years ago, when he was given a set that recreated London’s Tower Bridge. He’s been building ever since.
Lego sets might bring back childhood memories of fun, but a growing number of adult fans is one reason behind a surge in sales that has boosted the Danish toymaker’s revenue by 21%. Thanks to partnerships with things like the World Cup and Stranger Things, as well as mini figures of popular football players, more and more people are returning to the brand later in life.
The Lego Group was founded in 1932 and has built a highly profitable plastic empire, earning £4.8 billion in revenue in the first half of 2026 alone. Since the 1990s, Lego has expanded its range to include brand tie-ins, video games, TV shows, and sets designed for adults, which often cost hundreds of pounds.
Lay is confident that this new group of older Lego fans is here to stay. He says, “The idea that Lego is for kids is banished.” His 40-year-old fiancée, Lauren Marshall, agrees: “You don’t have a typical Lego fan any more.”
Marshall “didn’t have Lego as a child,” but got into the hobby as an adult after catching her partner’s enthusiasm. As she puts together the legs of a large Darth Vader figure, she says the sets are “a lot like jigsaws,” and that they involve “completing something like a puzzle.”
One person who grew up with a less structured style of Lego play is 28-year-old Loretta Piare. “Growing up, I loved Lego. We always had huge boxes of it,” she says, as she builds a cactus from the company’s botanical series. “We could never afford one of the fancy sets. My mum would get the big boxes of mixed colours.”
She stopped playing with Lego in her teens—”I used to love building houses and making it up”—but the affordable and eco-friendly option of borrowing other people’s bricks at adult groups has sparked her interest again. “I love following instructions,” she says, “I love colourful bricks, basically. I love building things.”
Tim Stone, a 35-year-old decorator, rediscovered his love for Lego after quitting smoking during Covid and buying himself a racing car set. While building a brick-based Nintendo Game Boy console, he explains how he joined the London Afol (Adult Fans of Lego) group to make new friends. “I got really bored. I had a load of buddies that would just go out drinking.” Now, Stone takes part in collaborative builds late into the night with more than 20 other Afol members.
There are dozens of Lego fan groups across the UK. Jordan Wiltshire, 32, is a member of GertLUG, a “Lego user group” based in Bristol. He became aware of the cost and started to wonder if Lego was a “A sensible purchase. When a friend gave him a Lego Star Wars Tie Fighter for Christmas at age 26, everything clicked back into place.
He calls Lego his “personality” and strongly pushes back against the idea that it’s only for kids. “Why can’t we play with Lego?” he asks. “Some people might say it’s for children, but there are so many of us, and we all have different reasons for loving it.”
Wiltshire, who builds his own Lego creations, says he enjoys the “sense of accomplishment”: “It’s a way for me to be creative, and I’m actually pretty good at it.”
There are other claimed benefits to playing with Lego, like better mental health. Nick Bright runs Brighton Bricks, an adult Lego group that meets monthly, and says: “It’s therapy by stealth—you don’t even realize you’re improving your wellbeing.”
Like many adult fans, the 51-year-old rediscovered Lego later in life. He remembers the set that brought him back: “It was the Haunted House Monster Fighters set. It was one of those moments where you think, ‘Yeah, this is me.'” He shares his love for Lego with his nine-year-old son and 80-year-old mother. His home collection is big, and he admits “my wife might think I have too much.”
There are plenty of ways into the hobby through partnerships with brands like Disney, Dune, and Fortnite, but Bright warns that one downside is “there are a lot more bigger, expensive sets, and there’s a fear of missing out.”
Bright prefers to follow the printed instructions in a Lego set, but he has many friends whose builds come purely from their own imagination. “We’re all doing the same thing, but we’re all doing it differently,” he says. “What I love about Lego is that there’s no wrong way to build it.”
He believes the creativity shown in MOCs—a fan term for “my own creation,” meaning original builds—proves that Lego is much more than a children’s toy.
“It’s just like how someone can do knitting or pottery—it’s an art form.”
No matter why people love Lego, its adult fanbase shows the company won’t be hitting a brick wall anytime soon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on the topic of adult fans driving Legos sales written in a natural conversational tone
Beginner Questions
1 What does Its therapy in disguise actually mean in this context
It means that for many adults building Lego sets isnt just a hobbyits a way to relax destress and focus their minds The repetitive clicking of bricks and following instructions acts like mindfulness or meditation which is why people call it therapy
2 Who are AFOLs
AFOL stands for Adult Fan of Lego These are people over the age of 18 who actively buy build and collect Lego sets for their own enjoyment rather than for children
3 How are adults helping Lego make billions
Adults are buying the expensive complex sets that are priced much higher than childrens toys They also buy multiple sets display them and trade them which adds up to massive revenue for the company
4 Isnt Lego just for kids
It used to be but Lego has smartly shifted its marketing They now create 18 sets specifically designed with complex builds sophisticated color palettes and themes like architecture art and pop culture that appeal directly to adult tastes
5 What are some examples of adult Lego sets
Great examples include the Lego Botanical Collection the Titanic the Eiffel Tower and the various Icons series cars These are display pieces not toys
Benefits Psychology
6 Why do adults find building Lego so relaxing
It triggers a state of flowa psychological state where you are fully immersed in an activity This blocks out stressful thoughts about work or life The tactile sensation of the bricks and the clear stepbystep process also gives a sense of control and accomplishment
7 Can Lego really help with anxiety or mental health
Many fans say yes While it isnt a replacement for professional therapy it acts as a coping mechanism It forces you to focus on the present moment reduces racing thoughts and provides a safe quiet activity that lowers cortisol the stress hormone
