Spontaneous play

After dinner the other night, I was talking with my wife and father-in-law about what I've been researching lately- the marketing of LEGO to adults and the world of LEGO mosaics. As we started talking about the different kinds of elements and parts, I realized it would be easier for me to explain what I was talking about if I could actually demonstrate using real pieces.

I brought out a few Tupperware bins and suddenly instead of just talking about LEGO bricks, all three of us were playing with them. There was no discussion of play; it was just once the bricks, plates, and tiles came out; we felt compelled to start building something. I'm not sure that could happen with any other game or toy. Apples to Apples is always a group request, while the Nintendo Wii is usually the scheduled entertainment for the evening.

The picture above is the red, white, and blue space ship I put together. Simple, parallel construction, 12 studs wide and unintentionally patriotic.