Alyssa Evans couldn’t tell you how much she’s spent on her collection of Lego sets since taking up the hobby in 2021. But it’s certainly money well spent, she said.
Evans’ TikTok account is dedicated to her Lego hobby, so she was happy to join in on a new trend: Black women — and some men, too — sharing their completed build-and-display sets and massive Lego collections show in videos. with the viral hit ‘Mr Pot Scraper’ by rapper BossMan Dlow.
Evans, 23, had Lego flower sets, cars, Lego’s Vincent van Gogh “The Starry Night” set, the Pac-Man Arcade set and more. Her video, one of the first in this trend, has been viewed more than 14,000 times.
“I didn’t expect it to go this way,” she said of the trend. “I didn’t expect to find a sense of community because Lego as a hobby is a non-POC, male-dominated hobby. So when I saw other women of color posting about it, of all different ages, it warmed my heart.
More than a dozen Black TikTokers have shared similar videos. Singer Chloe Bailey joined in the fun, post photos on X of herself next to some of her completed sets. These Lego enthusiasts told NBC News they have found a community online as a result of the viral videos and are happy to know other Black people share the hobby.
Many said they spent hours completing Lego sets, often for relaxation and to reduce anxiety and stress. This takes into account Lego’s efforts in recent years to market its sets as stress relievers for AFOLs (adult fans of Lego) who want to drown out the noise, work with their hands and relax their minds.
In 2020, the Denmark-based company temporarily halted advertising for its police-related sets as protests against police brutality broke out in the US. At the same time, the company also closed down pledged to donate $4 million to organizations that support black children.
“We are thrilled to see the involvement of Black women using LEGO bricks as a creative outlet to celebrate the passions they have,” Alero Dawn Akuya, Lego’s vice president of brand development, told NBC News in a statement. “The Black community is rich with creativity, inspiration and positivity and we are humbled that the community recognizes our products to express themselves and their personal stories!”
Jazmin Towe, 31, started building Lego sets in January 2023 after her husband bought her a set to help her relax and relieve stress after a long day of work. Eighteen months later, Towe has numerous completed sets to her credit. In her TikTok video, which has been viewed more than 260,000 times, she showed off her completed Nintendo Entertainment System, piano, jazz quartet and typewriter sets.
“It’s so soothing. It just does something for my nerves. I sit there for hours at the end of the day doing it,” Towe said. “I’ll be happy when I finish them. It’s also a bit bittersweet because I love the process of putting it together. When I get to the end I think, ‘I can’t wait to get to the next set!’”
Towe sometimes works on smaller sets with her 7-year-old son, she said. But for the most part it’s a personal hobby. “For me, it’s kind of a wind-down,” she said. “I use Lego to calm myself, to regulate my mind, to relax. I get a nice glass of wine and some snacks and I work with Lego for three or four hours straight.”
Even if Lego is a solo hobby for people like Towe, there is still a larger community of Black people who take joy in knowing there are more people like them. Long before the trend – and long before TikTok itself – Ghanaian Canadian artist Ekow Nimako started using Lego to create Afrofuturist sculptures. He spends 50 to 800 hours building the intricate sculptures, made entirely from black Lego, CNN reported last year.
Lego highlights its work on the company’s website with videos, images and quotes from the artist. Nimako doesn’t see his work as part of the Lego fandom or as a hobby. “This is visual art,” he told CNN. His goal, he added to Lego, is to advance Black and Ghanaian culture. He said Lego pieces are perfect for this because of their intelligent, versatile design.
Akuya praised this diversity and innovation fostered by Lego’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
“We are committed to building a kinder, more empathetic and understanding society now and for generations to come,” said Akuya. “Making everyone feel welcome in the LEGO universe is critical to our purpose for existence, and we actively work to ensure our product and marketing activities reflect this ambition.”
As for Evans, her foray into Lego fandom is purely for joy. She said she played with Lego as a child and enjoyed returning to her childhood hobby. And the latest TikTok trend has helped her connect with more Lego lovers like her.
“I definitely found a sense of community in it,” Evans said. “There isn’t really that ‘alone’ feeling anymore. It used to not be a hobby that I shared; I did it for myself. I didn’t know there were other women. It heals my inner child.”
Towe said Lego is an expensive hobby — sets for adults can cost hundreds of dollars — so she hopes that as more people join the fandom, the company will find ways to ease the financial burden.
“I think if more people could afford to participate in it, they would,” Towe said.
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This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
