An individual’s motivation for building and displaying at LEGO fan conventions tends to fall into one of two categories when it comes to public engagement.

Jeff Cunningham lowering a mascot over the head of a public attendee - Photo by Wilson Post photographer ***Dallus Whitfield***

At one end are the builders who are solely motivated by getting together with their MOC building peers, sharing their latest builds, and just hanging out - many times completely avoiding the public display hours to do so. At the other end are folks who are driven by putting on a good show for the public attendees, creating displays that are interactive and engaging, and promoting the LEGO building hobby - in short, they do it to “put smiles on people’s faces.” Most of us try to strike a balance between those two extremes, and it can be very situational depending on the show.

OKILUG (Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana LEGO User Group; Cincinnati, OH) is a LUG very much focused on “putting smiles on people’s faces” at their local shows, and building things that resonate with both young and old alike. While as a member of OKILUG, Jeff Cunningham created many of their memorable LEGO sculptures that have children screaming from across the display hall, “Hey Look! The Minions!” or “Ooh, it’s Olaf!” As people come up closer to admire Jeff’s handiwork, you won’t find him sitting idly behind his display tables staring at his smartphone. He is out front and actively engaged, encouraging folks to get up close and personal with his creations.

In addition to his large-scale statues, what Jeff may be best known for are his wearable mascot heads. They are always a crowd-pleaser at every show he has taken them. During the public hours, a long line forms, snaking around the display hall for the opportunity to wear one and get their picture taken (or at least that’s the way it was pre-COVID… but more on that in a moment). The LEGO heads are all quite heavy to actually wear, so in most cases he holds them over the head of each person while someone takes a picture of them—that’s quite the arm workout over a full weekend of public display hours! By my count, he has built at least 14* wearables so far, across a broad range of characters, sports teams, and LEGO themes.

Like myself, Jeff is based in Kentucky (USA). I have gotten to know Jeff while displaying together at BrickUniverse Lexington 2019 and at BrickUniverse Louisville 2020, and going out to grab lunch together during the breaks. Jeff is a forthright man of few words, and humble when speaking about his building talents. He is the kind of person who simply stays focused on doing the right things, knowing that the rest will eventually take care of itself; a life measured in deeds, not words. As such, he isn’t one for doing much self-promotion either... which is likely why he has only been blogged once before, almost a decade ago back when MOC-Pages once roamed the Earth.

My primary motivation as a BrickNerd contributor continues to be spotlighting builders like Jeff who sometimes get overlooked by the LEGO blogging community. They aren’t building for the peer recognition and accolades, but building to put smiles on people’s faces (… you know, like The Joker). When I was coming up with ideas for my next article, I came to the revelation that Jeff was long overdue for a feature. I reached out to him to catch up, and to learn what the plans are for his mascot heads now that we are living in a COVID-variant world.

An Interview with Jeff Cunningham

Ted Andes: Hey Jeff. I hope you are doing well. I’ve been writing for BrickNerd, and I came to the recent realization that you are long overdue to be featured. Do you mind answering a few questions?

Jeff Cunningham: Hey Ted. Good to hear from you. That sounds good, but it has been awhile since I’ve built any new stuff.

Ted: I’m sure the COVID pandemic has had a lot to do with that, especially since it’s not advisable for different people to be trying on the same mascot heads one-after-another during a public show. Have you figured out a safer way to resume that public interaction?

Jeff: I have not yet figured out a good way to overcome the post-pandemic challenge of letting people try on my mascot heads. Not sure we will ever get back to that again sadly.

Ted: How long have you been building with LEGO? Did you have a LEGO "Dark Age"?

Jeff: I didn’t have LEGO as a child. I started buying and building with my kids about 30 years ago. About 15 years ago, my kids lost interest and my artistic creativity inspired me to use their collection of LEGO as a new medium for sculpting. I am sort of in a “dark age” now as my hobby began to feel too much like work. I haven’t done anything new for the last couple of years since the pandemic shut down the live shows. My biggest joy was seeing the excitement on kids’ faces as their parents took photos of them wearing my LEGO heads.

Ted: The pandemic has changed many ways LUGs interact with LEGO fans. When was it that you joined OKILUG?

Jeff: I joined OKILUG in January 2013. It’s really a great group that I enjoyed for several years. They were very supportive, even the club President (Rodney Dicus) supplied me with a lot of brick from his personal collection to build things like the Minions. I am unfortunately an inactive member now, as the travel and lodging expenses became tougher to manage on top of my addiction to buying LEGO.

Ted: When were the Minions built, and at which BrickFair VA were they displayed? I can see the two trophies resting on their heads in the photo of you posing with them. What awards did they win at that show?

Jeff: I started building the Minions in the fall of 2013. I completed “Stuart” the one-eyed Minion first in the spring of 2014. “Bob” the two-eyed Minion was finished just in time for BrickFair Virginia in August 2014. Stuart earned the “Best Sculpture” award and Bob earned the “Public Favorite” award. They are still on tour with the OKILUG shows.

Ted: So what was it that inspired you to build the wearable mascot heads - and did OKILUG member Mike Schmidt and his LEGO hats have anything to do with it? I know people always want to try his hats on, but they are built “one size fits Mike”.

Jeff: It was actually some time before I met Mike, back when I was playing with my kids’ LEGO collection, poured out in a pile on the floor and showing them and my cousin’s kids some structural building techniques. I’ve always had a fascination with mascots and cartoon characters. I just had the idea pop into my head so I started building the oval shape that would fit over my head. There were lots of trials and errors but I finally completed it several weeks later.

Ted: Which was your first mascot head, when was it built, and how many have you ended up building since?

Jeff: The red Cardinal was my first, which was completed in 2012. It was a relatively simple cylindrical shape at first and then I added the beak and top feathers later. The second head was a clown, which followed a similar cylindrical design. I later demolished it and rebuilt the version I have now with the hands and shoes. I do have pictures of that original clown which actually won first place in a Halloween costume contest at Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana. I currently have a total of 13 mascot heads.

Ted: Well, despite the Cincinnati Reds having a rather regrettable start to their 2022 season, I think I’ll still count their baseball helmet you made as “lucky 14*”. They could really use a “rally cap” right about now, and a big one at that.

You were once quoted as saying that each build can take 30-40 hours to complete. What are the primary challenges to building mascot heads? (Sturdiness, weight, comfort, lining up the eye holes?) What part of the building process ends up taking the most time?

Jeff: I study a concept in my head for several days, looking at pictures and examining the brick I have on hand. One of my biggest challenges is acquiring enough specifically colored bricks in a wide variety of shapes. I will order from several different online resources or possibly find what I need from the LEGO store pick-a-brick wall. Since I do these free-hand using pictures, it takes a lot of trial and error to get features just right. Every build varies but all of the factors you mentioned are in my focus as I build.

Back in Nov 2016 - “Just got home from picking up my Lego art... looks like Santa didn't get the same TLC that I gave him...Long night ahead for me... “ - / - “All the kings horses and all the kings men couldn't put Humpty Dumpty back together... He must have not been made of Lego... with lots of patience, and a couple hours of midnight oil, finally I got Santa back together again”

Ted: And as evident from the “Great Santa Mishap of 2016”, you don’t use any glue to hold them together either. I also remember seeing you having to reassemble parts that had fallen off of the Kentucky Wildcat too, during the BrickUniverse Lexington show. Being displayed right next to its home court, Rupp Arena, wearing the UK Wildcat was certainly a popular request that weekend.

Have the heads gotten quicker for you to build now that you have more experience building them, or do they each still take just as long since each shape is unique?

Jeff: Each piece is unique in shape and proportion. Though I have a better idea of what pieces I may need, and the general shape to begin with, the process of building seems to take just as long with each new build since I generally design as I go.

Ted: Which has been your favorite? What about with the pubic?

Jeff: Much of the encouragement to build certain characters came from OKILUG President Rodney and the feedback from the public after the shows. Santa and the Wildcat are my personal favorites. The public favorite varies depending on the location and age of the audience. My least favorite is the LEGO zombie; however, there have been shows where it was voted as the favorite.

Ted: How did the opportunity of displaying the University of Kentucky (UK) and University of Louisville (UofL) mascots at the Louisville Slugger Museum come about? How long were your mascot heads displayed in the museum’s “Big Leagues – Little Bricks” showcase?

Jeff: I was very fortunate to be contacted by the Slugger museum staff who had seen my work at one of the many shows where I have exhibited. The museum displayed those particular heads a couple of times, and I believe they had them for about three months each time. I have created several major league helmets for them as well (like the Reds helmet shown above) which are still on display. Depending on the season and the theme of their exhibits, I have been asked to share some of my other pieces for them to display, such as Santa and Olaf.

Ted: You also shared a photo of yourself standing next to the LEGO statue of the Western Kentucky University (WKU) mascot “Big Red”. Apart from displaying your builds alongside the WKU Civil Engineering Program, did they get you involved in their project, or did they ask for any advice during their building process (which they said took them 500 hours to complete)?

Jeff: I was not involved with the Big Red project at WKU. A group from their engineering group designed and built this amazing piece. I was just fortunate to get invited to share my work alongside them at the library exhibit.

Ted: Before we close, anything else that you would like to share with the BrickNerd readers?

Jeff: I believe one key difference in my LEGO sculpting compared to others is my free-hand approach using the LEGO I have on hand and my imagination. Many large LEGO sculpture artists design with computer software, order the LEGO pieces needed, and then follow layer-by-layer layouts generated by the software. My occupation of computer-aided design for over 30 years has helped me develop three-dimensional design concept skills for sure, but I give all the credit to God who chose to bless me with the artistic talent that I enjoy.

Ted: Thanks again, Jeff, for sharing with us. I hope to see you displaying again soon (at least locally).

Jeff: Thank you, Ted.

What’s your favorite mascot head? Would you ever wear one to work or a party? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

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