I’ll start this off with a confession: I love LBR in-store events. (That’s LEGO Brand Retail, meaning the LEGO Stores you see all around.) For years and years, I jumped over hoops and hurdles so that my kids could take part in as many in-store events as humanly possible, wherever we were.

Each trip involved several hours of driving and schedule juggling and negotiating the constantly changing rules for registration — and even though on paper the events mostly involved putting together a polybag, every event was absolutely worth the effort. The store employees went above and beyond to form bonds with the kids, whether they were there only once or were repeat visitors, building confidence and boosting creativity.

Sometimes these events were in the evening, sometimes they were before store opening on a weekend. I think that must have felt extra special for kids to be let into the magic in the off-hours. Just being in a LEGO Store can feel magical, let alone building something new and exclusive! However, in-store events were way more than just building a polybag.

Looking back, the last time we went out before the world shut down was for a LEGO Store event. I remember calling the store, in fact, to make sure it was still happening. I had heard rumors that some things were starting to shut down.

The event did go on and the store was trying a new format which was a big hit! My daughter was approaching the age limit and had brought her friend this one time to “be less bored.” To be honest, I get a little teary remembering how much fun they were having that evening. They stayed in the designated play area long after their time was up! (And nobody pushed them out.) LEGO Store events can knock the snark out of middle schoolers in fifteen minutes and turn it into laughter. The kids were all looking forward to our reservations for a similar event the following week.

To my knowledge, the only in-store event since March of 2020 were some demonstrations for some hard-to-find Mario coins this past summer, but that varied by store. At one point there was supposed to be a Vidiyo Llama tour, which I heard about vaguely and wrote a note on my calendar wondering what it meant, but then never heard about it again.

The Holiday Truck

A few weeks ago, I heard that there was going to be a holiday tour or something-or-other that would happen near Glendale (Los Angeles, USA) which is not my closest store. I didn’t plan to drive the long distance, however, until the actual morning of the event.

YOLO (and FOMO) hit hard, and I dragged my (now fully vaccinated!) son out of bed. “Get dressed. I’ll buy breakfast on the road. We’re getting in the car. There’s a thing at a LEGO Store!” I had no idea what to expect from the vague online information, but whatever. Off we went!

First we entered the store and asked the employees what was going on. They directed us to where we would find the truck outside. It was teal with white snowflakes and hard to miss.

At the truck, there was actually quite the little crowd! (It felt like I was one of the little minifigures visiting the LEGO Truck Show from our article yesterday!)

To kick things off, employees were handing out vouchers for a free three-pack of BAM (Build a Minifigure)! That’s a pretty sweet “small gift”.

We were also directed to hit an oversized button on the side of the truck, after which a random polybag ejected from an opening in the van right into our hands. It was hilarious to watch.

Finally, we were given a packet of paper bag tags for labeling presents. Wrapping up our holiday truck tour experience, we returned to the LEGO Store and picked out our free figures.

A Spark of Joy

To be honest, I had been feeling a little “Grinch-ish” lately, but these simple pleasures brought my heart back two sizes that day. It wasn’t the usual guided build experience, but I had forgotten how heartwarming these “simple on paper” events really are.

LEGO is a big corporation with a (largely) captive audience. They don’t need to plan these events, but they do anyway. And they don’t cut corners either. They give out high-quality merchandise, with a genuinely warm experience. As a mom, I can tell you that kids can smell fake from a mile away, but LEGO Store events are the real deal. You can’t buy that kind of authentic goodwill.

I also know not everyone has access to these kinds of events, though LEGO seems to be holding more of them. (The UK seems to get a ton of really interesting ones!) I hope the situation allows LEGO Stores to get back on track with in-store events going forward. And I selfishly hope they develop more events for t[w]eens and adults so my kids and I can continue to attend.

Until then, Happy Holidays from my brand new, wonderful pigs and sharks!

What are your thoughts about putting pigs and sharks in the same packaging? Let us know in the comments below.

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