When we asked what LEGO moments meant the most to our readers, you all answered with a plethora of LEGO moments covering the last 12 months. There were tales of set construction, attendance at conventions and shows, awards won, and one big collab that people can’t stop talking about! Thank you to everyone who took the time to fill out the form. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to cover every submission we received in this write-up. But don’t let that stop you from talking about your favorite LEGO moments of the past year in the comments. Now, let’s unpack all these great responses!

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The sets we built

While several sets were mentioned in the responses, there was one that came up over and over again: Rivendell. The Lord of the Rings is a beloved theme for many LEGO builders, and the return of sets paying homage to Tolkien’s universe was definitely reason for celebration. Milo Page had some great words on his reaction to the set’s announcement and release:

“I have loved LEGO since I was a kid, but I only became interested (and then obsessed) with LOTR a few years ago. I’m also on the younger side, so I missed the initial wave of LOTR sets around ten years ago. When I first heard the rumors of a Rivendell set back in January, I just about lost it. I lost it again when the set was revealed. Not only had LEGO rebooted one of my favorite franchises that I had missed entirely as a kid, the set was absolutely gorgeous. The build is fantastic, it looks incredible, and it just feels like Rivendell from the books and the movies. LEGO knocked it out of the park with this set, and I desperately hope we get more like it in the future.”

And Jacob Tubbs shared a wonderful story about building the Wildflower Bouquet set with his daughter, proving the 18+ age limit on the box to only be a suggestion.

“I bought the Wildflower Bouquet for my wife for Mother’s Day, and the night before I secretly put it together with my 3-year old daughter, so we could surprise her mother the next day with it. She can’t read, and that includes the pictures in the instruction booklet. They are nearly incomprehensible to her.”

“I didn’t even realize at first that after I had finished one flower, she would find the pieces herself and start building the second flower. She just used the first one I built as the model to go off of. I only needed to help when the pieces were being difficult for her to handle. She built most of the flowers most of the way all on her own. I was very surprised. And very proud. And her mother loved the flowers all the more because of it.”

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The events we attended

When we weren’t building sets, we were out attending conventions and events, displaying our work and enjoying that of others. For many of us, our best LEGO moment from 2023 happened on one of these excursions. And for Steven Stelter, that excursion took him to another continent:

“Attending my first AFOL Day at the LEGO House and first time in Billund with my friends from around the world.”

Others kept their convention trips more continental, while their experiences were no less consequential. Zane Houston, frequently featured for his outstanding mech work on TBB, attended his first convention this year at Brickworld in Chicago:

“When I got there I carried my cardboard box full of bubble wrap through the hotel only to see people backing U-haul trailers in to the convention hall and unloading massive, custom-built crates made for their displays. I felt like a fish out of water and I was questioning what I was even doing there. After setting up my MOCs I walked outside to head towards the food truck and Lego-celebrity Simon Liu stopped me and greeted me with a hug and immediately made me feel welcome.”

“Since Brickworld, I have stayed in touch with the amazing members of OrphanLUG. More than just accomplished builders, they are some of the nicest, genuine, and welcoming people I’ve ever met. It probably doesn’t seem like much to them when they share music, memes, and non-lego hobbies but for the first time in 13 years I have legitimate friends in the Lego community.”

But for some, it had nothing to do with meeting up with LEGO friends or displaying their creations. Some like Joe B. just wanted to take in a great display of brick-built creativity.

“My brother and his wife drove from out of town to spend a day at Brickworld Indy with me and my daughters and we had a great time. We saw lots of amazing MOCs and the girls got to build in a LEGO Masters style contest hosted by a former contestant. My sister-in-law may be a bigger AFOL than me now and starting to collect modulars and make her own city.”

By the way, here’s the result of Zane’s first LEGO convention. We certainly enjoyed the Chert Chewer here at TBB, too!

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The awards and opportunities we earned

And speaking of awards, some of us achieved some great things in LEGO this past year. I know this was a meaningful year of opportunities for me, personally. But Blair Archer may just have me beat. He wrote:

“Starting my dream job as a Designer for The LEGO Group, after 10 years of working towards this goal!”

Congratulations, Blair! And not that it’s a competition, but Jan Woźnica also subtly hinted at his big LEGO moment of 2023.

“Release of the 21340 Tales of the Space Age set”

Other wins occurred closer to home, like when Kimberly Giffen took Best in Show at BrickCon for the second year in a row with the Silver Pavilion. But she keeps those larger accomplishments in perspective:

“But what I enjoy most is the community. It isn’t a big moment, it’s the combination of all the small moments. It’s a quiet conversation with another builder before a convention opens. It’s attending the monthly LUG meeting and sharing a dinner with other AFOLs. It’s about the shared experience of doing a LEGO event with someone.”

You can see Kimberly with her award-winning build below.

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The masses we assembled

A good chunk of the submissions we received mentioned a mega collaboration that occurred this year at Brickworld. And while we’ve covered a few of the pieces from this mega metropolis, we haven’t truly displayed the scope of this massive collaboration. Pinkwheels gave a pretty good description:

“New Hashima Cyberpunk collaborative build; 80 some builders, 20’x20′ layout and hundreds of LEDs. Build included several SHIPs, a custom cyberpunk train and MUSIC! I don’t think I will ever see 40 plus people sitting around in the dark listening to music staring at a Lego MOC like we had a Brickworld. Not to mention the great fun and camaraderie we had as a group building it for 3 days straight!”

One of the contributors, Kit, did a great job wrapping up the experience with the excellent phrase, “I started building cyberpunk cubes, and finished building memories.” And another regular on the TBB pages, Casey McCoy, had the following to say of his experience:

“…Being able to be a small part of it was the highlight of my LEGO life. A specific highlight was the World of Lights that took place on Saturday night. The whole New Hashima crew sat on the ground basking in the neon glow for hours. Could have stayed there all night.”

See below for a shot of the finished collaboration. But be sure to check out TBB alum and New Hashima coordinator Simon Liu‘s Flickr page for even more angles.

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Wrapping up 2023

It’s definitely been a memorable 2023, full of so many moments in this great hobby of ours. As I think about my favorite times from the past 365 days, I am constantly brought back to meetings and events with my LEGO users group and some of my fellow writers at TBB. Thank you again to everyone who took time to fill out our form, and let’s make some more great moments in 2024.