Tag Archives: Matthew Ashton

Getting a LEGO makeover with Creator Expert 10291 Queer Eye – The Fab 5 Loft [Review]

In 2003, a bold new reality TV show was making major waves. Originally called Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, it followed five gay men as they provided a full lifestyle makeover to straight guys in need of a fresh take. After a massively popular start, the focus on only heterosexual males was dropped. Eventually the show ran its course, but as you may already know, Netflix rebooted Queer Eye in 2018 with an entirely new “Fab 5” cast. Even more successful than the original, it has now won multiple Emmy awards. The creative, playful show seeks to celebrate love, expression, and acceptance, not only for others, but yourself as well. Its values are echoed by the LEGO Group, which decided to honor the series with LEGO Creator Expert 10291 Queer Eye – The Fab 5 Loft. Joining a growing subtheme of TV-based sets, this is the first reality show appearance.

Come along as we take a closer look at the 974-piece kit, which includes 7 minifigures (with 3 additional torsos) and Bruley the French bulldog. It will be available starting Oct. 1 for US $99.99 | CAN $139.99 UK £89.99

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Click to read the full review!

Every piece is awesome!

When the recent Everyone is Awesome set was released celebrating diversity and inclusion, it was a huge moment. While it certainly had its detractors, a large swath of LEGO fans, particularly those in LGBTQIA+ community were thrilled. A set that celebrates Pride Month coming from the largest toy company in the world was quite a statement. The fact that it was created by the openly gay Senior VP of Design at LEGO, Matthew Ashton, made it even more meaningful. Taking the set as inspiration, my husband and LEGO Masters partner Richard and I began a month-long build challenge on Instagram using the hashtag #rainbowbuildchallenge. As of the writing of this article there have been over 500 individual builds focusing on the joyful message the set represents.

For our contribution, we decided to forge some new territory for us: the greebled mosaic. It’s something we’ve wanted to tackle for a while and this seemed the perfect opportunity. It was quite an interesting challenge and pointed to the fact that some colors just don’t have a huge variety of interesting parts. The bright light blue section was quite difficult to complete and oddly, so was brown (at least in our collection). We still managed to fill a 48×48 baseplate with enough objects to provide some interesting texture and a sort of “I spy” game. In keeping with the original messaging of the Everyone is Awesome set, we used the monochrome figures from it, laying head to head around a central focused heart. We imagined them all lying down together, staring at the sky and thinking of a world where everyone feels included and represented.

If you would like to participate in the Rainbow Build Challenge, you can find a post about it on our Instagram page.

LEGO interviews employees and fans about inclusion and diversity [News]

With the release of the Everyone is Awesome set just in time for Pride Month, inclusion and diversity has become the spotlight everywhere, including at The LEGO Group. The company today has published a series of interviews with employees and fans, talking about how LEGO brings people together as well as inspiring creativity. The interviews are with the members of LGBTQIA+ community, including one of TBB’s own writers, Bre. The interviews focus on what being in an AFOL LGBTQIA+ community means to them, what companies can do to support the community, how they use creativity to express themselves, and what Pride Month means to them.

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Celebrate Pride with LEGO 40516 Everyone Is Awesome [Review]

Over the past several years, the LEGO Group has significantly enhanced its messages of diversity and inclusion across its corporate policies, advertising, social media, and even in related media like The LEGO Movie franchise. The LEGO hobbyist community includes amazing, wonderful people from all over the world, of every sexual orientation and gender identity. Seeing someone like ourselves represented through our favorite building toy truly matters, but until the announcement of 40516 Everyone is Awesome today, LEGO hasn’t released a LEGO set that fully embraces and celebrates the company’s myriad LGBTQ+ fans and employees, including people of color. Featuring 11 colorful minifigures with a rainbow backdrop built from 346 pieces, the set will be available on the first day of Pride Month 2021, June 1, for US $34.99 | CAN $44.49 | UK £30.

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Read our hands-on review of LEGO 40516 Everyone Is Awesome