Who Outgrows LEGO?

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There's 1 of my transparent LEGO mugs :-)

It was on my 6th birthday (in 1985, the greatest year ever) that I got my very first LEGO set. The parts could be assembled into a two-storey house with a red roof and a patio with a red and white awning (that could be pulled back, woot!). Inside the kitchen, there is a yellow stove with a tiny black frying pan. On the table, you could attach two transparent LEGO mugs. Before being gifted that set, I was content with hand-me-down Duplo bricks from my cousins. So when I got a LEGO set with shapes other than cubes and rectangles, my mind was magnificently blown and something inside me refused to grow up when it comes to anything LEGO.

Scuba diving in the pool?

What is it about LEGO that makes it the most awesome toy ever? Surely its wide array of pieces and accessories egg on that little voice inside our heads that say "What if I do this--?" Imagination + Tools = Dreams come alive!

I gotta say though that, LEGO toys are awfully expensive. To this day, what I consider to be the best Christmas gift I have ever received is the 600-piece LEGO set that one of my godfathers had given me. I'm glad that my being careful with my things, plus having a sentimental mom who kept my toys and books, preserved those LEGO bricks long enough for my own kids to be able to play with them 20 years later *self-indulgent applause*  That sure saved us a lot of dough.  Just as my brothers and I were, my little boys stay amused for hours playing with LEGO bricks.  They'd make robots, animals, weapons, cars, and even scenes from video games we played.  One time they made a house (two images above), and it just had the funniest scenes.  More below:

Just hangin' around the deeper end of the pool

Wider shot of the pool area. To the right you'll see the awning that I mentioned earlier :-)

Friendly neighborhood police keepin' the LEGO world safe

A house with a pool must have a grilling area

Bedroom cabinets with a change of clothes on top

LEGO Star Wars on display

Despite there being similar toys of other brands nowadays, once you play with LEGO, it becomes quite clear that it's an investment. Besides, what other building brick toys will make customized pieces for you because you cannot finish a project without them -- just as Pixar artist Angus MacLane did for his Cube Dudes? Or what other toy brand has enough clout to be given the license to "LEGO-fy" characters from Star Wars, Disney, Pixar, Harry Potter, and many other pop culture brands?

Speaking of which, check out this new trailer for Disney Pixar's Cars 2 -- in LEGO:

I follow two Tumblr photo blogs that are dedicated to all things LEGO:

http://minifigures.tumblr.com/
http://www.mattsbrickgallery.com/

LEGO lovers have created so many amazing things out of these beloved bricks.  Who hasn't heard of the LEGO safe?  Just recently in Brazil, kids and adults alike were in unity towards the goal of creating a world-breaking record for the tallest LEGO tower ever.  And today, I've just read about a guy who made a Super-8 movie projector out of LEGO parts.

LEGO is just so effin' cool.  I can't imagine outgrowing it.  Ever.