Decade In Review: The Decade of the AFOL
December 29, 2019
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In just a few days, the 2010s will come to a close, marking an end to a decade that many consider LEGO’s best. In the next week and maybe beyond, I’ll be writing a series of essays looking back at LEGO in the past decade and some of the most significant trends and shifts that defined the 2010s
The AFOL is born
In my opinion, there’s nothing that encapsulates the decade more than the AFOL. This four-word acronym stands for Adult Fan of LEGO, and has dramatically re-shaped LEGO’s entire way of doing business.
I’m sure you’ll be able to relate to this as it’s highly likely that you are or identify as an Adult Fan of LEGO. More than 82% of blog readers are above the age of 24, with the largest two cohorts being the 35-44 (37%) and 25-34 (33%) .
The AFOL origin story is a familiar one – you most likely had very fond memories of your own LEGO sets from your childhood, be it Classic Space, Castle, Pirates, Town or even Paradisa and you, like most people put them away as you entered your teenage years, only to rediscover LEGO in your early adulthood through the LEGO Movies, social media, or a chance nostalgic wander through the toy aisle.
This then fuels an aggressive (and expensive!) foray back into LEGO, before discovering that it has completely taken over your life, your partner is threatening to leave you if the rattling packages to your front door doesn’t stop, or you’re considering moving to a large house to store your growing collection.
From obscurity to notoriety
At the start of the decade, being an Adult LEGO fan was a very niche hobby, but it wasn’t completely ignored by LEGO. At the time, there were already a small selection of sets that were made specifically for older LEGO fans – the Modular series was starting to hit its stride with 2010’s Grand Emporium, and Star Wars’ UCS line has been well established by then.
But looking at the release calendar in the early 2010s, it’s clear that sets aimed at AFOLs were still a minority and in the early part of the decade, LEGO went on business as usual, creating a small number of large, complex sets aimed at adults, but refused to acknowledge them in a very public manner.
Three things happened in the early 2010s that catapulted Adult LEGO fans into notoriety, and it was the combination of all three things that really put AFOLs on the map.
This was my first ever Instagram post from April 2012. There are many more awful photos in the depths of my Instagram that documented my burgeoning interest in LEGO from the early years of the decade.
#1 Social Media – social media like Facebook and Instagram grew to prominence in the early 2010s, allowing fans to discover and connect with other fans in a non-intimidating and accessible manner. Previously, LEGO fans had converged on Flickr, in forums & message boards like Eurobricks which weren’t the most user friendly to brand new fans looking to dip their toes back in. Social Media also allowed people to share their re-discovery of LEGO sets, which amplified this effect.
#2 Millennials come into their own – the 2010s was the decade where Millennials (those born between 1981 – 1996) came to age, beginning or solidifying their careers and earning potential. Then, they also started having kids, and by introducing them to their own childhood toys, they too, got sucked into LEGO. With all this disposable income, more reasons to seek out LEGO and growing nostalgia for things from their childhood, this generation proved to be the perfect catalyst for AFOL growth.
#3 The LEGO Movie – LEGO’s first foray onto the silver screen was one of the most unexpected hits of 2014, and catapulted LEGO into the mainstream. Not only was it loved by critics, it was also a major success at the box office, and led to incredible levels of interest in LEGO. I believe worldwide interest in LEGO peaked in the years following 2014, which really showed how much of an impact the movie made in terms of awakening dormant AFOLs.
These aren’t the only factors, and much has also got to be said about the organisers of LEGO Fan Conventions (like Melbourne’s upcoming Brickvention) for doing amazing work captivating the community, as well as resources like Brickset for making LEGO information so accessible on the internet.
Show me the money
From being a minor segment of customers that LEGO used to serve as a hobby, The LEGO Group finally began to recognise the tremendous buying power exhibited by AFOLs.
Towards the end of the decade, LEGO seemingly pivoted their strategy, from just being obsessed with children (note: which isstill their core and most important demographic), to recognising AFOLs as a very lucrative revenue stream.
I remember back in 2010, when Creator Expert, UCS or any large, expensive set announcement was such a big deal as they were so rare, but now, it seems like LEGO announces a new adult-focused set every month.
You can also see LEGO’s strategy shift in the number of large sets it has produced in this decade. Brickset wrote this really comprehensive piece on the growth of large 1000+ piece sets which illustrates this.
If you’ve visited a LEGO Store recently, or take a casual wander through the LEGO aisle in a toy store, you’ll notice many more adults meandering through. It’s especially more pronounced during the release of new LEGO minifigure series, where you’ll see exclusively adults trying to feel their way through boxes in a toy shop.
LEGO have clearly struck gold by pivoting their strategy to be more AFOL-centric, and at the end of the day, it’s never been a greater time to be an Adult Fan of LEGO with disposable income thanks to the plethora of interesting, challenging and amazingly cool sets (like last year’s Roller Coaster) that are on the market.
If you’re in the market for a 4,784 piece, 43″ UCS Star Destroyer, LEGO has got you covered as well.
There’s also no stronger endorsement of AFOLs than a special mention in their 2016 Annual Report, which to me represented firm acknowledgement of the segment as a crucial ingredient of LEGO’s success moving forward.
It remains to be seen if LEGO’s big bet on AFOLs will pay-off in the long run. Adults with disposable incomes can be rather fleeting in their interests, and there’s a real danger of fatiguing the market by releasing too much, too quickly, and too expensively.
That said, looking back at this decade, it’s impossible to ignore the indelible mark that Adult LEGO Fans have left on The LEGO Group, for good or for worse.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this piece. I’ll be writing a few more reflection pieces in the coming days, so keep an eye out for it and let me know in the comments if you’ve enjoyed this.
I’d love to know if you can relate to this, and if you do, I’d love to hear your own stories of how you got reacquainted with LEGO in this decade, and what was it that made you get back into it.
