Who said toys are just for kids? With India’s first LEGO® Certified Store recently opened in Gurugram, Delhi-NCR’s adult fans are proving that building bricks isn’t just child’s play — grown-ups are now geeking out like kids in a candy store. Spread over 4,500 square feet at Ambience Mall, the store is the largest brand outlet in south Asia.
Although LEGO has traditionally been known as a children’s brand, it has gained huge popularity among older fans too, with many complex sets rated 18+ specifically designed for the adult fanbase. “India is also where other countries are. While the core of our business continues to be driven by children — more and more adults are now getting serious about play!” says Bhavana Mandon, country manager, LEGO® India. “From passionate collectors to mindful hobbyists to adults seeking a meaningful disconnect from a digitally heavy world, play is becoming an increasingly active part of adult lives.”
Thirty-six-year-old AFOL (Adult Fans Of LEGO) Gursartaj Singh Nijjar entered the LEGO world as a young boy. “When I was a child, I liked building toys in general. I got my first set, a city airport set, from dad at nine. I remember spending a lot of time building it.” It’s the same for Ambrish Daga, 43, who recalls: “My father got a few sets from Denmark in the early 1990s.” Daga enthusiastically mentions multiple set numbers, recalling playing with everything from a backhoe to pneumatic excavators as a child.
For most AFOLs, LEGO isn’t just a hobby — it’s a passion with rooms and shelves dedicated to their collections and creations. The flagship opening even saw people from outside the NCR flying in — like Dominic David, a 43 year old, freelance artist from Mumbai. Anyone who’s visited the store would have noticed an India Gate structure on display — that’s David’s creation. He’s truly an artist when it comes to these blocks, using them as a creative outlet to rebricking and freestyle-build structures: “I’ve built the Qutub Minar and India Gate. My freestyle collection also includes rickshaws, taxis, the Flora Fountain in Mumbai, and the Mumbai skyline.”
Bricks as therapy
Beyond nostalgia, these blocks serve as a powerful de-stressor for the busy lives of AFOLs. “For me, LEGO is both a creative outlet and a way to unwind,” says Shrey Pacheco, 35, a media professional. “Especially if you’re neurodivergent, it helps calm your mind because you’re fully focused on the process — it’s methodical and slow.”
“LEGO is like solving puzzles — it’s mind-refreshing,” says Vrishti Jain, a college student. “I already spend 8-10 hours on screens every day, so why would I want to spend more time staring at one?”
Arnav Gupta, another city-based college student, adds, “It’s kind of like reading a book — you focus on one thing, one goal: finishing the set. The problem-solving skills needed, especially for the complex sets, make it super rewarding when you finally finish.”
Building bonds
Fortunately, LEGO building isn’t a solitary activity — it’s also a hands-on way to bond across generations. Media professional Tanvi Chaturvedi who had brought her nephew along, was bonding over their shared love for Harry Potter. “He’s a total Potterhead. To keep up with him, I’m reading books, collecting cards, even building with him,” she says, adding that she’s eyeing the Harry Potter sets to spend more quality time with him. “When kids are around eighth grade, they start looking for something to bond over with older siblings or parents. LEGO creates that middle ground — it’s challenging enough for both kids and adults, making it perfect for quality time,” she adds.
David, too, shares this sentiment. His pre-teen daughter is now a LEGO pro, having started at age three. “She followed the instructions perfectly and now builds sets with over 4,000 pieces solo. She’s in eighth grade now and has been building for almost eight years. Whenever we get time, we build together,” he says. LEGO purchases are a yearly ritual for them.
Building together also doubles as date nights for AFOLs like Pacheco. “My wife and I love our LEGO date nights — we pour a drink, chill, and build together,” he says. “When we were dating, she gifted me the Friends LEGO apartment set, and for our first anniversary, she got me the about ₹40,000 Old Trafford set.”
Sticker shock
The range is wide in terms of pricing; the collection at the Gurugram store starts from ₹449. And yet, for many fans, the price is a major roadblock. “A lot of sets are super pricey, so some relatives abroad gifted me some — LEGO is cheaper there,” says Gupta. He adds, “There’s a big difference in purchasing power between the US or UK and India. People can easily buy sets like Hogwarts there but here it’s over₹40,000.”
Daga’s view: “If you want quality, then there’s nothing better than LEGO. And if you’re not looking for quality, you can buy any cheap blocks and still play with them.”
Pacheco adds: “A good LEGO set is definitely on the pricier side because of the insane quality control. A lot of parents I know think, ‘A brick is a brick,’ whether it’s LEGO, or Mega Bloks — it’s all the same to them.”
Beyond pricing issues, another concern among AFOLs is the lack of India-centric collections. Over the years, LEGO has released sets tied to popular Western culture — like Friends, Star Wars, The Office, and Harry Potter — but so far, the only India-centric collection was the Taj Mahal, which is now retired. “I would love a Bollywood-themed LEGO set. Imagine a Shah Rukh Khan miniature! It would be a total game-changer,” says Jain. “Even people who don’t usually build LEGOs would want one, to display at home.”
Similarly Pacheco wishes for the brand to tap into more local experiences like cricket owing to India’s obsession with the sport. “Imagine a Salt Lake stadium or Feroz Shah Kotla stadium. If there was a LEGO cricket stadium, a dad might say, ‘Hey, I remember this place,’ and enjoy building it with his kid. It becomes personal, it’s something they connect with.”
As India’s first LEGO® Certified Store throws open its doors, one thing’s clear — the bricks aren’t just for kids anymore. But if LEGO really wants to win desi hearts, it might need to trade in Hogwarts and Avengers for Bollywood blockbusters and cricket stadiums. And let’s see how long it takes before Shah Rukh Khan gets his own minifigure.