Greetings, AHOL.
LEGO Castle. LEGO Space. LEGO Town. LEGO Pirates.
All classic themes that likely helped mold you into the adult fan LEGO, or adult hobbyist of LEGO, you are today.
I know they did for me.
Back in the day, I didn't know for sure what I wanted out of my LEGO hobby. If a new set looked cool, I wanted it. The theme didn't matter. I just wanted to build.
My toy box was filled with LEGO sets from all the classic themes. I maintained a motley collection.
But then in 1990, LEGO released a set that would change the course of my love affair with the hobby forever.
It was LEGO set number 6081 - King's Mountain Fortress. The most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
Everything about this LEGO set just did it for me.
That bird.
The raised baseplate.
The maiden minifigure.
That new brick-built tree.
A friggin' ghost!
I thought right then and there that I was going to be a LEGO Castle guy for life.
And I was right.
LEGO's King's Mountain Fortress was the epitome of what I love about the hobby.
Unrestricted imagination fuel.
Just looking at that beautiful box art immediately begged so many questions.
Who was that ghost?
The vengeful specter of some slain king? The spiteful spirit of a prisoner once held in the castle's prison cell?
I wanted to answer those questions. I wanted to tell those stories.
That's what I loved about LEGO sets back then. And why I occasionally dislike, or am disappointed with, some of the more modern LEGO sets and LEGO themes.
None of those eight, gorgeous minifigures in the King's Mountain Fortress came with specific names or particular identities already assigned to them.
No King Leo, or Lord Vladek, or wizard Majisto like we'd get later; LEGO minifigures complete with fixed names and built-in bios.
I had He-Man dolls and G.I. Joes in the closet if I wanted to play out a few quick adventures with established characters from an existing franchise.
LEGO was a different kind of plastic. A different way to play. A better one.
It was the original sandbox game. An open world.
More satisfying than smashing toy trucks together. Or making Lion-O buttfuck Snarf.
As you built, and castle walls came together, so did the tales you would tell about what happened in between them.
I assigned each LEGO minifigure their own name and origin story. Complex family trees and elaborate mythologies then assembled themselves.
My fascination with original LEGO minifigure assemblies was born.
I started mixing and matching torsos and legs with different helmets. Making up my own characters for the first time.
The LEGO Castle theme, and King's Mountain Fortress in particular, elevated my interaction with LEGO from simple play to bona fide hobby. A hobby I enjoy to this day.
LEGO for adults, right?
Listen, this isn't a rant against LEGO licensed themes or anything.
I'm guilty of geeking out over LEGO Star Wars stuff.
And find uses for plenty of Potter crap too.
Nor is this a condemnation of original LEGO themes like Ninjago that have their own named characters and given lore.
But it is a defense of classic LEGO themes like LEGO Castle, LEGO Space, LEGO Town, and LEGO Pirates that didn't come with any narrative strings attached.
Just "interlocking pieces" and anonymous minifigures that allowed your creative juices to flow freely.
What about you, AHOL?
For me it was LEGO set number 6081 - King's Mountain Fortress.
Was there a particular LEGO set that had a similar effect on you?
Which one made you the AHOL you are today?
Or maybe it was the arrival of a certain theme. Like LEGO Pirates in 1989.
Or LEGO Paradisa in 1992.
Perhaps it was just a special LEGO minifigure that set you on your path towards practicing "LEGO for adults".
You know. Like a friggin' ghost.
Whatever it is, I want to know what it was.
Because I'll never stop being interested in the AHOL. And what makes an AHOL hot! 🍑🔥