The Rise of AFOL’s (Adult Fans Of Lego)

In recent years, prices for Lego sets have continued to skyrocket, while the quality of many minifigure and set designs have been lacking. Many wonder what the culprit of this case is, and it can ultimately be traced down to one suspect: Adult Lego fans. This blog will explain why these fans are so dominant in the LEGO market.

REASON NUMBER ONE: BIGGER BUDGETS

Obviously, adults will have a bigger budget to spend on entertainment than the average child will have. While young Timmy might purchase a small $30 set from a couple weeks of allowance money, adult nerd John recently got his paycheck and wants to get himself the new $1,000 Death Star set. Of course, not every adult has the budget to do this. But the adults who do make up a considerable percentage of LEGO fans. There is nothing wrong with spending money how you like, but it at least explains some of the recent decisions Lego has made.

REASON NUMBER TWO: MORE EXPENSIVE SETS

Most LEGO fans agree there is an overwhelming amount of UCS and modular sets now in comparison to the cheaper sets that LEGO fans grew up on. When Lego DOES does release smaller sets now, many feel that they are lackluster. There could be many explanations for the increase in sets with more pieces/a higher price tag. Ultimately, Lego produces more of these larger sets for one main reason. Besides having an excuse to charge higher prices for sets, there is an audience who will always buy them (AFOLs). I’m guilty of this myself, as I have a few of the Marvel modular builds.

REASON NUMBER THREE: NOSTALGIA

I’m sure many adults feel nostalgic for the toys of their respective childhoods. However, I think there is a generally large overlap for those nostalgic for LEGO considering how long the brand has been making toys. This type of feeling makes sets that appeal to adults more tempting, because they can easily be used as a display piece instead of just a toy. To add to this, LEGO pretty much sells large sets for all of their biggest IPs, even including a return to Lord of the Rings recently with the Eye of Sauron set. Overall, I just hope that these factors don’t make smaller sets entirely obsolete.