We are a serious LEGO Family. Our mantra is “There is no such thing as too much LEGO; There IS such a thing as not enough storage.” When we heard about a new television show coming to Australia, LEGO Masters Australia, the spawnlings simply turned to me and said: “So, when are we watching it, Mom?”
After watching the preview for Episode 1, they again turned to me and said: “And when are you receiving Episode 2, Mom?” After regrettably advising them that I’m not THAT good, all three children headed straight for their LEGO stash and started creating their own designs. Best of all, they played happily together for an hour afterward. BTW: This was the second week of school holidays. You and I both know this would never happen, but it did. This is LEGO Masters Australia magic, and I want to bottle it up and sell it and make millions and buy even MORE LEGO!!!
LEGO Masters Australia
LEGO Masters Australia is a new reality tv show based on the hit series from the UK, LEGO Masters. All the reviews I’m reading about the UK version are amazing. For a reality show, it is perfectly balanced with fun competition and positive creativity. LEGO Masters UK has been compared with The Great British Bake-Off, with the same feeling of positive mentoring and fantastic encouragement for all participants. It’s a competition, and at the end of the day there will still be a winner and losers, but in the meantime, the show is a lot of fun!
The participants themselves are pretty fun and very relatable! Two of my favorite teams are Maddy and Jimmy and Henry and Cade.
Honorary GeekMom Maddy
Maddy and Jimmy are absolutely adorable in their creativity and personality. I was fortunate enough to chat with Maddy and learn more about how she brought this personality to the show. What makes Maddy an Honorary GeekMom is how she sees LEGO as the “Universal Tool for everyone to connect with their inner child.” Through her work as a children’s entertainer and with children’s charity Starlight Children’s Foundation, Maddy has seen first hand how important youthful innocence is.
“Jimmy and I worked for a children’s charity for many years, spending lots of time with kids and learning about what interests them, what really makes them shine. We love to see LEGO used to bring out the creativity and thinking in kids. I’m really hoping this show inspires kids to want to go that step further. As adults, we are so cautious about making mistakes and getting it wrong. We don’t want to push ourselves because we don’t want to make a fool of ourselves. Halfway through we really had to let go of a lot of feelings, like my inner-perfectionism. Just letting it go and giving it a go.”
To give you an idea of who Maddy is and the personality she brings to the show, she features in one of the promotion ads with this look of pure awe on her face as her glasses catch the reflection of ALL OF THE LEGO BRICKS!!!
“It was literally like that!”, Maddy said with an exuberant laugh. “All I could think was how I am now an 8-year-old again and it is the best thing ever!”
Keep an eye out for Maddy and her LEGO Maddy in the first episode of LEGO Masters Australia. She is clearly my daughter’s favorite. And is tied with Henry and Cade for my favorite too.
Geekdads Henry and Cade
Bit of backstory here: I’m going to claim to have discovered Henry around three years ago at the Sydney Brickshow event in the city. His designs were amazing and easily caught my eye, but even back then, there was something more about him. What I loved most about his display was his approach to the audience. Henry was taking the time to talk to every kid who stopped to ask him questions. See this video here:
Henry hasn’t changed much over the years. We see each other at various events; I admire how his LEGO continues to grow, he admires how I keep my spawnlings alive. (In truth, I am just as surprised.) Best of all, he still believes in LEGO being the universal toy that appeals to everyone. And he has teamed up with a fellow geeky dad who thinks the same way.
LEGO Masters Australia starts this Sunday, April 28 on Channel Nine. For those located outside Australia, they have also set up a YouTube channel here. I’m really hoping they have set the YouTube channel to share it with the rest of the world because this is a TV show that is almost perfectly designed for geek families.
PSSST: I have also heard talk of LEGO Masters heading to even more countries around the world. Stay tuned for more updates!
