The LEGO Maniac

    Everyone has their fandoms, their little obsessions. Those little doses of childhood nostalgia that stays with us into our adult lives, shaping our interests and hobbies. For some people it is videos games, others its model cars, or perhaps action figures. Some are haunted by the melody of a adolescent verse that drives them to constantly pick up a guitar and attempt to recreate that sensation again. And there are those who are simply looking to escape the cold world we live in and escape to a time which they remember to be a brighter, simpler age,

    For me, that escape is and has been LEGO. I received my first LEGO set in 1994, a little model hotrod with a solitary driver. (#6538 "Rebel Roadster"). That little set was just the start. After came a little white and red chopper(#6515 "Stunt Copter"), then came a little black and rainbow-colored jet boat (#6537 "Hydro Racer"). I was hooked, especially when I was introduced to the Royal Knights of the Castle theme, and the various factions of LEGO Space. The blocky little characters were interesting, so were the sets, but what really got me was that the people and sets could morph and change into whatever I wanted. And this wasn't like my Matchbox and HotWheel cars where my imagination could reimagine the purpose of an element. I could literally create my own custom characters, complete with their own personalities, backstory, and most importantly, appearance. The vehicles could change from a car to a spaceship with as little difficulty as my mind had thinking it. And the more parts and pieces I collected, the more I could create and build, and the more stories I could tell. I was obsessed by LEGO, to the point of "studying" to be a LEGO Master for a good portion of my childhood. I went for about a 5-6 year stint where I was sure LEGO was no longer a part of my life, to the point of giving my LEGO collection at the time to my youngest sibling. But, thanks to my wife and the FOX "LEGO Masters" tv show competition, I am back with it and stronger than ever. And now I have my 3 kids (known here and on my YouTube channel as "Daddy's Little Monsters") who work with and alongside me in this crazy road I set myself down.

One LEGO Icon who was present from the time I got into LEGO, through the 90's and into the early 2000's was the LEGO Maniac. A callback to the live-action "Zack the LEGO Maniac" who starred in the TV adverts of the 80's, the new LEGO Maniac retained Zack's spiky blonde hair and sunglasses. Dressed in green shirt and red shorts, the 90's  LEGO Maniac was the generic representation of everything kids wanted from their LEGO. He told awesome stories, had fun facts about LEGO and LEGO themes, and could even jump into the LEGO world to build and solve the problems of the LEGO people.

The LEGO Maniac has not been seen since 2002 when LEGO Mania Magazine came to and end. The current "LEGO Club" magazine has a new minifigure mascot, "Max", and so I thought I would adopt the role the old LEGO Maniac had. I spent my childhood and now a good portion of my adult life turning my eidetic visual memory towards LEGO magazines, sets and minifigures. I still remember the name of the main character from the "Divers" theme, and I still think that the "Xtreme Team" is one of the coolest Town sets LEGO has ever produced. I remember that Roboforce at one point went toe-to-toe with the Time Twisters, and that "Bandit 1" from the Western theme was called "Black Bart".

And I offer what I know to you.

This blog and my connected profiles (check out the links in the menus for my Instagram, Facebook and YouTube profiles) are dedicated to keeping the older themes alive, educating the LEGO community, and helping LEGO fans keep track of their collections and, especially, their minifigures.

So please, stick around, check out my content. If you have any questions I can answer about LEGO or if you need help identifying any LEGO parts, sets or minifigs, please don't hesitate to ask. I am here to help!