Replay: Lego’s Grown Up Gamble

LEGO built one of the most iconic brands in history by standing for children, creativity, and open-ended play. But in recent years, a major shift has taken hold. The company is increasingly chasing adult fans with premium, expensive, highly detailed sets, licensed IP, and collector-focused experiences. In this episode, the panel is joined by toy industry veteran Leo Battersby to examine whether LEGO’s pivot toward adults is a smart growth strategy or a dangerous drift away from the very thing that made the brand legendary. The conversation explores the deep tension between imagination vs instruction, open-ended creativity vs rigid build-by-numbers kits, and long-term cultural pipeline vs short-term revenue growth. With declining birth rates, rising screen time, and changing childhood behavior, LEGO is navigating a radically different world than the one it helped shape. The group debates whether LEGO is slowly turning from a system of play into a premium model-building brand and what that means for future generations of builders. Key Topics & Takeaways Why adult collectors now make up ~25–30% of the toy market How LEGO’s “Adults Welcome” strategy and 18+ sets changed the brand The shift from imaginative play to instruction-following construction Why modern LEGO sets leave less room for creative reinterpretation The impact of screens, media, and IP on how kids play today Declining birth rates and what that means for toy company pipelines The difference between “paint by numbers” and a blank canvas Why nostalgia is powerful but not a long-term growth strategy How LEGO risks losing the next generation of builders The hidden danger of optimizing only for adult money Subscribe for more deep dives where we fix big business problems with fresh perspectives. • Website – www.wefixeditpod.com • Follow us on: Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/wefixeditpod LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/wefixeditpod YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@WeFixedItPod If you liked this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your friends! Keep listening to find out how we fix companies and put them back better than we found them. Disclaimer A quick disclaimer. We are going into this somewhat cold and nothing we say should be construed as legal advice, financial advice or anything that would get us in trouble. These are our views and opinions. We're here to ask the kinds of questions everyone's thinking. Have an engaging conversation and maybe come to some conclusions that we feel are worth exploring. By the end, if we fixed it, you're welcome. All trademarks, IP and brand elements discussed are property of their respective owners. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices