Lego fans are in for a treat on May 12, when the country’s first Lego Certified Store opens its doors. Inquirer Super got a sneak peek at the brick boutique and discovered that it’s a paradise for Lego lovers of all ages—and not just because they have a wide array of Lego sets available.
Here are ten cool things you can do at the Lego Certified Store:
1. Buy personalized Lego keychains. The steps are simple: choose your brick keychain—they come in different colors (our favorite’s the gold), pick the color of the engraving (red, pink, orange, skin, yellow, gold, light green, light brown, green, brown, light blue, blue, black, gray, violet, white) and tell them your name (or the word you want to add to your keychain). There’s a P100 engraving fee. You can choose to engrave two sides of your keychain for P200.
2. If you’re a kid (or you have a kid) between the ages of 6 and 14, join the Monthly Mini Build. The monthly event allows kids to build simple and exclusive Lego sets inside the store and then bring them home for free, no purchase required. Get your first taste of the Monthly Mini Build next week: drop by the Lego Certified Store at 2 p.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m. or 8 p.m. and get the chance to build an alien on May 12 and 13, a spaceship on May 14 and 15 and a robot on May 16 and 17.
3. Get your hands on exclusive Lego sets. “The Lego Certified Store will have activities and products that are exclusive and will only be available here,” says Sharlene Tsai, Lego Certified Store’s business unit head. The Lego Ideas Birds is one set you can’t get from any other store. The set of three intricately designed Lego birds was created by Thomas Poulsom and was selected to be produced by members of Lego Ideas.
“Lego’s Architecture Studio is cool. It’s all bricks and you can free build,” says Patrick Pesengco, who has been distributing Lego in the Philippines for around eight years now through LAJ Marketing Philippines and heads Lego Certified Store’s management.
Sharlene also loves the Simpsons The Kwik-E-Mart set while Patrick is a big fan of the Avengers The SHIELD Helicarrier.
4. Make your own minifigures. The Lego Certified Store has a Build A Mini corner where you can create unique Lego characters. Choose a head, a torso, legs, hair or headwear plus an accessory. A set of three minifigs costs P499.75.
5. Pick a Brick. Need more clear bricks in your collection? Running out of flower stems? No worries. With Pick a Brick, you can add specific bricks to your Lego collection without buying an entire set. Grab a tub, select your bricks and elements and pay P649.75 for every 100 grams.
6. Play. There are tables and chairs and blank Lego walls set up around the store, perfect for unleashing your creativity. “That’s what we want to do,” says Patrick. “It’s not just business. We want people to go back to basics, use their hands and play well. It’s the foundation of creativity.”
Sharlene adds, “We are looking forward to seeing a lot of kids and happy families in the store.”
7. Check out the 3D Lego creations. “Kids can go inside the lion and take pictures. We have a lot more coming in for the opening. There will be Star Wars and Ninjago models,” says Sharlene.
8. Get freebies. If you spend P3000 (single receipt purchase) from May 12 to 17, you will get a gift with purchase (a Valentine’s Day Dinner set on May 12 and 13, Painting Easter Eggs set on May 14 and 15 and a Build A Mini set of 3 on May 16 and 17).
9. Complete the newly released second series of The Simpsons Minifigures. We still need Comic Book Guy, Fallout Boy and Waylon Smithers Jr.
10. Get a great deal and do a good deed. This one may be our favorite. From May 12 to 17, Lego Certified Store will be selling Lego Spider-Man Glider sets for just P50 and all the proceeds will go to World Vision’s Malabon Brigada Eskwela Project.
If you want to help even more, you may also join the #BrickstoClassrooms campaign. Use twenty Lego bricks to build a creation that symbolizes education. Post a photo of your creation on Instagram and tag #BrickstoClassrooms #legostorephxWV and @legostoreph. Lego Certified Store will donate P100 to World Vision for each entry.
Lego’s goal is to donate P500,000 to World Vision to help them rebuild classrooms.
Join the fun at Lego Certified Store on May 12, 1 p.m. Find the store at the Park Triangle, 11th Avenue corner Rizal Drive Bonifacio Global City Taguig (beside Kidzania). The store will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. starting May 13.
