At its late 2015 height, adult coloring books were a publishing phenomenon. Reprints (some as deep as their 15th edition) were selling like hot cakes, and middle-agers traditionally accused of suffering crises became overnight creatives. Sure, all it was was filling in the lines, but it was relaxing, and importantly, it wasn’t staring at a screen.
In the years since the trend has subsided, we’re yet to see a product step up and claim the adults-in-desperate-need-of-creative-stimulation crown. But the newly announced LEGO FORMA stands a more than decent chance.
LEGO FORMA is currently funding on Indiegogo; it’s a small subsidiary of the Danish brick-building brand, and has spent months focused solely on bringing an adult “mechanical model” to market. Backed by in-house survey data which reports 86% of adults say “play helps them feel more relaxed” and 87% feel “construction toys help them be creative,” the team turned to nature for inspiration.
They settled on the chassis of a koi fish, which when assembled via 294 different elements (an array of pins, slots and gears) can undulate back and forth like a Big Mouth Billy Bass. This framework comes with its own “skin” — a black-and-orange casing — but a builder can try three others if interested (shark, splash koi or ink koi). While the build won’t take longer than an afternoon, the end aesthetic is predictably Danish, a conversation totem that’ll slot in nicely in your home, all the better because you built the dang thing … out of LEGO, no less.
Find more information on preordering your set here. The Koi Model retails for $45 with the current Indiegogo discount, while each skin add-on sells for $15. Happy building.
All images from LEGO
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