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The colorful bricks that have a greater attraction to feet than Quentin Tarantino were a key part of our childhoods. And no one in Houston knows how to celebrate them better than Sara and Matt Broussard of the Toy Museum. Themselves both Lego enthusiasts, they’re now the hosts of regular events, held several times per month around Houston, encouraging people of all ages to pick up the colorful blocks and get creative. Participants are allowed to bring their own Lego sets, or they can purchase some from the Toy Museum itself—there are plenty of options available for a variety of skill sets and budgets.

“Our main goal is to get people to go around and see the city and see all the wonderful places we have…to go and visit with friends,” Matt says. “Not enough people know how great the city of Houston is.”

The first Lego Night was held at the Toy Museum during the 2023 holiday season. It had a good turnout, so the couple decided to host a Valentine’s Day–themed event the following February. It sold out. They created a second enchanted evening of finding love over plastic bricks. It also sold out.

North Shepherd Brewing then reached out to the Broussards to inquire about bringing the Lego Night concept to its taproom. They make for an ideal team. The space is large and open, allowing kids to run around in between projects with their parents, and a free bookshelf and assortment of board games invites further play and curiosity.

“The first event was successful, and we realized we could do something with this. Not only was it a way to promote the museum, but it was exciting to introduce the idea of brick building to other adults who hadn’t given it a chance before,” Sara said via email.

Thrilled with the number of Houstonians who turned up, she started contacting other places to see if they were interested in replicating the joy of Lego Night at their own venues. Eureka Heights Brew Co., Decant Urban Winery, Big Owl Craft Brew House, and the Dogwood all agreed. The Toy Museum ended up hosting around 40 total build events across the city by fall 2024. Most of the Lego Nights bring in 20 or so people each time, including children, though one at North Shepherd Brewing attracted a crowd of 50.

“One of our main goals is to reintroduce childlike behavior. One thing we definitely see at the museum is it’s easier to relate to your child or your grandchild if you have a memory of a toy, or can do the toy with them,” Matt says. “So with Legos coming and being a very therapeutic thing, it’s a good habit to form in the next generation.”

The Toy Museum still hosts the occasional Lego Night at its own 19th Street location in the Heights, though these usually coincide with special events like Valentine’s and Star Wars Day. They’ll also organize build competitions, where teams compete to construct the same set the fastest. Matt mentions discussions with the Houston Brick Club, which built a model of downtown Houston for the museum, about potential future collaborations.

Lego Night has its own regulars, too. A mother and her adult daughter consistently show up to build and drink together at Dogwood, and a family who visits the Toy Museum for art classes and kids camps brings friends along to North Shepherd Brewing. No matter the jokes about always being underfoot, the ubiquitous childhood staple has continued to delight creatives of all ages since its now-familiar plastic form emerged in 1947 (Legos were previously made of wood).

It’s understandable why. When sitting at North Shepherd Brewing with a pile of what eventually became a cheery toucan, the sun sparkling in through the windows and the ambient sounds of chit-chat and children laughing, Lego Nights offer a great distraction from the woes of the world. You feel like you’re creating something beautiful, whether alone or among friends new and old alike.

“[Legos] helps you deal with anxiety. It helps you clear your head. It helps you get out thoughts. It lets you think. It’s such a good tool, and with all the research done with Legos and toys, we have science to back up why it’s so good for us,” Matt says. “Toys are the tools for a child to discover the parameters of the world. And so, with Lego being so versatile, you can pretend anything on your journey of figuring out what you want to do in life.”

Matt grew up playing with Legos, and it’s something he shares with him and Sara’s twin daughters. By contrast, Sara didn’t develop an appreciation for them until adulthood. She’s now hooked on challenging herself with increasingly difficult builds. Matt and their children even gave her a set of the R.M.S. Titanic this past Mother’s Day.

“I had always thought of building Lego as having to create something from scratch, which is definitely an option, but my brain isn’t wired for something like that,” Sara says. “I describe it now as a puzzle that comes with directions for where each piece goes. It actually relaxes me, and it’s what I do now to wind down at the end of the day.”