Fandom in the branded playground: experiences of adult LEGO fans worldwide

Vlada Botorić

Chapter 17 in Research Handbook on the Sociology of Consumption, 2026, pp 205-218 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This study focuses on the relationship between adult fans of LEGO (AFOLs) and their fandom productive experiences. Specifically, the chapter shows how AFOLs experience fandom that evolves from the dyad of empowerment supported by the LEGO Group and the fandom periphery as a subordinated community experience where members are deprived of access to their objects of fandom. The author empirically investigates this through ethnographic field research at major LEGO events in the UK and the US, as well as fan gatherings in Japan and Brazil. In-depth individual interviews with AFOLs and non-participant observation enabled differentiated claims of AFOLs’ individual experiences, and revealed how fans’ diverse productive practices and community experiences were influenced by their geographical location.

Keywords: Fandom; Fan production; Consumption; Ethnography; LEGO (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035310500
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