Lego
uyb-culture-lego
Lego was the toy. Not the posh sets, none of the themed franchises, those came later. Classic 70s Lego: a box of possibilities and mismatched colours. I built spaceships with technical bits, then drew diagrams on squared paper so I could rebuild them after dinner. All solo, never group play. Carpet tiles, green, blue, gold, became race tracks. The limitations weren't frustrating, they were the point. Years later, in my thirties, I bought the full Star Wars Lego sets, one of those proper adulthood indulgences. If anyone ever tells you adults shouldn't play with toys, just send them a box of lego.
Use for Nigel's real childhood creativity habits (solo building, diagramming to rebuild) and the value of constraint over unlimited choice. No notable exclusions, safe personal anecdote with a real embedded link.