These aren't your kid's Lego sets — why the toy bricks are building in popularity with adults

When Graeme Dymond was in kindergarten, his teacher asked him to draw what he wanted to be when he grew up. So he drew a picture of himself playing with his favourite toy, Lego. 

Decades later, he saw that teacher again. 

"I told her I made that picture come true," said Dymond, a Lego certified professional and the organizer of the Lego fan convention, Bricks in the Six in Mississauga, Ont. 

"I didn't even know that could have been a career. I certainly, as a kid, didn't know that would be a job that I could do."

The 39-year-old is one of many people who have either kept their love of Lego, or rediscovered it as adults. And that customer base has become an important part of The Lego Group's marketing strategy.

A growing number of new sets are geared specifically to adults, featuring an 18+ label in the corner and price tags of up to $1,000, which is much more than most children's allowance. 

Genevieve Capa Cruz, head of product for the Lego Group's adult department, says it's a part of a new strategy for the company. 

"It's been a very good trajectory for us and we can see it in our consumer data," said Capa Cruz, noting that their data tells them they typically have high retention of their older fans.

Though she didn't want to share specific statistics about how much of its consumer base is made up of adults, Capa Cruz did say it was "thriving" and "healthy."

Dymond always had an affinity for Lego bricks. In high school and university, he would often choose to stay in to play with bricks over going out with friends. 

After university, he got a job doing corporate training at a bank in Toronto. But he still felt the toy's pull. When there was a Lego building contest in the city, he ditched work to compete. 

"I didn't think I had what it would take to win," Dymond said. "But I thought I'd like to meet other people like me who are grown-ups and love Lego building." 

But his many nights spent building Lego sets at home were worth it, because he won, becoming Canada's first Legoland Master Model Builder. The prize; an opportunity to work for the Lego Company. 

He did that for a few years, and now works as a freelancer to help companies come up with custom Lego creations. He's built a human-sized dinosaur, mosaics and recently created a replica of the Eiffel Tower, all as part of what he calls "one of the greatest jobs in the world."