Throughout my childhood, my sister and I would spend hours in our basement playing with the assortment of toys filling two plastic white shelves. Among the jump ropes, skip-its, and board games, resting in its place on the top shelf we had to jump to reach, was a large red box shaped like a LEGO brick.
The two of us would dump its contents on our floor, always losing a piece or two in the process, and pass the time building statues, appliances for our Barbies, and fighting over who got to build the LEGO car that time (which yes, if you were wondering, was the perfect size for our Polly Pockets to drive with a passenger or two).
As we got older, and school and extracurriculars became more demanding, the LEGO brick stayed on the top shelf for longer between uses until eventually it was time to say goodbye. I always assumed that goodbye was permanent, but as I learned on Wednesday September 19th, that was far from the case.
In fact, my love for LEGO was reanimated by LEGOLAND itself. LEGOLAND Discovery Centers – including our very own here in Boston – hold monthly adult nights (18+ only) inviting grown-ups to relive their childhood and play like a kid again. Each event has its own theme, and this month’s theme? Murder mystery.
LEGOLAND’s iconic Gio the giraffe
When I heard about the event, I did what any college student with tons of schoolwork and 8 seasons of Castle under her belt would do – I grabbed a friend and made my way over as soon as I could throw my school bag back into my apartment.
The event began promptly at 7pm in the Discovery Center itself, where we were given character sheets teaching us about our murder suspects and instructions to head upstairs. Our group was then led into “Miniland,” a replica of the city of Boston made entirely out of LEGOs. Though it’s not as “mini” as the name would imply – the model spanned the entirety of the front room, recreating Boston staples like a lit-up Fenway Park, museums, and my personal favorite (though choosing one favorite is nearly impossible in itself), two boats of rowers racing along the glowing river. Attendees were left to marvel at the feat until, slowly, we began to trickle into the next room where our murder investigation began.
Miniland’s Fenway Park, with a game in full swing
These incredibly realistic models of Boston’s landmarks left guests gaping
Walking through the doorway, we were immediately met with a chalk outline of an unknown victim, and a detective behind a table of evidence there to set us on our course.
Throughout the two-hour event, we were mostly left to our own devices. We were given until 8:45 to submit our guesses as to who the killer was, and in the meantime, we would roam as we liked. Of course, there were plenty of activities for us to do – entering into a LEGO building competition, visiting Somerville Brewing Company’s booth, and hopping on one of their rides being just a few. But most the most fun came from the night’s suspects.
Throughout the night we were introduced to our six suspects: Delsin DeTayns, Madame Peyton Poshe, Megan May Kabuild, Mike Mopps-DaFleur, Justine Juste-Wright, and Inspector Amber A. Sneake. Each has his or her own role in the LEGO store, and his or her own reason for potentially wanting our unidentified victim dead. Our job? Interrogate each suspect and figure out whodunit.
Murder suspect “Justine Juste-Wright,”: apathetic event planner or cold-blooded killer?
Photo Credit: Elise Takahama
The suspects stayed in-character like pros, deflecting hard-to-answer questions and subtlety shifting suspicion to another one of their colleagues. However, guests were shocked when towards the end of the night, Mike Mopps-DaFleur – former convict and current facilities manager – left to check the pipes and never came back. That’s right – as the detective announced, Mike was MURDERED – most likely by the same man or woman who killed the unknown victim. With a double homicide on our hands (and perhaps overly-eager participants), we raced against the clock to bring the killer to justice.
“Mike Mopps-DaFleur” – unbeknownst to us, our second victim.
Photo Credit: Elise Takahama
After making the rounds and interrogating the suspects, my friend and I put in our guesses, and spent the last fifteen minutes of the night riding “Merlin’s Apprentice” and building amateur masterpieces (if I do say so myself) out of the LEGOs laid out for us to play with. My sheet full of notes from the interrogations practically burned a hole in my pocket as we eagerly awaited the results.
When the killer was revealed to be Madam Peyton Poshe (our second choice, and I’m only slightly bitter about it), she fled the scene – leaving the possibility open for her to strike another day.
Peyton Fletcher, AKA Madame Peyton Poshe, listens intently to a guest’s questions, getting ready to throw him off her scent.
Photo Credit: Elise Takahama
In reality, our killer Madam Poshe is played by marketing and sales executive Peyton Fletcher. This was her second murder mystery that she’s taken part in, though she is very involved with adult nights as a whole. For her, adult night is a way to “relive what childhood is like,” and for the staff to be able to connect with the guests.
LEGOLAND Boston’s incredible Master Model Builder Megan Amaral (or, in this case, Megan May Kabuild) fields questions from an inquisitive crowd.
Photo Credit: Elise Takahama
Master Model Builder Megan Amaral (AKA suspect Megan May Kabuild) teaches classes to kids as well as participates in adult nights – though she won’t pick favorites when it comes to the two age groups. “The thing I like about working with adults is everyone being like ‘you have the coolest job!’ and the excitement and seeing the adults go back to being a kid and the wonderment,” she said, practically glowing. Amaral added, “Adults definitely lose their creativity as they grow up… [at adult nights] they definitely loosen up and they go back to being kids… you’re only here to play.” Fun fact: there are only 24 master model builders in the world, and she is the only female master model builder in North America!
As college students – and adults in general – we are often told to grow up. To focus only on our professional growth and leave our sense of whimsy behind in lieu of more “practical” things. LEGOLAND, however, knows we can indulge in both.
I can’t say I expected to have just as much fun as I did that night. Being at an age where I’m supposed to leave this aspect of myself behind – the part which loves to goof off with no repercussions and play with toys – I didn’t realize just how exciting being allowed and, more importantly, encouraged, to act like a kid would be. In creating this space for adults to just have pure, unadulterated (get it?) fun with their peers, we are given an environment to take what we loved about being kids and apply it to our grown-up lives, using different methods of creative problem solving to find a missing solution (while building kickass LEGO towers in the process).
LEGOLAND Boston’s next adult night will be Halloween themed on October 17th from 7-9pm. You can get adult night tickets here (college students get $5 off regular admission prices). I’ll certainly be there, surrounded by LEGOs and letting my inner kid out again.
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