Eric and Emily Krans are unofficial LEGO Master Builders. They create amazing structures from small, colorful plastic bricks. Turns out, these bricks are also the building blocks of their relationship.
In her 30s, Emily was looking at some internet dating sites and said to herself, “OK, this is going to be the last round of guys that I email. After this, if I don’t find anybody, I’m single for life. I’m OK with that.” She says her email went something like this, “If you are a bottom feeder, please do not respond.”
“Not being a bottom feeder, I replied,” says her husband Eric Krans. Emily learned that Eric had been into LEGO building for about two years before they met and soon, Emily was building LEGOs too. A year later, they got married. Now their living room is a LEGO workroom.
Emily loves little miniature Christmas villages. She says, “Sometimes, they can be a bit chintzy. And sometimes they’re also really expensive. And I thought, ‘You know what? I could build a Christmas town. And I could make this relevant to the community that I live in because I’ve always loved Wisconsin.'” So she built a West Bend Christmas village.
Eric’s current LEGO theme is Harry Potter. He holed up his basement like a mad scientist for about six months creating a 14,000 brick, moving Quidditch pitch. All the gears, workings, mechanics are made of LEGO. Even the little figures that “fly” around on broomsticks. Emily proudly states this build is the one “we get the most oohs and ahhs over.”
Emily and Eric do six to ten shows a year. They try to bring something new to each show. Eric says, “We’re always building new things until we can’t build anymore.” Emily chimes in, “We run out of pieces or money or space.” Eric concurs that space is most often the limiting factor. Emily agrees. “Little house. Lots of LEGO!” she says. “I think it’s part of what keeps us happily married. The family that LEGOs together stays together.”
