“We need to remember what’s important in life…. Friends, waffles, work. Or waffles, friends, work. Doesn’t matter, but work is third.”
- Leslie Knope
What is “Parks and Recreation”?
“The raccoon problem is under control. They have their part of town and wehave ours.”
- Leslie Knope
This set pays homage to the hit TV show “Parks and Recreation” (or more lovingly referred to by fans as “Parks & Rec” or “P&R”) which aired on NBC from 2009 to 2015 starring Amy Poehler. “Parks & Rec” was an award winning show (created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur), which told the story of Leslie Knope and her friends working in the ‘Department of Parks & Recreation’ for the fictional city of Pawnee, Indiana.
“Parks & Rec” has always been one of my favorite comedy series, I discovered it shortly after discovering “The Office” and it always held a special place in my heart. It was also a mockumentary that was created by the same people, intended to be a spin-off but ultimately
was it’s own original show.
The reason I created this set was because while I worked on “LEGO The Office” for the last seven years, I was often asked to create a “LEGO Parks and Recreation” set.And to be honest, I’ve thought about it a lot! I even created a LEGO Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson years ago that you can see on my social media!
The funny thing is I’ve been thinking about this design for nearly 5 years, I always thought it would be cool to create the “LEGO Parks and Rec” set for fellow fans! So I decided to take a design I’ve been thinking about and submit it as a digital design (although I will build a physical model!).
My “LEGO Parks and Recreation” Design
“Treat Yo Self.”
- Donna Meagle
This proposed LEGO set is comprised of 1765 total pieces recreating the ‘Department of Parks & Recreation’! With 11 mini-figures for all the main characters on the show; Leslie Knope, Ron Swanson, Ann Perkins, Tom Haverford, April Ludgate, Andy Dwyer, Donna Meagle, Garry (aka Jerry, Larry, Terry) Gergich, Ben Wyatt, Chris Traeger & Craig Middlebrooks (all pictured in the last picture), you can recreate your favorite moments from the show with all your favorite characters!
The design primarily features the offices of fan favorite characters Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson, along with the Conference Room & Bullpen, all of which are easily accessible (as seen in images 1-3), however there is much more!
Because you can also create several other iconic locations from around Pawnee and add them to display it however you want (or even create your own)!
When I thought about this design over the years, one of the big things that came to mind is that my idea couldn’t just be the main character’s office spaces. Even though both shows had the same creators, “Parks and Recreation” is NOT the “The Office” and what made this show iconic to me
was nottheir office spaces, but their lives in the fictional city of Pawnee Indiana. Some of the most important scenes took place outside the “Parks” offices!
So I figured my design had to pay tribute to Pawnee (much like Leslie Knope did when she literally wrote the book about the city she loves and calls home) because those moments are what made the show special!
To really reflect that “Spirit of Pawnee” and create more play options, there are several other alternative vignette builds that recreate other scenes from the show (as seen in image 5!).
Some of these other scenes include…
- The Pit (Andy, April, Ann, Tom, Leslie) - (as seen in image 6!)
- JJ’s Diner Booth (Ron & Leslie) - (as seen in image 7! This one is my favorite because coincidentally my name is JJ!)
- Andy’s Shoe Shine (April & Andy) - (as seen in image 8!)
- The World’s Smallest Park (Leslie & Ben) - (as seen in image 9!)
- Treat Yo Self Shopping (Donna, Tom and Ben) - (as seen in image 10!)
- Pawnee Commons Park (For all characters!) - (as seen in image 11!)
Behind Leslie and Ron’s offices there is an empty courtyard (as seen in image 4) that is often seen on the show, such as when Ron and Chris had their burger cook off or where Donna spent time together with her ‘B-word’ (Buddy) Garry (which is one of my favorite scenes, ever!) while he was trying to find his wedding ring. In my design this courtyard section is modular,
meaning it can be detachedand replaced with those other predesigned vignette scenes honoring different key moments in the show’s history & give fans the framework to re-create their own scenes (as seen in image 12, 13 & 14!)!
Beyond the interchangeable design & characters, there are also several Easter Eggs hidden in the design itself! Can you spot them all? You may spot a miniature horse…. And rumor has it that Ron has hidden a gold bar somewhere (or has he?…. I’ve said too much.)
How do you help ‘LEGO Parks and Recreation’ get made by LEGO?
“Denmark destroys all!”
- Leslie Knope
If you would like to see a LEGO set based on the TV show, ‘Parks and Recreation’, it’s easy, please click the “Support” button on this page to vote for this set and then spread the word on social media! Please help the campaign go viral!
We need 10,000 supporters to vote for this set design to get to the official review process with LEGO!
You can follow my various social media pages for more updates and news too (links below)!
F.A.Q
“I’m just gonna live under a bridge and ask people riddles before they cross.”
- April Ludgate-Dwyer
- Why did you create this set for “Parks and Recreation”? Why not?
- Are you going to keep proposing sitcom sets? Does that sound like something I would do?
- Why didn’t you create Ann’s House? Where is Mark? Jean-Ralphio? Mona Lisa? Tammy? Tammy 2? Perd Hapley? Joan Callamezzo? Shauna Malwae-Tweep? Diane? Insert character here? Do you want this to be something fans can’t afford?
- Do any of the cast support this campaign? Have you seen any updates posted by me of the cast supporting it?
- Why did you take on the challenge of a digital design instead of a physical design? Why wouldn’t I like a different challenge?
- Can you sell me your designs? Why would I sell something that I just submitted to LEGO?
- What’s next? Why wouldn’t you think it would be another question?
- No, what do you plan on doing next (design new LEGO sets, save the planet, write a book, et cetera.)? Oh? Do you know Latin?
- Why are your answers so weird? Are my answers weird?
- Ok… Thank you. Are we done?
“The only type of witness I enjoy being is a hostile one. That’s why I intend to answer every one of their questions…. with a question.”
- Ron Swanson