Ask a Lemur – Loot, Public Displays & the TBB Compound

Greetings and Salutations, Dearest Readers!

Lemur Peeking

I, the TBB intern, am here, as always, to answer any and all of your questions about LEGO, the fan community and The Brothers Brick. How was your week? Mine was outstanding.

Master Andrew informed me that I had been here long enough now to qualify for a day off. That’s right! An entire day to do whatever I wanted! Aren’t you jealous? Who gets something like that? This is such an awesome place.

It took me some time to figure what I wanted to do but then Carter pointed out that the next town over has a 24-hour All-You-Can-Eat Buffet. All-You-Can-Eat! Let me tell you, they hadn’t met me. It was the most awesome experience. I hitch-hiked over there and found the flickering neon sign. After paying Lois (“Have at it, Hon”, she said), I dove right in. It was so scrumptious. The massive fruit bar, the crusty little shrimps, the warm chocolate fountain, the texture of the napkins…it was the place of my dreams. I still haven’t fully recovered. Lemur has a big belly!

Anyway, that was my week. On to your questions!

You at the brothers brick are always giving away prizes, and holding contests. Where do you guys get your loot?

For the most part, funding for the “loot” that we give away comes from readers like you. The site is paid for by the Amazon and LEGO affiliate ads in our sidebar. Every time you buy something via our ads, the website receives a commission. It doesn’t matter what you buy and nothing is added to your purchase. We simply get a “cut” for directing you to there. Once the overhead of the site is covered, the remainder is funneled back into the community in a variety of ways. One of those is by providing prizes for our own contests or sponsoring contests that others run.

The more you click on our ads, the more we can sponsor events and such in the community. They also buy me more fruit and other yummy things but I’m not supposed to talk about that. Don’t worry about me, I’m fine!

Any tips on where and how to display your LUG’s creation for public display if there are no LEGO exhibitions in town?

This really varies by area, but local libraries are always a good place to start. Many of them have permanent display cases with rotating displays for people’s hobbies. Many also have free public meeting rooms that you can reserve and perhaps have a small public exhibition of your own. I have also heard of independent toy or hobby stores allowing local LEGO clubs to set up a window display.

Until recently the LEGO stores have allowed a permanent LUG display called “Window to the Community” but I hear that is mostly discontinued. However, it can’t hurt to ask. Another place to check is with any official local or city agencies. Some city halls or chambers of commerce have rotating display cases as well. Museums are yet another place to contact. They will probably be more picky about the subject matter but if your LUG can build something that fits within the museum’s genre, why not give it a try?

Why does the brothers brick need a compound to run a website? Or are they hiding something……

Well, basically just the normal things for which people need compounds. Each of the contributors has an office here, as well a suite of rooms for whenever they need to stay over. It’s basically a place that the contributors can let their hair down and be themselves. Each of them uses ‘TBB-2’ in slightly different ways, depending on their needs, though some uses overlap. Hiding from the paparazzi is a big one, especially for Simon. Ralph, of course, has his lab. That is best kept behind the locked gates of the compound anyway. Chris has turned his suite in a humongous gaming console. He seldom comes out or goes home. We do send a lot of take-out in there though. Caylin…well, she does strange things here. Let’s just say that after last time, I’m not allowed to talk about that.

So, anyway, I hope that answers your questions. I hope to see more of them this week!

A. Lemur

10 comments on “Ask a Lemur – Loot, Public Displays & the TBB Compound

  1. Umbra-Manis

    Since Nannan is a medical student, does he have to treat wounds after Ralph’s or Iain’s experiments go awry?

  2. am

    At my store we still have the window to the community, but the rules surrounding it have changed. Instead of a new display each month, there is a semi-permanent display (just there for a longer time), that must be approved by TLG for content. Just thought I’d leave this here.

  3. AK_brickster

    One thing that has always perplexed me a little is the difference in perception between “clone brands” (BOOOOO!!!) and “third party” products (COOL!).

    I understand the concept that clone brands “compete” with LEGO whereas third party products “supplement” LEGO, but what about instances where the clone brand has parts that are not produced by LEGO? Something that comes to mind would be the Halo, Assassin’s Creed and War Craft licenses that Mega Bloks has had. LEGO doesn’t make a Battle Rifle, so why is the MB version “bad”, but the BrickForge/BrickWarriors/etc. product permissible?

    Personally, I am a “mostly purist”, in that I only use non-LEGO parts sparingly, because I like to maintain the LEGO aesthetic, but this discussion really interests me.

    Is there some insight that you, oh furry all-knowing, all-eating one, can bestow upon us, your humble readers?

  4. shegomo matebo

    I don’t know if you have any lemurlings yourself, but my wife and I have a baby son who is on the verge of becoming mobile.

    Currently I have my LEGO collection in a few bings in the corner of the living room. Do you have any advice how to store it in a way that is still usable for me but not too attractive for him? We have a small house, so I can’t dedicate a room to my collection. Also, any related child-growing-up-in-an-AFOL-household advice is helpful. Thank you!

  5. legozebra

    I know J1A3L5 has already asked this, but I really DO want to know if the TBB compound is responsible for the several Susan Williams signatures… Is the lemur behind all this? Or someone else in the compound?

  6. K.Kreations

    We often see featured here many builds for the incredible Iron Builder competition. I have heard bits and pieces about the “builders lounge” and about behind the scenes of the Iron Builder rounds. Who started the Iron Builder? And how are the next competitors chosen? Who gets to decide the seed part for a given round?

  7. bruce n h

    “the difference in perception between “clone brands” (BOOOOO!!!) and “third party” products (COOL!).” Ooh, AK, are you trying to get the Lemur in trouble? Next will you ask about old vs new grey and flesh-toned figs?

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