As the new LEGO® Playmaker, the Hawaiian actor is on a mission to tackle the growing global play deficit, one brick click at a time.

When you think back to childhood, what springs to mind? Maybe it’s a game of catch that inevitably ended with your dog running off with the ball. Maybe it’s a round of tag in the park on a sun-soaked afternoon, fuelled by little more than sugar and adrenaline. Or perhaps it’s tipping out a box of LEGO bricks and letting your imagination take the wheel, building whatever wild idea happened to be floating around your head. There are no wrong answers, only a reminder that those moments spent creating, exploring and connecting with family matter more than we often realise.

Ahead of World Play Day on 11 June, new research has revealed that just five hours of family playtime a week can significantly boost wellbeing and happiness. That’s a little over 40 minutes a day, yet almost half (44 per cent) of families worldwide aren’t reaching that mark. Beyond the immediate joy it brings, play also helps nurture creativity, resilience and confidence – skills that shape children long into adulthood.

Enter Jason Momoa. The actor and newly appointed LEGO® Playmaker is on a mission to help families rediscover the value of spending quality time together through the brand’s latest Never Stop Playing campaign. Below, he talks to Wonderland about his own childhood memories of LEGO, what makes a great playmaker and the lessons adults could stand to learn from kids.

What did LEGO play mean to you growing up, and what aspects of it did you enjoy the most?
When my children were younger, they were obsessed with LEGO play. They are older now – 17 and 19 – but they still love playing and they still love LEGO play. So, when the opportunity [to be the LEGO Playmaker] came about, it felt like a hero moment for me to be able to do this for them and to reconnect me to all of our childhoods. I find it hard to remember a lot of what I did as a kid, but I built a lot with LEGO bricks with my children as they grew up. So, this felt like a beautiful opportunity to pass this connection on, not just to myself but to other people.

What connects you to your inner child?
My whole career has been built on playing and being in my imagination. I think creativity is the most important thing; I’m rooted in it. Creativity and play are what make me an individual, and is what acting is all about. So, I think I depend on play a lot. And in my personal life and the things I love to do – music, rock climbing, building motorcycles and [LEGO] building with my children – play is pretty dominant.

With the LEGO Group encouraging people to be more creative, what are some other things that you do that harness your creativity outside of acting?
For me, creativity is everywhere, man. It’s not just acting. I get it from being outside, building things with my hands, painting, climbing, music, motorcycles, storytelling, spending time with my kids, all of it. I think creativity really comes from staying curious and staying connected to the things you love.

Honestly, play is a huge part of that. We put so much pressure on ourselves as adults to always be productive, but some of the best ideas come when you’re just messing around, laughing, building something, jamming with friends, or making something with your kids.

That’s one of the things I love about what the LEGO Group is doing. Ahead of World Play Day on June 11th, they uncovered a growing play deficit, with families struggling to make time for play. But play is where imagination lives. It keeps us creative, resilient, collaborative and happier. We all need more of that in our lives.

What was your first reaction to being named the official LEGO Playmaker?
It’s been an honour; something my children and I have done our whole lives. It was an amazing opportunity to connect with their childhood and the special memories we made with LEGO bricks. I’m a big kid at heart, so partnering with the LEGO Group as an official Playmaker and encouraging families to Never Stop Playing felt really meaningful.

I love that the mission isn’t about perfection or planning some giant thing; it’s about helping families rediscover the power of small moments together. The LEGO Group found that just five hours of play a week can boost happiness and wellbeing. Five hours! That’s actually pretty achievable when you think about it.

For me, play happens in little moments: building stuff with my kids, skateboarding, surfing, music, laughing around a campfire. It all counts.

And honestly, storming the LEGO boardroom in the playful short film we made together was pretty fun too!

Being a parent yourself, why do you think play is so important to family connection and well-being?
Because that’s where connection happens. Some of my favourite memories with my kids aren’t the big, planned moments. It’s the random stuff. Climbing, skateboarding, making music, building things together, that’s the good stuff.

Life gets busy. Work, schedules, responsibilities, all of that can kind of pull us away from each other. Play brings people back together.

I think sometimes adults forget that play is actually valuable. It’s not wasted time. It builds confidence, creativity, resilience, and communication, all these important things. But most importantly, it makes people feel connected and happy.

What’s one essential play activity for families?
Anything where everybody’s actually present together. That’s the big thing for me. It could be building LEGO sets, drawing, camping, cooking, surfing, music, making up games in the backyard, it honestly doesn’t matter what it is. The activity is almost secondary.

What matters is that people are laughing, creating, connecting, and not worrying about being perfect.

I think we all need more opportunities to unplug a little and just be together.

What’s one thing adults should learn from kids?
How to be fully present. Kids commit completely to imagination. They don’t overthink it. They just jump in and go for it; it’s beautiful. Kids remind us how important curiosity and joy really are. 

That playful spirit keeps you creative. It keeps you open, and it keeps you connected to people.

What do you think makes a great playmaker?
I think a great playmaker is someone who creates space for other people to feel joy. That’s really it.

I think the best playmakers bring energy, curiosity, kindness and imagination into a room. They remind people it’s okay to let go a little bit.

That’s what I love about this campaign with the LEGO Group, it’s really just encouraging people to Never Stop Playing, no matter how old you are.

Words – Jotaro Joden