As “The Lego Movie” built its path to No. 1 at the box office this month with sharp one-liners and satire, the colorful plastic brick is enjoying resurgence in popularity among multiple generations.

This spring, there will be a Lego episode of “The Simpsons.” Then there’s an official Lego documentary in production, the sixth U.S. Lego Discovery Center opening in Massachusetts and the steady popularity of the Legoland theme parks in Florida and California plus four other countries.

Ole Kirk Kristiansen, the Danish carpenter who founded Lego in 1932, most likely didn’t envision the worldwide hoopla over a toy that hasn’t changed significantly since it was patented in 1958. But the beauty of bricks lies in the imagination.

“I always liked the sets that were more involved, more intricate, more complicated,” Ed Carpenter Racing assistant engineer Ben Siegel said. “What I always found was it was not good enough for me; I was always tearing it apart and rebuilding it the way I thought it should be. I was constantly coming up what a better design would be or what a better way to achieve the same thing would be.”

Reminiscing, Siegel said that Lego kits that had shocks, pneumatic actuators and electric motors helped foster his interest in engineering.

Siegel worked in various aspects of the University of Louisville Formula SAE team, including building cars, chief engineer and team principal. Upon graduation, he joined the Accelerace Motorsports USF2000 operation, winning the class championship in his first season.

“I always wanted to be the guy who comes up with the designs of the Legos,” he said. “Getting creative is the fun part. It’s like building a house, a boat or a car; same idea smaller pieces put together become bigger pieces. I wish I could have more time to play with them now.”

Thousands of adults around the world (AFOL – Adult Fans of Legos) make the time. It’s a relatively cost-effective, simple, stress- and mess-free hobby. Buy a bucket and bricks and you’re ready to go.

“I think it improves your creativity,” added Ed Carpenter Racing engineer Brent Harvey, who counts building Lego kits and free-form designs with his pre-teen son as some of his most prized time. “It just clicks.”