MUKILTEO, Wash. — A Mukilteo dad and daughter duo is gaining attention for their lego recreations of Washington landmarks.
"Lego Dad" Shane Deegan was determined to make the most of his many months at home during the pandemic, so he teamed up with his 5-year-old daughter Dottie to recreate some of their favorite places with legos.
The Deegans bought several kits and combined all the pieces to make some custom builds.
Shane and Dottie first completed a recreation of Husky Stadium.
"Let’s see how big we can build it, let’s see if we can make it photorealistic,” Shane said.
Over the course of several weeks, the pair constructed an authentic-looking Husky stadium with a water view.
“We had to order a ton of pieces online and eventually they actually ran out of purple,” Shane said.
Dottie came up with the idea for their next project when she started modifying a store-bought pirate ship kit.
“She combined some pieces and gave it a flat top. She said ‘Dad, it’s a ferry boat!"
The Deegan family rides the ferry often between Kingston and Mukilteo to visit relatives, which led them to recreate a Washington ferry complete with the Coleman dock.
PHOTOS: A Mukilteo dad and daughter duo's lego recreations of Washington landmarks
"I built the background!" Dottie said.
The pair's other Lego recreations include Optimus Prime from Transformers, Marvel-inspired projects and even a minor league baseball stadium inspired by the Everett AquaSox.
The Deegan's pièce de résistance was just completed and unveiled for KING 5 viewers: A Lego Pike Place Market in celebration of its 114th anniversary.
Shane Deegan said he wanted to pay tribute to his family's history at the market. His late father sold watercolor paintings there for all of his adult life.
One of his paintings still hangs upstairs in Lowell’s restaurant and a tiny print, courtesy of Shane’s wife, now hangs inside the mini-market masterpiece assembled by Dottie and her dad.
“If you visit the market and eat at Lowell’s look for his painting. The movie marquee has my name and the license plate on the taxi cab is my birthday,” Shane said.
From a little pink pig to Beecher’s cheese, the gum wall to the oyster bar. The Lego Pike Place Market is filled with tiny details that go well beyond familiar brands like Starbucks. Shane even created the basement staff storage area he remembers spending time in with his dad.
So what’s next for the Lego team? Word has it they are constructing a tribute to their favorite local TV station. KING 5 in Lego’s? Stay tuned!