KINGSTON TWP. — Bob the Bird can flap his wings and open and close his beak.
That may not sound like a huge feat for a bird — but Bob is a bird puppet – made from Legos — and built by 10-year-old Angie Camoni as an entry to become a member of the LEGOLAND Discovery Center Philadelphia’s 2018 “Creative Crew.”
“I am very happy,” Angie said when she heard her entry had been chosen.
The Shavertown youngster’s creative ingenuity and attention to detail earned her a spot on the 12-member “Creative Crew” comprised of children between the ages of 6 and 12 from across the state.
Duties of the “Creative Crew” include being a liaison for on and offsite exhibits, helping decorate attractions and working with Lego Master Builder Mike Niebes, said Anthony Rossi, marketing coordinator at LEGOLAND Discovery Center Philadelphia.
“I am very excited to work with a master builder,” Angie said. “I want to learn from him.”
Angie learned about the contest when her mother Michele shared a Facebook post about the “Creative Crew” to her iPad.
“I figured if she was interested, she would follow through,” Michele said.
Angie seized the opportunity and began mulling over ideas to build an interactive Lego creation that moved. She devised a plan to create a Lego puppet.
The youngster turned her eye to the bins of Legos, sorted by color, she shares with her brothers, Justin, 7, and Wyatt, 4.
She carefully selected Lego pieces with a purpose.
She chose to use a rod-shaped Lego piece to allow the beak and wings to move. Then she began working on the bird’s body and Bob soon developed as a blue bird with orange feet and beak.
“It took her four to five hours over several days to built the puppet,” Michele said.
Angie then put her creation to the test.
“I used my brother (Wyatt) to test it on,” Angie said. “If he liked it, then I thought other kids would.”
Wyatt liked Bob the Bird.
Angie also had to create a 30-second video to showcase her creation and answer the question, “If you could build anything at LEGOLAND, what would you build?”
She was required to post the video on Facebook with her parents’ approval.
“It received almost 3,000 likes,” Michele said. “A friend said it was shared in Puerto Rico.”
Michele and Angie said it took them nearly “four takes” to get the video short enough to meet the 30-second requirement.
“She was very comfortable in front of the camera and did a great job presenting her project,” Michele said.
Angie submitted her entry before the Feb. 4 deadline and heard back on Feb. 9.
“I walked home from the bus,” Angie recalled the afternoon she heard the news.
Angie’s father Sean FaceTimed his family to see his daughter’s reaction, Michele said.
“I was so happy,” Angie said and admitted she did a “happy dance” when she heard the news.
“We recognize she is so creative, but it is nice when someone else recognizes it, too,” Michele said. Angie received her first LEGOLAND Discover Center’s Creative Crew event invite on Feb. 27.
“It is a pizza party at the Discovery Center,” Michele said. “And each family receives three passes to use for the year.”
