MARCELLUS, N.Y. (WSYR-TV)– It’s a pastime Jason Middaugh has been enjoying since he was a little boy, and now it’s a passion he shares with his 13-year-old daughter, Jane.
Building LEGOs together has made their bond even stronger and it’s one they’ve been crafting for quite some time.
In 2017, Jason and Jane competed to have their LEGO design of the home in the movie, ‘A Christmas Story’ turned into an official LEGO set. They received the 10,000 votes that were needed for the design to be considered, but the LEGO Ideas team ultimately didn’t choose it.
“We actually didn’t think we were ever going to do another project,” Jason Middaugh said.
Fast forward a few years and the dynamic duo is back at it again, hoping to make their latest creation a reality.
This time they chose a Christmas movie with ties to Central New York, creating the entire village of Bedford Falls from the timeless movie, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.’
“So many similarities kinda come together to make it pretty obvious that Seneca Falls is most likely the real Bedford Falls,” Middaugh said.
They started crafting their design in April 2020 and didn’t miss a single detail. Everything from the famous bridge, to Uncle Billy’s pet crow, to Jane’s favorite part, the bell on the Christmas tree.
“Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings.”
Jason middaugh said reciting a line from ‘it’s a wonderful life’
The pair created the nearly 3,000 piece set entirely from scratch using pieces from other collections they’ve gathered over the years, including some of Jason’s original sets from when he was a kid.
And their design has gained traction all across the country. Locally, a prototype of their design sits in the ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ museum in Seneca Falls. Their piece was also featured in a Hollywood Story Collector’s Edition magazine and they were invited as special guests to the ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ festival.
But for Jason, what matters most is getting to do all of this alongside his daughter.
My favorite part is bonding with my daughter. This has been such an incredible experience for the two of us, we’ve really been able to tour around, talk to people about it, we’ve become really closer in the process and it’s so fun to see other people’s reactions.
Jason Middaugh
Now, they’re hoping the set can be something people from all over can enjoy under their Christmas trees, but they need your help.
In order to make their dreams a reality, they need to gather 10,000 votes on the LEGO Ideas site for LEGO to consider their design for an official set and they only need about 3,000 more votes!
You can vote for the ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ replica here. You just have to log in and submit your vote.
