Boy ‘Speechless’ After South Bay Mall Responds To His Written Request For Lego Store

TORRANCE, CA — As 10-year-old Brodey Watson thought about what he wanted for Christmas, he realized he had a big ask.

So, the Torrance fifth-grader wrote a letter.

His letter, though, wasn’t addressed to Santa, according to a video by the city of Torrance posted to Facebook on Wednesday.

“Dear Simon Property Group, Hello, I'm Brodey Watson,” his letter reads. “I'm very passionate about Lego. It really brings joy to me. I hope to one day be an engineer and get my start off of Lego, like most other kids. I hope to get a Lego Store in the Del Amo Mall.”

His letter goes on to request that mall officials reach out to the "Lego company" and the benefits he sees of a Lego store, then concludes: “Thank you for your time. Have a blessed day.”

Brodey’s letter piqued Del Amo Fashion Center’s interest.

“This is the first time that I've seen in my career where someone has written a letter to management versus Santa,” Nichole Figueroa, the mall’s director of marketing and business development, said in an Instagram video posted by the city of Torrance.

While the mall couldn’t fulfill Brodey’s request in full, they decided they couldn’t leave his request unanswered: The mall surprised him with $200 in Lego Store gift cards and four Legoland passes.

“They could have ignored (my letter). It just really touched my heart,” Brodey said. “I was speechless, honestly.”

For his mother, Eileen Watson, the surprise’s timing could not have been more ideal.

“My husband and our family just went through the whole government shutdown, so it was kind of like a start at the end of the tunnel for us,” she said.

Brodey said he has been playing with Legos since he was “probably younger than a toddler.”

“It helped expand my imagination and creativity,” he said.

When asked about potential plans for a Lego Store at the Torrance mall in the future, Figueroa said, “Tune in and wait to see.”