Childhood Nostalgia Table
- sarahwilk24
- Apr 26
- 9 min read
Updated: Jul 15
Hunter and Sarah didn't know each other as kids, but there's something special about reliving the things they loved as children together as adults. It's one way they counter the darker and more serious parts of life, bringing lightness and laughter. Indulging in their nostalgia can even spark long-forgotten memories that represent new stories from before they met, which they can share, something they have fewer of the longer they know each other. They gathered sets for this display that are deeply nostalgic for them, but also ones that they hope will spark a feeling of nostalgia for all ages. The sets are divided into two sections, with the first section focusing on nostalgic movies and TV shows they've enjoyed together, and the second section focusing more broadly on things that are nostalgic to them—and to you (they hope!).
Phineas and Ferb
143 pieces | BUILDIFY: A1774
Assembled by Mike Alfare, May 2025
Interaction Rating: 3 / 5 (interaction with the set is okay, but only with help from an adult)
The couple has not watched most of Phineas and Ferb together, but they bonded over remembering that it was one of the best kids shows on TV at the time they were starting to grow up (though they never really out-grew cartoons). They agreed that the show had some of the best original songs of any show, stemming from the silly and imaginative spirit of the show. Early in their relationship, they watched the Halloween Special around spooky season (September 24 to be exact!). Mostly, they've sought out music videos from the show any time a song comes to mind and they get a hankering for a nostalgic laugh. They've played the show as background sound several times while working on wedding tasks.
Barbie's Dream House
1,795 pieces | MEGA Bloks
Assembled by Rachel Deese, June 2025
Interaction Rating: 3 / 5 (interaction with the set is okay, but only with help from an adult)
Sarah grew up playing with Barbies (and dolls of other brands), and Hunter dabbled with action figures as a kid. Hunter was game to see the Barbie Movie when it came out, but he mainly was flattering Sarah, who wanted to see it after hearing reviews from friends. They even took a rare trip to a movie theater to see it in August 2023, and it triggered a flood of nostalgic feelings while also revealing a whole new side to Barbie.
Luxo Jr.
613 pieces | LEGO: 21357
Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, June 2025
Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)
If you'd asked Hunter or Sarah what the white lamp character that hops on the ball at the beginning of Pixar movies was named, they never would have known it was Luxo Jr. until they saw the LEGO set for it. But even without knowing its name, they knew exactly what it was from. Pixar movies are very nostalgic for both Sarah and Hunter, as they were frequently watched in their homes (and for Sarah, while riding in her mom's Nissan Quest, which had a built-in DVD player). For Hunter, the Pixar movies that played on repeat were A Bug's Life and the first Toy Story movie. For Sarah, it was Monsters Inc. and Ratatouille (which was her mom's favorite). Because of her younger sister, Emma, she also watched Finding Nemo and The Incredibles many, many times.
Tom and Jerry
212 pieces | LEGO: 40793
Assembled by Hunter Williams, June 2025
Interaction Rating: 5 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged)
If you ask Hunter what TV show is most nostalgic for him from his childhood, he'll tell you about watching the 1940s version of Tom and Jerry with his grandpa, who lived next door to where he lived with his mom and dad in Mississippi. His mom wasn't a huge fan of cartoons, so going next door to watch them was like a small rebellion as well as a shared secret he could keep with his grandpa, whom he loved dearly. Sarah remembers watching Tom and Jerry as a kid, and how it reminded her of how she and her brother would chase and fight each other.
Bricky Bear
354 pieces | Brickcraft: 72180
Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, June 2025
Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)
Who didn't have a favorite stuffed animal when they were a kid? Hunter still has his, a "doglefox" from Neopets, a computer game from 1999 that allowed players to create and care for their virtual pets. Hunter's stuffie is, appropriately enough, named Dogle. He thinks it was a gift one year, and Hunter still loves him: "He's my little buddy." There's a spot on Dogle's scruff where there's a hole revealing some of his internal fluff, a result of being so well-loved. Sarah doesn't have any stuffed animals from her childhood, but she has some that she still remembers. There was a cheeseburger-shaped pillow with Scooby's face on it that she wishes she'd never parted with, and the white stuffed bunny that was a gift from her first boyfriend circa fifth grade. Hunter gifted Sarah a stuffed cat (from the line of Pusheen plushies) in the shape of a strawberry that she may or may not sleep with as a full-grown adult (after assuring him that she wasn't the stuffed animal kind of gal when he first presented it to her).
Yeti Snowcones
358 pieces | Brick Loot: BL-256
Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, June 2025
Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)
Sarah found this set from Brick Loot by accident while looking for something else on their website, and couldn't resist surprising Hunter with it. When asked what it reminded him of, he said Monsters Inc. Sarah was tickled, as that's precisely what it had made her think of too. There's a part in the movie when Sully and Mike end up with the Abominable Snowman while they're in exile. The Snowman is voiced by John Ratzenberger, the only actor to voice a character in every Pixar movie. His specialty is making snow cones in the frozen wasteland he calls home. Having grown up watching this movie, this makes a sweet addition to their nostalgia collection.
Hakuna Matata
222 pieces | LEGO: 43243
Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, May 2025
Interaction Rating: 5 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged)
Both Hunter and Sarah watched The Lion King as kids. It was an important part of their respective VHS collections. Sarah remembers it being one of her brother's favorite movies, so it was on frequently before their sister, Emma, came on the scene. Hunter loves the song, "Hakuna Matata," not because it's catchy, but because of the part where Pumbaa the warthog begins his solo with, "When I was a young warthog!" and goes on to talk about passing gas. Hunter enjoys randomly screaming, "When I was a young warthog!" when Sarah least expects it (he also enjoys passing gas). Sarah's impression of the movie after rewatching it as an adult: Mufasa is a terrifying villain, and watching Simba witness his father's death is absolutely crushing. How did she handle the emotions of this movie when she was pint-sized?!
Magical Make Believe
203 pieces | LEGO: 40533 (retired)
Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, May 2025
Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)
What the couple loved about this set when they first discovered it was how perfectly it captured the imaginative make-believe play that was one of the best parts of their childhood. Neither of them converted their bed into a make-believe spaceship or made a mech suit for their teddy bear, but they did play their versions of make-believe. Hunter enjoyed fighting in imaginary battles with his brother, and Sarah enjoyed pretending to live as mermaids with whichever friend she had over to swim in her family's above-ground pool that day.
101 Dalmatians
268 pieces | LEGO: 43271
Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, July 2025
Interaction Rating: 5 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged)
101 Dalmatians was a favorite movie of Hunter's as a child. He loved all the Disney movies about animals as a kid, watching them on repeat. That includes The Aristocrats, Bambi, The Fox and the Hound, among others. Sarah also grew up watching these same movies and remembers wishing she had a dalmatian puppy as a kid. Cruella, a villain who wanted to kill innocent puppies like Lucky and Penny for their coats, was a visceral lesson for their impressionable minds about the evils of the world.
Day at the Fair
170 pieces | LEGO: 40529 (retired)
Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, May 2025
Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)
Hunter grew up showing his family's goats in the county fair, but they never stuck around to ride the slightly sketchy rides or play the carnival games. His primary memory of playing the types of games you'd find at a carnival is of visiting Chuck E. Cheese. Sarah grew up with access to one of the best state fairs in the country and remembers going every summer when her brother was in high school marching band for the statewide band competition. She attended other festivals with friends throughout the year. Her favorite fair game was popping balloons with darts. She also remembers her stepdad, who was present for most of her childhood, playing carnival games to win her prizes at Disney World, where they made an almost annual visit.
T. Rex
462 pieces | Brickcraft: 72109
Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, May 2025
Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)
When the couple discovered that the alternative brand, Brickcraft, made Crayola-themed brick sets, it was a blast to the past. Hunter may not have gone to public school, but Crayola crayons are ubiquitous in most American childhoods. In nearly every box stuffed in Hunter or Sarah's closet as a child, you'd surely find half-broken crayons. They both enjoyed coloring as kids, even though neither of them turned out to be very talented at that kind of art. Hunter and Sarah are both reminded of Jurassic Park by the dinosaur and small car in this set, though only one of them has watched the movie all the way through (you can surely guess who!).
Blast Off!
543 pieces | Brickcraft: 72102
Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, May 2025
Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)
This set, another Crayola-themed one, evokes a strong but general sense of nostalgia for the couple. Beyond the Crayola connection, both were interested in space as children. Sarah's family had a telescope that they'd break out on a few clear nights when she was young, and her public school would host a traveling exhibit each year that involved an inflatable dome where they'd lie on their backs and watch a projection of the stars. Hunter doesn't have any specific memories like that but remembers being fascinated by space as a kid. This also reminds them of the makeshift rocket ship that their nephew, Andrew, made with his dad out of cardboard the Christmas he was four. Santa brought Andrew an astronaut suit, which he wore and played in his cardboard spaceship for hours at a time.
Nick 90's
833 pieces | Brickcraft: 72093
Assembled by Vanessa Reyes, June 2025
Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)
Sarah grew up watching Hey Arnold! and The Rugrats. The first (and probably only) 4-D movie she ever watched in theaters was the crossover movie that included characters from The Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys. She wore 3-D glasses and had a scratch-and-sniff sheet that followed along with scents from the movie (many of them unpleasant!). She also remembers watching some Cat Dog as a kid, but like many Cartoon Network shows, it was a little too weird for her to be a huge fan. Hunter can say that he recognizes these characters, but because cartoons weren't often on in his childhood home, these shows passed him by.
The Flintstones
748 pieces | LEGO: 21316 (retired)
Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, June 2025 2025
Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)
The Flintstones was a show Sarah watched as a kid, along with The Jetsons. She much preferred these retro shows to the ones that were coming out on Cartoon Network during her youth, and her mom liked them too, watching with her. Her mother's preference for the cartoons that were around in her youth is probably why Sarah ended up loving Scooby Doo so much. Hunter doesn't recollect watching The Flintstones, as cartoons weren't often on his TV at home. Sarah and Hunter did watch parts of the live-action movie based on the show, which stars John Goodman and Halle Berry (as well as many other stars of the mid-1990s).
Reality TV
562 pieces | Brickcraft: 72039
Assembled by Vanessa Reyes, July 2025
Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)
MTV was not on the list of approved TV shows for Hunter when he was growing up. His childhood was unblemished by the stain of early 2000s reality TV shows, which was a particularly dark era for MTV (though he had access to YouTube and other early internet rabbit holes, so he was still introduced to some crazy things). Sarah, on the other hand, was not on the internet much but loved MTV. She had a small, boxy TV in her bedroom, and she would play music videos in the morning as she got ready for school. By night, she was keeping up with bizarre dating shows like Next or Parental Control, and reality shows like Pimp My Ride and My Super Sweet 16.
Hunter, age 30, with Doggle, age 20.