Lego Ships Discontinued Set to Make Boy's Dream Come True

Playthings Staff -- Gifts and Dec, 12/5/2012 4:57:39 PM

Emerald Night train setENDFIELD, CT - James Groccia saved up for two years until he had $100 to buy an Emerald Night Lego train set. Unfortunately, when he was ready to buy the set, Lego had already discontinued the product, but the toy company still shipped the 10-year-old fan a set.

Groccia, who lives with Asperger's Syndrome, uses Lego toys to help with his social skills and has been playing with the construction toys since he was 4 years old. Groccia's parents couldn't find the Lego set anywhere, including the Lego store and online. The set was on Amazon and other sites selling as a collectible for as much as $250, which he stated in a letter he wrote to the company dated Sept. 1. A Lego representative then wrote back to Groccia informing him that the set was discontinued. Several days later, a box arrived in the mail for Groccia. Inside was the Emerald Night set with a letter from Lego.

"The Emerald Night Train is a wonderful set, so we can understand why it is your dream to own it," read a portion of the letter to Groccia. "I commend your willpower and patience to save money for over two years just to purchase this set. It is very evident that no other set could make you happier. We can understand how disappointing it must have been to find it had been discontinued. Due to your passion for Lego and your heart-warming letter, we knew we had to go above and beyond to help make this a reality."

Watch the video Groccia's parents recorded as he opened his surprise package from Lego; the video, uploaded by Groccia's parents, has more than one million hits on YouTube.