Sawaya says one of those pieces, "Grasp," was inspired by his frustration with people who have doubted his ability to make a full-time career out of LEGO sculpting. It seems the joke's on them.

Lego Group's Lillan Spiertz says that when she talks to young girls, many of them think machines and robots are something that only boys play with. "One of the most important things is to see how ...