Sitting at 14 inches tall and made up of more than 1,400 Lego pieces is a custom sock monkey Lego creation that a 20-year-old Lake in the Hills resident hopes to make into an official set sold by the toy company.

The monkey, created by Nathan Lilliebridge, took about six months to plan, design, source pieces, build and rebuild to make it look “huggable,” he said. His one-of-a-kind creation is based on the classic red-heeled sock monkey stuffed toy first created almost 100 years ago.

In May, Lilliebridge submitted his design to Lego Ideas, a platform dedicated to giving the public the opportunity to choose new official Lego sets. He needs 10,000 supporters within a determined time frame for the toy company to consider making it an official set. He topped 1,000 supporters recently and needs to hit 5,000 within 440 days.

“I need a sock monkey movement,” Lilliebridge said.

The Lego sock monkey, completed in December 2022, features a working bobblehead, a hidden heart and brain, moveable eyes and ears and posable arms, legs and tail.

Lilliebridge name the creation “Harry” after the first sock monkey he received as a Christmas present when he was a child. His collection has grown over the years and includes one almost 6 feet tall.

“It’s still growing,” he said.

Harry was born after Lilliebridge visited the Sock Monkey Museum in Long Grove, which opened in 2022. He said he was inspired to create something that could be displayed at the museum.

The Sock Monkey Museum holds the world record of the largest handmade sock monkey collection with more than 2,000 on display. Owner Arlene Okun said her collection has grown from donations and includes an original from the 1930s, which visitors from all over the world have come to see.

“It’s become such a close-knit community, pun intended,” she said.

Okun started growing her collection 20 years ago, when her husband bought her first one while traveling the country in an RV. The museum also hosts parties, scavenger hunts and workshops for attendees to build their own sock monkeys.

“It’s more than we could have hoped for,” she said. “There is a whole sock monkey community out there that we didn’t even know about.”

Harry is a permanent resident of the museum and sits prominently on a counter facing the entrance. Okun describes Harry as a “celebrity,” and said it is “touching” that Lilliebridge created him especially for the museum.

“There’s so many fun things happening there, and Harry is a big part of it,” she said. “He’s family.”

A duplicate copy of Harry can be found at Algonquin Bricks and Mini Figs, where Lilliebridge is an assistant manager. The store, at 212 Eastgate Court, sells new, used and retired kits, and thousands of loose bricks and “mini figs,” or miniature figures.

The Lego passion has been lifelong for Lilliebridge, who said his dream job would be creating large statues found at Legoland theme parks. Harry is just one of many original characters. His mom, Jennifer Lilliebridge, describes it as “sculpting.”

“It’s taking over almost every room in the house,” she said.

Lilliebridge takes his creations to Lego conventions and shows as a member of both ChiLUG and Windy City Lug Lego user groups. He also spreads Lego-building knowledge through weekly Lego classes at a homeschool group in Barrington.

Creativity runs in the family. His mother is a mixed-media artist who teaches art classes to people of all ages at local libraries, park districts and craft stores. His father, Peter, is a graphic designer and print production artist who designed Algonquin-based School District 300’s logo. The logo features the silhouetted members of the Lilliebridge family.

Lilliebridge’s sister also is a Lego talent, working alongside him at the Algonquin Bricks and Mini Figs store and having just received an award from the Chicago Botanical Garden for a Lego orchid creation.

It’s been a “family affair” promoting Harry to become a Lego set, Jennifer said. Peter creates buttons and QR codes to pass around at conventions and the museum. He also bought a sock monkey costume that a family member will wear to Lego events.

“We were absolutely amazed at what he was able to do in such a small package,” Peter said.

To vote for Harry the sock monkey bobblehead to become an official Lego set, visit bit.ly/SockMonkeyLegoSet.