Jason Momoa takes on his toughest role yet

The LEGO Group has named actor Jason Momoa as its latest LEGO "Playmaker", as part of a global push to tackle what it calls a “play deficit” affecting families worldwide.

The initiative sits under the brand’s "Never stop playing" campaign, which aims to encourage families to rediscover the benefits of shared play amid increasingly time-poor, screen-heavy lifestyles.

Momoa fronts the campaign through a public service announcement-style film, in which he introduces his “masterplan” to restore family playtime. At the centre is a “brick click” moment, the simple act of clicking two LEGO bricks together, positioned as a gateway into creativity and imagination.

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The near three-minute film opens with a group of LEGO characters discussing the upcoming World Play Day, noting that the “numbers are not good” following earlier suggestions. Momoa then appears, introducing himself as the new Playmaker and revealing that the global “play deficit” has been keeping him up at night.

He shares that he has a plan to get the world playing again before launching into an instructional-style video showcasing the many ways people can engage with LEGO. Momoa then snaps back to reality, where the group agrees on the rallying line “Never stop playing”. The film closes with Momoa himself building with LEGO sets, before the characters call on him for further help.

According to the LEGO Group’s latest research, nearly nine in 10 parents (89%) wish they could play more with their children, while one in 10 (9%) say they do not play together at all. This equates to over 60 million families globally.

However, the findings suggest even small interventions could make a difference. Just five hours of family play a week was found to significantly improve happiness and wellbeing, less than the time many families already spend watching TV or scrolling on devices. Yet almost half (44%) of families are still not reaching this threshold. The study surveyed 30,000 parents and 15,000 children aged five to 12 globally.

The research also highlights mounting pressures on families. Work demands, screen time and household chores were cited as the biggest barriers to play, alongside cost (17%) and lack of safe spaces (23%)One in five families said they do not have enough time to play, while 61% of parents said their children play less than they did at the same age.

More than 70% expressed concern that reduced play could negatively impact their child’s future success and wellbeing. Children are also feeling the gap, with 28% saying they are unhappy with how much they play, while 21% say they do not play at all.

Despite this, the benefits of play remain clear. More than 90% of parents said family play strengthens bonds (93%), helps children make sense of the world (92%) and builds key skills such as resilience, creativity and confidence (93%).

The LEGO Group has long positioned itself as a champion of play, supporting the UN’s International Day of Play in 2024 and marking World Play Day annually on 11 June. For the eleventh consecutive year, more than 33,000 LEGO employees will also pause work on World Play Day to participate in play activities, alongside volunteering efforts aimed at bringing play to more than 17,000 children globally.

 “We believe that play is one of the most powerful forces there is, it connects generations, fuels imaginations and reminds us what really matters," said Julia Goldin, chief product and marketing officer at the LEGO Group.

She added, "Our 'Never stop playing' campaign is an invitation for families to rediscover the magic of playing together, and a reminder that with LEGO play, endless worlds creative possibilities are only ever a few brick clicks away.”

The campaign follows last year's "Never stop playing" short film featuring Spider-Man actor Tom Holland as the latest LEGO "Playmaker".

Backed by AC/DC’s High voltage, the film blends humour, imagination and high-energy storytelling as Holland takes on a series of playful personas, from a footballer and entrepreneur to an undercover LEGO minifigure and even a stern boss rediscovering joy.

The film opens with Holland commanding a troop of soldiers to “stop playing,” before breaking character to reveal a production set. He then clicks two LEGO bricks together, triggering a transformation into a footballer at a press conference. Each time Holland stacks more bricks, he shifts personas – an entrepreneur championing play, a gardener wielding LEGO-built tools, an older businessman reminded he “used to be fun”, and an artist sculpting a dragon-like creature from LEGO bricks. The video ends with Holland back in uniform, rallying his soldiers to “never stop playing”.

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