'A Christmas Story' LEGO replica in Hammond this weekend

HAMMOND, Ind. (WLS) -- "A Christmas Story" fans won't want to miss this: a LEGO enthusiast designed and built the Parker family's home from scratch. You can see it in person this weekend at the Indiana Welcome Center in Hammond.

Jason Middaugh, from Syracuse, New York, spent two weeks designing Ralphie's yellow house and then another six months scouring the internet for the right pieces. He gathered over 2,000 LEGO bricks to get the details correct, right down to the famed leg lamp.

Middaugh first designed a cottage for his young daughter. Then, he decided to tackle something bigger and chose the holiday classic "A Christmas Story," explaining he "thought there was a huge population out there that could really relate to the set."

Now he's trying to make it an official LEGO set you can buy in stores. Anyone can vote for his proposal on LEGO's website. If Middaugh receives 10,000 signatures, LEGO experts will review the plan and potentially produce it themselves. As of now, Middaugh's design has over 8,500 votes.

Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb happened to be passing through the welcome center as Middaugh set up his model house. After looking the project over, Gov. Holcomb gave a ringing endorsement.

"I love it... I'm going to be one of the 10,000 signatures showing my support," Holcomb said.

The Parker house is part of a bigger "A Christmas Story" exhibit at the center, which also includes window displays that used to be at Macy's Herald Square store in New York City.

The exhibit is open through the first week of January, but Middaugh's replica house is only in town through Sunday.