Rolife’s 9th Anniversary Recap: Nine Years, Countless Little Worlds

On September 6, 2026, we welcomed around 150 Rolife fans, ambassadors, creators, community members, and first-time visitors to American Dream in New Jersey for Rolife’s ninth anniversary celebration.

The afternoon included four community talks, a panel moderated by Kitty, previews of upcoming Rolife designs, ambassador awards, two raffle rounds, a Nanci trivia challenge, and an NYC Skyline Magnet Workshop. Before the program started, however, guests were already making introductions.

Some arrived knowing one another only by a Reddit username; others were meeting the Robotime community for the first time. By the end of the afternoon, familiar names had become real introductions, and workshop tables had become places to make something together.

Watch highlights from Rolife’s ninth anniversary celebration at American Dream.

When Online Names Became Real Introductions

The connections began before check-in officially opened. One guest had driven six hours to attend. Members of the community added their Reddit usernames to their name tags so that people who had exchanged advice and followed one another’s projects online could recognize each other in the crowd.

“The best part, for me, was putting names to faces.”

That was how Reddit user pluck-the-bunny described the day in the Reddit recap. Another attendee wrote that they had felt shy about meeting new people, but found the group just as friendly in person as it was online.

Guests also stopped at the anniversary photo booth, wrote messages for Rolife, and voted for the upcoming designs they most wanted to see. Choosing a favorite turned out to be harder than expected—and gave everyone an easy way to start talking.

Check-in gave guests time to take photos, leave anniversary messages, and find familiar community names.

The welcome area quickly filled with familiar characters, new arrivals, and easy ways to start a conversation.

Community-made pieces were also part of the event displays. Before the talks began, guests could stop for a closer look at mechanical models, miniature scenes, and personal details added by fellow builders.

Works displayed by Peter M., Gary Vanopdorp, and Emily became part of the event setting and gave guests more ideas to discover between sessions.

The People Behind the Rolife Community

The first part of the program focused on four people whose paths into miniature building began in different places.

Oscar Qin: What Happens Around a Build

Oscar Qin, Head of E-commerce and Brand Marketing, opened by recalling what he had seen at community meetups. People often began by quietly working on their own kits. Then someone needed help with a piece, another builder leaned over, and the table gradually became a conversation.

“People don’t just want another kit—they are looking for a creative life.”

His remarks placed the anniversary’s emphasis on how people use the products: as time to focus, something to share with family or friends, and a reason to meet others with the same interests.

Tina: From One Birthday Build to Local Workshops

Rolife Ambassador Tina had collected small ornaments for years, but she did not begin building miniature houses until a birthday shopping trip led her to the miniature aisle of a craft store. She chose Cathy’s Flower House as her first kit. It was more difficult than she expected, but she finished it—and one build soon became a collection of more than 70 projects in her living room.

Tina now organizes workshops in public libraries. She described couples using them as a date night and older guests arriving unsure whether they could complete a build. The pride on their faces when the pieces began to come together, she said, was often the part she remembered best.

David Wintman: A Search for Advice Became Something Larger

Community Moderator David Wintman discovered his first book nook at a local Japanese grocery store. After starting the project, he went online looking for advice and found r/booknooks. He later became a moderator, started sharing builds and reviews on YouTube, and began making custom pieces for other hobbyists.

After building more than 100 book nooks and wooden puzzles, David said that one of the most meaningful parts of his journey had been helping create a welcoming maker community.

David also helped organize the Reddit meetup connected with the anniversary celebration. His advice to new builders was practical: try unfamiliar things, expect to make mistakes, and do not wait for a project to feel perfectly manageable before beginning.

Gary Vanopdorp: Repairs, Restarts, and a Working Carousel

Creator and Moderator Gary Vanopdorp spoke about a carousel he had first noticed in a shop window. Building one of his own took repairs, patience, and several fresh starts. The payoff came when he could finally sit back and watch it turn.

“Building is my ‘active meditation’—a quiet space to slow down, paint between the lines, and turn hands-on joy into a way to give back.”

At home, that often means turning off the television, putting on classical music, and settling into the next step of a project.

Oscar Qin and Rolife Ambassador Tina shared how making can lead to conversation, confidence, and local workshops.

David Wintman and Gary Vanopdorp spoke about learning through mistakes and sharing the hobby with others.

The main-stage stories brought a full audience together in the center of American Dream.

Growing Together with Rolife

Moderated by Kitty, the panel brought together Simon Wang, Robotime Community Manager; Miriam Reina, Robotime Ambassador; and Nadya Anton, Rolife Influencer. Each described a different way that building had changed how they interacted with other people.

Nadya Anton: Letting People See the Whole Process

Nadya’s creative work includes cosplay and projects made from scratch. Building a book nook with a friend on livestream gave her audience something different: a complete process they could follow, including the slow sections and the parts that needed another try.

She also remembered growing up with the impression that model cars, trains, Gundam, and other building hobbies were mainly for men. Sharing her work introduced her to people of different genders and ages who enjoyed making for many of the same reasons.

Miriam Reina: Sunshine Town and a Place to Unwind

Miriam found Sunshine Town at a HomeSense store in Toronto during a period when she was experiencing considerable mental and physical stress. She began building that evening and continued through the night. In her experience, the project gave her a tangible task to focus on, while the community gave her a place to meet people who understood the hobby.

She later organized a workshop for approximately 70 participants. Friends, couples, and family members used the session to spend time together away from their usual routines. Looking ahead, Miriam said she hoped hands-on making would remain part of how people think about Rolife and personal wellbeing.

Simon Wang: Bringing Scattered Stories Into One Place

Simon explained that before Robotime developed its own community space, builders’ stories and feedback were scattered across different social platforms. A dedicated community made it easier for members to find one another and for the brand team to hear questions, collect feedback, and understand what builders wanted next.

His hope for the future was concrete: more meetups in more countries and cities, with spaces where local builders could gather regularly.

Kitty moderated a panel with Simon Wang, Miriam Reina, and Nadya Anton on creativity, confidence, feedback, and the future of local meetups.

Guests followed the conversation from the front rows and responded throughout the panel.

A Preview of What Comes Next

Before the talks began, guests had already been studying the upcoming-product display and voting for their favorites. Later, we shared an early look at several Rolife designs that had not yet been released.

Strolling in the Sunshine received the most votes—and drew applause when its book-shaped scene opened to reveal a Japanese street filled with cherry blossoms, neighborhood shops, and a tram moving through the afternoon. It turns an everyday city moment into a miniature world that feels bright, layered, and alive.

The other previews offered very different kinds of escape: the cobalt nightscape and framed presentation of Starry Night Café, the playful moving bakery details of Dream Bread Factory, and the fast-paced, interactive design of Dinosaur Lab Pinball.

Other event previews included Dr. Dig Museum and three additions to the Super Creator series: Bedroom Pop, Baddie Closet, and Gamer Queen.

These products were shown as event previews and were not available for sale at the time of the celebration. 

Guests could examine Dream Bread Factory and the three new Super Creator rooms up close at the event.

Awards, Raffles, and Hands-On Making

We invited our Rolife ambassadors to the stage to receive trophies and take a group photo. The awards recognized work that often happens between large events: organizing local workshops, answering questions, and helping first-time builders get started.

Two raffle rounds also produced 18 winners. Nine guests received discontinued favorites, followed by nine winners of Halloween-themed products. 

Rolife ambassadors and raffle winners.

After the talks, previews, and prizes, it was finally time to make something. At the NYC Skyline Magnet Workshop, guests assembled a small 3D magnet featuring familiar New York landmarks. Around the tables, guests compared pieces, checked the digital instructions, and helped the person sitting nearby.

The NYC Skyline Magnet Workshop brought adults, children, families, and passing visitors to the same tables.

After the Program

When the scheduled activities ended, members continued with their own community meetup, exchanging kits, sharing food and drinks, and already talking about when they might meet again.

The celebration continued inside the Rolife store and online after the event.

Nine Years—and More to Build Together

The anniversary gave us a chance to look back, but it also made clear what we want more of: opportunities for makers to meet, exchange ideas, try something unfamiliar, and help a first-time builder take the next step.

Thank you to everyone who joined us at American Dream, especially those who traveled from outside the area, shared their experiences onstage, helped another guest at a workshop table, or introduced themselves after recognizing a familiar username.

The day began with familiar usernames on name tags and ended with shared builds, exchanged kits, and plans to meet again. Wherever you build from, you can share your work, ask questions, and meet fellow makers in the Robotime Community. We look forward to seeing what you make next.