Lego should do a legacy rerelease of all the original Galidor sets. Ninjago should then end and be replaced by Galidor G2. The Lego Galidor movie should be created.
Since this reminded me they’re the biggest toy company in the world, I’m wondering…why would it matter if Bionicle, or some other buildable action figure toy line, was a risk? Even if it didn’t sell very well, I doubt it would have any big impact on them financially.
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They reported a 3% loss during 2019.
While that sounds small, that accounts for thousands and thousands of sets that did not sell. It was enough to send them into a bit of a panic, and yes, that was their highest reported loss in a long time.
They very well take risks, though. They took a risk with Trolls World Tour and from what I’ve been able to see, it appears it bombed pretty hard. Could they take a risk with Bionicle again? Sure, but it’s still not too long ago that they did just that and it died hard. No matter the reason, it - and shortly after, all constraction - bit the dust, and financially it seems unwise to tread into those waters again.
However, it has been five years. Perhaps there’s something being cooked up…
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I guess that’s true, even though a risk that failed wouldn’t make them go bankrupt, they’d still want to make money rather than losing it.
2019 was 3 years after Bionicle G2 ended though, so I’m guessing what happened during that year was more extreme than any losses G2 caused them? Idk, I guess I still see Bionicle as a small risk even if it doesn’t sell as well as G1, but maybe I’m underestimating how bad G2 sold.
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Didn’t think about it before now, but yeah… It’s been longer (or it’s about to be longer) since G2’s cancellation than the time between G1 being cancelled and G2 starting to kick into gear.
Time is wild.
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There are people @LegoDavid’s age I used to babysit for that will be graduating high school this summer. Some of the OG kid BIONICLE fans I went to K-12 with have their own kids now. My cousin’s step son loves the pull back monster jam technic trucks so this notion that kids prefer original themes is silly imo.
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I think this is the sentiment I agree with the most.
There’s a lot to be said (and that has been said) about the benevolence/lack thereof within corporations. And I’m not about to throw my hat into that ring.
But in terms of the raw sense of creativity, unique-ness, and spirit in most mainstream LEGO sets, I don’t feel it anymore either. As of late, the best way I can describe it is that everything is so…
Regulated? Sterilized?
There’s not this sense of “life” in most LEGO sets anymore, at least for me. They feel more like pieces of generic merchandise like a cheap mug or a graphic tee than as an imaginative toy.
Funnily enough, I feel more of that “life” in a lot of the more adult-focused themes like Architecture. Maybe it’s because the subjects of those themes resonate more with me as an adult as opposed to “elemental ninja warriors” or “cybernetic medieval knights,” but a part of me also thinks it’s because a lot of those sets have a lot of clear passion behind them.
The packages are unique and creative, and different. The build techniques are non-standard or interesting. Or maybe it’s just subconsciously clear that the designer(s) of that set had a lot of fun and put a lot of care and thought into it. Same for a lot of Ideas sets.
It’s this very weird, unquantifiable thing for me. But it’s lacking in a lot of the mainstream sets as opposed to the more niche ones.
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nah you’re just old
like me
/s
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I just think it varies depending on the kid. Some might prefer licensed themes, as a kid my favorites were the original themes.
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I remember eagerly awaiting more licensed themes as a kid, probably because there were only three at the time (discounting Duplo licenses and 4+ Mickey Mouse). I wanted LEGO Scooby Doo especially, because that was one of the few fantasy cartoons I was allowed to watch.
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Every individual person has its own LEGO preferences. Some people only buy licensed themes because all they want is just to get those “iconic” characters in minifigure form, and that’s it. Others have just one theme they are attached to like Ninjago or Bionicle and that’s all they care about. Others like me just simply like seeing all the creativity and imagination that goes into all their original themes in general, and want to see more of that.
Some of those interest groups may be larger than others, sure, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t people interested in the original stuff too.
And for the record, I grew up not caring about licensed themes whatsoever. I was completely unfamiliar with most of those franchises at the time I was growing up, and far preferred all the original stuff LEGO had to offer. And I am pretty sure I ain’t alone o that.
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Creative and imaginative themes, creative and imaginative themes, creative and imaginative themes…okay… What creative and imaginative themes do you recommend? And, no, rebooting a previous original theme doesn’t count.
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What do you mean? You mean what ideas I would have for potential new original themes? Or which pre-existing original themes I think are the most imaginative?
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I mean ideas you would have for new original themes.
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Mabye like a myths and legends inspired theme, a mix of arctic and adventurers theme
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I already made a full on pitch for a new theme called Pirates of Arvodia if you haven’t seen it. But, since I lost confidence in the World Builder platform, I decided to repurpose the story I created for that into a full-on novel of my own.
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Velika would have been a really interesting villain if he had been expanded upon. Like, the idea that a great being snuck aboard the GSR, if handled correctly, could have created a great story.
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I like the idea that this would lead to a civil war of the great beings between him and Angonce over conflicting ideologies in how to approach Spherus Magna. Velika could bring up that the core war began because they gave too much power to the element Lords so they could work on inventions in peace, which is why he feels that the great beings should be much more involved in governing their people. The idea came from here:
Since I already did one for Bionicle, maybe I’ll do unpopular opinions for Lego in general:
-The thing about original themes that I mentioned, I like when Lego did original themes instead of mostly licensed themes
-I think Lego Racers 2 is a great game (same with 1 but I think 2 is more disliked by people)
-My favorite parts of Lego sets are the minifigures
-My favorite Lego theme is Life on Mars
Oh yeah, of course, since we’re “nOt ThE taRgET DeMOgRaPHiC,” it’s wrong for us to give critique or have our own opinions. [insert an eyeroll here]
I mostly agree with @LegoDavid . While I genuinely enjoy Lego Star Wars, Ninjago, Harry Potter, and a good amount of the superhero stuff they’ve put out in recent years, I do wish they’d try to put out more original stuff every now and then. Castle, Classic Space, Adventurers, underwater themes…anything new and imaginative would be welcome. That’s why I still follow themes like Ninjago and Monkie Kid-they’re the only “original” IPs Lego has right now, and they’re frankly not that bad. I’m not asking for absolute perfection-just something enjoyable.
No. You’re most definitely not alone.
And besides, Lego sets may be made for kids, but the people who make them are adults-adults that are older than me, or…well, I don’t know the average age of TTV Message Board users, but you probably get what I’m trying to say. Lego is elligible for criticism just as much as any other form of art that is made by adults.
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