CM4Sci

Lego CUUSOO Firefly Serenity Playset Reaches 10k!

Recommended Posts

Come ON Lego, sort yourself out and work out what cuusoo is.

Firefly is a western/sci fi adventure show, no more 'adult' than most mainstream tv shows. If you are going to take this tack, we'll never get anything considered except pg-13 stuff. It's ridiculous, especially as pointed out, you have to be over 13 or 18 to even submit or vote for a set, so all votes and projects will skew higher than 6-11. And their own sets go up to 16+ (granted for build difficulty thou)

If they are going to be like this, tell projects early, so they don't build up a head of steam. Firefly and the Winchester both got good exposure through the actors etc tweeting about it, and even talking about it on TV. So Lego gets PR exposure for free, then refuses to do the projects. They can't have their cake and eat it too. If the themes aren't age-appropriate, then Lego shouldn't want Simon pegg etc talking about Lego in the context of Shaun of the Dead on TV

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Firefly is a western/sci fi adventure show, no more 'adult' than most mainstream tv shows.

I'm willing to bet that they also wouldn't produce sets based on most mainstream tv shows.

If you are going to take this tack, we'll never get anything considered except pg-13 stuff. It's ridiculous, especially as pointed out, you have to be over 13 or 18 to even submit or vote for a set, so all votes and projects will skew higher than 6-11. And their own sets go up to 16+ (granted for build difficulty thou)

First of all Firefly is, as has already been pointed out, PG-13. Second of all, I'm really getting tired of the "18+ to Create, 13+ to Vote, and 6-11 to Buy is silly" argument. Perhaps it's time to realize that Lego isn't going to make products that sponsor a show or film that relies heavily on adult (sexual) themes. It's no excuse that the adults are the ones putting up the "adult-themed" projects on Cuusoo; that would be implying adults can't create products for kids, only for themselves. The Lego designers do it all the time, almost like it's their job, in fact. Adults are the ones posting these, and, as adults, they should realize that Lego doesn't want this type of material. The members on Cuusoo are more than capable of presenting ideas, licensed or original, that appeal to both kids and adults alike. Sure, they might want something a little more offensive than what parents want for their children, but it really doesn't matter if that's not what Lego wants to associate with.

If they are going to be like this, tell projects early, so they don't build up a head of steam. Firefly and the Winchester both got good exposure through the actors etc tweeting about it, and even talking about it on TV. So Lego gets PR exposure for free, then refuses to do the projects. They can't have their cake and eat it too. If the themes aren't age-appropriate, then Lego shouldn't want Simon pegg etc talking about Lego in the context of Shaun of the Dead on TV

Simon Pegg can promote whatever he'd like on TV; that's his free will. That doesn't mean Lego has to promote him in return. Lego doesn't control what he does or says.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hmmm, they announced this rather quickly didn't they? Oh well, too bad, it was a nice model, but as I suspected earlier in this thread, they go for the same reasoning with the Winchester, is that the whole reason? Probably not, but it does not matter.

At least that they are going to actually review the others, makes me believe that there is at least a chance that the others that are currently in review phase, gets made, which is a good thing :sweet:.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Perhaps it's time to realize that Lego isn't going to make products that sponsor a show or film that relies heavily on adult (sexual) themes.

It doesn't rely heavily on those themes. One of the characters in an ensemble show has a dubious career, but that isn't the main driver of the show at all. I'd say her interactions with Mal are more important (they clearly have a chemistry)

Simon Pegg can promote whatever he'd like on TV; that's his free will. That doesn't mean Lego has to promote him in return. Lego doesn't control what he does or says.

Of course he can. My point isn't that he shouldn't, its that Lego are getting free publicity from these licensed sets when clearly they are going to get turned down on 'appropriateness' grounds. Lego are using the community to get free PR and then turning around and saying 'no'. By letting people know earlier (eg after 500 votes, do a quick 'theme suitability' test), then you are less likely to get the community build up a head of steam and then get frustrated.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

They said very clearly license was questionnable, and therefore they pre-researched the idea. Now that is an undertaking... Perhaps it stems from 'violence' and 'inappropriate morals'. Or perhaps they actually thought it could be a good series, perhaps even considered in the past... and therefore wont work. Or perhaps there is a license agreement with Lukas Arts about bring back an alternative space theme based on a movie franchise (Alien Conquest is space ships on planet Earth...)

Still I hope this starts allowing Cuusoo projects to get reasonable with MOC creativity.

And if you are good at any self marketing; then add your MOC's now; because it will get a lot of visability whilst people run back to the Cuusoo pages to see why their beloved models did not go any further.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I can't believe they made the architecture Whitehouse set with some of the R-rated shenanigans that have gone on in there.

Sorry, I just wanted to add a little frivolity to the debate.

Hewman

A big fan of Firefly that probably would have only bought the set if it included several cast member minifigs which I doubt they'd do unless they were guaranteed big sales.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The decision is quite disappointing, but I get where the coming from.

Lets just hope the other projects get through since Twilight Princess is rated T, BTTF has someone getting shot in the first 15 minutes and EVE Online is rated T. :grin:

Edited by just2good

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

At least the guy who submitted Serenity has said he'll release the instructions if it doesn't pass, so fans can build it anyway.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It doesn't rely heavily on those themes. One of the characters in an ensemble show has a dubious career, but that isn't the main driver of the show at all. I'd say her interactions with Mal are more important (they clearly have a chemistry)

But it is a part of the show, or so I've read. Lego has released a message on its Cuusoo site earlier- they don't want that.

Of course he can. My point isn't that he shouldn't, its that Lego are getting free publicity from these licensed sets when clearly they are going to get turned down on 'appropriateness' grounds. Lego are using the community to get free PR and then turning around and saying 'no'. By letting people know earlier (eg after 500 votes, do a quick 'theme suitability' test), then you are less likely to get the community build up a head of steam and then get frustrated.

They are going to start giving potential listings a quick review before being posted on the site now, to combat these problems. People shouldn't get frustrated because their adult-oriented model isn't being produced by a children's company. It very clearly stated that once it hit 10,000 it would get the review, and to that they held. They're obviously adapting, and we shouldn't ask any more than that of them.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

But it is a part of the show, or so I've read. Lego has released a message on its Cuusoo site earlier- they don't want that.

So you haven't actually seen the show. If you had, you'd realize that because this was a TV Show that the presentation of her as a 'licensed Companion' was done in a very PG way. As adults we certainly know what they are implying, but my 6 year old would have no idea had he seen the show (which he hasn't).

I think we all agree that these sets that were turned down pushed the boundaries, but what bugs some of us is the hypocrisy of the situation. They turn down this, but make dozens of other licensed themes that are based on PG-13 properties. And the licensed themes they are making are based on intellectual property that isn't suitable for my 6 year old, but in those cases they don't seem to care.

Let me pose this question to you, how is this any worse than Princess Leia as a slave? If you'd seen the show, both obviously imply something, but both were presented in such a way that a 6 year old doesn't get it.

I think maybe I'm going to go the Friends route and start an online campaign to get LEGO to stop producing sets for PG-13 movies. Now that they've come out against it I think they set a precedent that they may not be willing to live by. They'd lose most of their licensed themes if they were forced to live by these rules they are establishing. The only current ones that would be left would be Cars and Disney Princess.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So you haven't actually seen the show. If you had, you'd realize that because this was a TV Show that the presentation of her as a 'licensed Companion' was done in a very PG way. As adults we certainly know what they are implying, but my 6 year old would have no idea had he seen the show (which he hasn't).

There is so much more than just her being a prostitute that is questionable, which I've previously listed. These situations get stacked on top of each other, and create boundaries.

I think we all agree that these sets that were turned down pushed the boundaries, but what bugs some of us is the hypocrisy of the situation. They turn down this, but make dozens of other licensed themes that are based on PG-13 properties. And the licensed themes they are making are based on intellectual property that isn't suitable for my 6 year old, but in those cases they don't seem to care.

Let me pose this question to you, how is this any worse than Princess Leia as a slave? If you'd seen the show, both obviously imply something, but both were presented in such a way that a 6 year old doesn't get it.

Again, as I've already said, I'm not going to get into a discussion about other themes. This isn't the place for that. You're welcome to make a new thread for it that I can join in, but this is about Firefly Serenity, not Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones, or Harry Potter. I've already discussed this in the Winchester thread, and I'm not doing it here.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So you want to debate, but you chose to ignore the large body of existing evidence as to which themes LEGO finds acceptable, choosing to focus only on the limited evidence we have thus far from Cuusoo? That seems quite convenient. I don't suppose you work for LEGO or one of their PR firms, do you? The timing of your joining this forum seems awfully coincidental, and you seem quite defensive of LEGO's decisions.

By your rules then: will LEGO henceforth follow the same criteria they are using in Cuusoo when evaluating all of their new licensed sets and properties?

Heck, it isn't even just licensed sets. "Licensed Companions" on Firefly were presented as a sci-fi western version of a Geisha (well, technically an oiran, but few would know the difference). Does that mean that subject should be taboo under these new rules? Better pull that collectible minifig off the market. And better make sure Ninjago doesn't go there.

It's a double standard, and whether you feel it's okay for me to mention the proof of that or not, it's out there and it isn't hard to find.

Edited by meyerc13

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It doesn't surprise me this is not going to be made. However it's a shame that this is another cuusso set that's been denied. Hopefully the others will.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I think it's a bit counterproductive to use the "6-11 years old core target audience" reasoning by Lego. It was somewhat appropriate in SotD's case but now we are talking about a PG-13 property. How many such licences does TLG have already? Also they'll alienate people who use CUUSOO with this pretty fast. It's not nice getting repeatedly shoved in the face that "hey, you are not our core target audience so you are only of secondary interest to us" (even if it's true). Especially on a special site that is aimed at teenagers and adults and which was set up with the purpose of producing niche products that TLG wouldn't release in their normal lines and through their main distribution channels. Maybe others think differently but I would have found a rejection along the lines of "sorry, we decided that making this set would not be financially viable for us, as it's based on a property that was a huge financial failure itself" a lot less controversial.

Understand that we will not produce products that are related to these topics:

(...)

Death, killing, blood, terrorism, or torture

(...)

And I'd be extremely surprised if it turned out that Lego hasn't ever made sets of any scenes in which someone is killed. Just think of all the poor elves, men and orcs that are killed in the Battle of Helm's Deep . It's a bloody massacre. :devil:

Edited by Nagyzee

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Although this is probably only part of the issue with the Serenity and SotD, lisencing wouuld probably also be a major issue, sine there is little profitatbility in films and shows that Lego's core audience (6-11, for those not in the loop)will probably not see untill they enter their Dark Ages (many permanently). THus, there would not be as much interest as a show that many of them can see on Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon (SW: The clone wars, multipule superheros shows, sponge bob, to name a few). Lack of interest=lack of sales= Lego reports a loss :laugh::devil: . SO, not only is the violence an issue, so is the lack of knowledege of source material.

Also, Cuusoo probably doesn't have as large a production budget as the rest of development at TLG (As far as I've seen, they only have 1 designer!), which might explain part of the decision not to create a set with the Win. It's a HUGE MOC, and would be hard to get across to the rest of the company as a good idea, even if it was downsized.

Well, that's my rant summary, glad I'm done! :laugh:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So you want to debate, but you chose to ignore the large body of existing evidence as to which themes LEGO finds acceptable, choosing to focus only on the limited evidence we have thus far from Cuusoo? That seems quite convenient. I don't suppose you work for LEGO or one of their PR firms, do you? The timing of your joining this forum seems awfully coincidental, and you seem quite defensive of LEGO's decisions.

By your rules then: will LEGO henceforth follow the same criteria they are using in Cuusoo when evaluating all of their new licensed sets and properties?

Heck, it isn't even just licensed sets. "Licensed Companions" on Firefly were presented as a sci-fi western version of a Geisha (well, technically an oiran, but few would know the difference). Does that mean that subject should be taboo under these new rules? Better pull that collectible minifig off the market. And better make sure Ninjago doesn't go there.

It's a double standard, and whether you feel it's okay for me to mention the proof of that or not, it's out there and it isn't hard to find.

Please don't misinterpret what I say, and assume things about my intentions. I very clearly stated that I don't feel this is the place for it, and I suggested that, should you wish to continue this discussion further, I would join you in a separate thread for a more topical discussion where others may freely voice their opinions without derailing this thread. I don't understand how that can be misunderstood.

I have made such a topic, and I invite you to take a gander: LINK

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Although this is probably only part of the issue with the Serenity and SotD, lisencing wouuld probably also be a major issue, sine there is little profitatbility in films and shows that Lego's core audience (6-11, for those not in the loop)will probably not see untill they enter their Dark Ages (many permanently). THus, there would not be as much interest as a show that many of them can see on Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon (SW: The clone wars, multipule superheros shows, sponge bob, to name a few). Lack of interest=lack of sales= Lego reports a loss :laugh::devil: . SO, not only is the violence an issue, so is the lack of knowledege of source material.

Also, Cuusoo probably doesn't have as large a production budget as the rest of development at TLG (As far as I've seen, they only have 1 designer!), which might explain part of the decision not to create a set with the Win. It's a HUGE MOC, and would be hard to get across to the rest of the company as a good idea, even if it was downsized.

Well, that's my rant summary, glad I'm done! :laugh:

For your first point, Lego rejected it before even looking at the license (going by their information), so we don't know whether it would be difficult. They re open to licensed sets so licensing doesn't scare them.

For your second point - if size is an issue they should give piece count guidelines, like nothing over 1000 pieces. If all we are going to get from cuusoo is little mini models, I'm going to lose interest pretty quickly. As long as a model uses in production parts with no demand for new moods or colours etc, production shouldn't be expensive, it's just packaging. And these will be small runs, probably mail order only, so not a big risk

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The way I see it, putting an idea on CUUSOO is much the same as putting something on Flikr and adding a caption along the lines of 'gee, it'd be great if Lego made a set like this'. People should be grateful that others like their idea enough to say so in comments or support clicks. but at the end of the day Lego can pick and choose all or nothing from the CUUSOO projects. same as they can choose to borrow from an idea on Flikr. They're probably more likely to take on a project that has slowly accrued support through genuine interest rather than organised support rallies.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The way I see it, putting an idea on CUUSOO is much the same as putting something on Flikr and adding a caption along the lines of 'gee, it'd be great if Lego made a set like this'. People should be grateful that others like their idea enough to say so in comments or support clicks. but at the end of the day Lego can pick and choose all or nothing from the CUUSOO projects. same as they can choose to borrow from an idea on Flikr.

So true, with only this distinction : when posting something on CUUSOO and accepting its rules, you already hand over your rights to TLG.

If they would decide to just copy a creation somebody put on Flickr, there is always the danger this person might file some claims afterwards...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yeah, I was hoping it would get through, but not really surprised it didn't. What Inara does for a living aside, (even putting aside the actual sex scenes that are in the show,) there's plenty not suitable for kids. I think essentially the justification is this: should a little kid buy the set, like it, and want to see the TV show/movie, would it be something you'd let them see? Star Wars, sure, there's violence, but it's all very sanitized and sci-fi. Batman's the same way. Pirates of the Caribbean is pushing it, but it's all still very Disney in the levels of violence it portrays.

Firefly's very first episode, on the other hand, has the line, "They'll rape us to death, eat our flesh, and sew our skin into their clothing. And if we're very lucky, they'll do it in that order."

So you know, there are levels of what's appropriate. I doubt LEGO wants to turn into the toy companies of the 80's that made kid-marketed action figures of Robocop.

Edited by Dufresne

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.