Your thoughts on Lego licenses:

[xwingyoda]

I am a big fan of licences !!

Lets not forget that a fantastic licence like SW saved Lego and brought a lot of hard core AFOLs back to the precious brick !! I am so happy that 2 of my favorites movie universes (SW and Indy) have a Lego makeover !!

Licences add a lot of diversity and is easier (unfortunatly) for kids to relate to (lack of imagoination and so on...)

Also licenses add cool new parts (new bikes...) and accessories (tommy guns, uzi, blasters, whips...) and so much more.

Sure there is a license that you might dislike, BUT its always a good parts pack if you find a good deal on it !!

Also I am positive that its because of the success of SW, that TLC decided to go walk the right path for their generic themes: Castle and City are the perfect examples and I'm still hoping for a great pirate renewal for may'08 ;-)

Interesting to see what people say on licenses. If you had to eliminate 1 license what would it be?

Why eliminate one ? If there are things to eliminate right now its definitly NOT licenses but 2 "regular" themes that loose valuable shelf place (* cough EF, MM cough*). Lets not forget that other licences (I'm leaving SW apart) takes very little shelf place.

Licenses On !!

*yoda*

[DoubleT]

Harry Potter -- seemed like a good idea at the beginning, but the sets have grown really repetitive. We're on, what, our THIRD Hogwarts now?? Ugh.

Indy -- the verdict is out until we see some pictures, but I'm a little leery of this one. The movies are 20 years old!! Yeah, there's a new movie coming out next year, but does anybody still care? I suppose there are die-hard Indy fans out there. I loved the old movies back in the day, but that was a long time ago.

Potter have bin really great minifig and parts wise, just like the Hogwarts this year, but the theme is selling okay, but wolud not make more if they made sets, wich is a shame for me he he

And a theme based on a 20 year old movie with a new moving released soon is not okay...

But 30 year old movies with new movies are ok? :-| ;-)

[androodeetoo]

[quote name='Batbrick' date='Sep 6 2007, 12:14 PM' post='191501'

I think that everyone will be glad once StarWars is over, it had loads of great sets, boosted Lego up, and once it is over then Space can reappear.

:-| Maybe some of the 50 or so posters on this forum....but thousands upon thousands will stop buying Lego altogether once SW is done.

Besides, as a few people have pointed out, there have been way more "busts" in Lego-originated designs than in licensed lines. Licensing put butts in the seats when Lego needed it. I think they should do more of it in the future. I know plenty of people who only started looking at and buying Lego again becasue of SW, Batman, Harry Potter AND Spongebob. So Avatar and NBA did not do so great...whatever. If not for the licensing end, most people would grow out of Lego and never go back.

Edited September 6, 2007 by androodeetoo

[Joebot]

And a theme based on a 20 year old movie with a new moving released soon is not okay...

But 30 year old movies with new movies are ok? :-| ;-)

Yeah, I thought of that after I posted my message. I was hoping nobody else would. :)

I see your point, but I don't think you can accurately compare the cultural impacts of Star Wars vs. Indiana Jones. Sure, they're both 20+ years old, but Star Wars has had a FAR larger, and longer-lived impact on pop culture. The prequels (sucky as they were) roped in a whole new generation of fans. Is the Indy 4 movie going to have the same effect? Ehhh .... maybe. But I kinda doubt it.

My son is seven years old, so he's right in the prime Lego target audience. I told him the other day that Lego is making Indiana Jones sets. He looked at me with a blank stare and said, "What's that?"

The Indy license seems targeted exclusively to AFOLs (which may or may not be a good thing, depending on your point of view). We're the only ones old enough to remember those movies!! They've been out of the public consciousness for a long time now. I'm not convinced that kids these days don't even know who Indy is. I own the Indy DVD box set, and I'm not sure I would let my kids even watch the movies. Definitely not "Temple of Doom" with the heart-ripping-out-of-his-chest scene. I saw "Raiders" when I was eight years old, and the scene at the end with the melting faces gave me nightmares for weeks.

Don't get me wrong -- I hope the sets are awesome, and I love the Indy fig that we've seen. I just don't think the license is going to be a runaway monster sales success like SW has been.

[Batbrick]

I know many, many youngsters who love the Indiana Jones movies. Sure, it may not be aswell known as StarWars, but I doubt it is limited to 30 year old people, those movies are classics.

And about my StarWars comment, I admit I was wrong in saying that we would all be glad once it was over. What I should of said was that we would be sad, but have realised that it was it's time to go.

I also like to see licences that can be intergrated with other themes, I don't mind mixing fleshies and yellows. The Batank can roam around protecting my Lego City, and Indiana Jones can give Jonny Thunder a few lessons about archaeology.

Batbrick Away! >:-)

[Iron Moose]

We got Riddler and Scarecrow again this year, meaning only one new villain. It was a slight over-exaggeration.

I disagree. Riddler and Scarecrow were previously only available in Arkham, which, as I understand it, was not available as widely as this year's sets. I think you overstate your point.

Edited September 6, 2007 by Iron Moose

[Batbrick]

Iron Moose does have a point there, I think the opposite of that theory, I believe that the Batman theme has made TOO many minifigs in it's first wave. They should have kept back a character like Penguin or Two-Face from the first line. Now they only have major allies like Gordon, of which there are few, and 2nd rate Bat-villains like the Madhatter.

Batbrick Away! >:-) >:-)

[Iron Moose]

Bat-Villains left:

Purple Catwoman

Joker in a new suit/with new hair

Harley Quinn

Mad Hatter

Clayface

Man-Bat

Ra's Al Ghul & Talia

Hush

Riddler in a Suit

... so yeah. I think they did a bit much early on as well. At least we're still holding out hope for a Gordon.

[???theriddler???]

Bat-Villains left:

Purple Catwoman

Joker in a new suit/with new hair

Harley Quinn

Mad Hatter

Clayface

Man-Bat

Ra's Al Ghul & Talia

Hush

Riddler in a Suit

... so yeah. I think they did a bit much early on as well. At least we're still holding out hope for a Gordon.

Blackmask, clayface.

[Batbrick]

He already said clayface, unless you meant another version of Clayface. I think a Joker with a much bigger grin laughing, along with dark purple fedora and coat would be great.

[???theriddler???]

Ow, sorry, i thougt you was forgot someone.

[Joebot]

Bat-Villains left:

Purple Catwoman

Joker in a new suit/with new hair

Harley Quinn

Mad Hatter

Clayface

Man-Bat

Ra's Al Ghul & Talia

Hush

Riddler in a Suit

... so yeah. I think they did a bit much early on as well. At least we're still holding out hope for a Gordon.

That's a good list. Man, I'd love to see what they do with Ra's al Ghul. I'd also add the Ventriloquist, although I have no idea how they would make his mannequin.

Batgirl and Commisioner Gordon are other glaring holes in Lego's lineup so far. I realize Lego has their sadly outdated "no girl mini-figs!" policy, but geez, we gotta have a Batgirl.

[Batbrick]

Heres my list:

Allies:

Gordon

Batgirl

Barbara Gordon

Tim Drake (Robin out of suit, could come in a Wayne Manor set)

Lucius Fox

Batman-Classic Suit

Batman-Armour Suit

Villains:

Harley Quinn

Ventriloquest

Ra's Al Ghul

Talia Al Ghul

Mad Hatter

Clayface

Manbat

Firefly (If they are desparate)

Black Mask (probably not given his torturing fetish)

Lady Shiva (long shot)

Batbrick Away! >:-)

[Brainbox]

I know many, many youngsters who love the Indiana Jones movies. Sure, it may not be aswell known as StarWars, but I doubt it is limited to 30 year old people, those movies are classics.

Myself included. In fact, the sets and the game, along with the new film, will probably spur me on to watch the first three films again, something I've sadly not done for ages. I notice they're hardly ever on TV now, at least over here. Perhaps that means they are more of 'not-for-kids-now' sort of film (I for one hope not).

I think you overstate your point.

To be fair, it wasn't really my point. I was just explaining someone else's.

Iron Moose does have a point there, I think the opposite of that theory, I believe that the Batman theme has made TOO many minifigs in it's first wave.

I dunno, they needed to do all the classic characters in Wave 1 (or should that be Year One? ;-) ) to draw people in. Sure that leaves less well-known characters for subsequent waves, but there're still some really popular characters missing- Harley, Gordon, green Ivy, Man-Bat, Oracle (as long as the fig lives up to the character *wub* sorry, that sounds fanboy-ish).

He already said clayface, unless you meant another version of Clayface.

There are four after all, and then there's Cassius Clay, Lady Clay's son.

Oh, and that list, don't forget the Scarebeast version of Scarecrow. And some members of the League of Assassins.

[Batbrick]

Nice Batman: Year One reference there Brainbox. Yes I had forgot about Oracle! :-$

However, I doubt we would see Scarebeast or Cassius Clay and such. Most of those are crap anyway in my opinion. The two versions of Clayface I like are Basil Karlo and Matt Hagen.

But undoubtedly, the greatest version of Clayface was a combo of them all, as seen in the brilliant Batman: The Animated Series. He was the best! *wub* (wow, that was a gay moment :-$ )

About Indiana, I still think he is famous, I know many kids who love those movies. I just hope it sells well enough to get a 2nd Wave.

I never got any Harry Potter sets, but I am getting sick of seeing Hogwarts.......

Batbrick Away! >:-)

[Brainbox]

Nice Batman: Year One reference there Brainbox.

Why, thank you.

About Indiana, I still think he is famous, I know many kids who love those movies. I just hope it sells well enough to get a 2nd Wave.

I thought we were getting four sets from the 'classic' films in Jan, then four more from the new film in Summer? I suppose you could count that as two waves.

[Zarkan]

Why eliminate one ? If there are things to eliminate right now its definitly NOT licenses but 2 "regular" themes that loose valuable shelf place (* cough EF, MM cough*).

I totally dissagree, of course. To me, elimitating Exo-Force over Spongebob or Avatar is really dumb marketing strategy, since Exo-Force is the 3rd most popular theme. Also, what do you mean by shelf space? :-/

Of course, we all have to realize that this topic is made of opinions, so nobody is really right or wrong. ;-)

[Batbrick]

I think Exo-Force the same as I think of Bionocle now, It used to be cool, and now it is just getting repetitive, repetitive, repetitive. But as long as it rakes in big cash for Lego, then I'll just look the other way.

I am surprised they didn't just build a giant goodguy bot yet, It is getting ridiculous how man giant mechas the robots have.

Batbrick Away! >:-)

[Zarkan]

I think Exo-Force the same as I think of Bionocle now, It used to be cool, and now it is just getting repetitive, repetitive, repetitive. But as long as it rakes in big cash for Lego, then I'll just look the other way.

Trust me, Bionicle is not getting repetitive, or at least to me and others it isn't Sure, we still have the 6 set waves, but just this year we got the first truly un-clone canister sets since 2001! And we're also getting 3 bad guy and 3 good guy sets next year. Some things may be the same, but lego is trying lots of new things too. ;-)

Also everyone, just because you don't like a certain theme doesn't mean it shouldn't deserve to be on shelves. People have been disputing Bionicle and Exo-Force ever since they came out, but nevertheless they have been raking in profits, and as long as they sell well and aren't rubbish like Galidor or 4+ Pirates, there's nothing wrong with them taking places on shelves. Besides, truly bad themes never usually sell well anyway! X-D

[jifel]

starwars is up with bionicle for number 1 in my oppinion,batman and indy look good, although i wont get any, and sponge bob and avatar, well i think it was a huge mistake and i despise both especially spongebob, wich they are unforunatly repeating.

jifel

[Wout]

Yesterday the shop owner of www.Speelgoedwinkel.nl was giving me a peek in the new retailers catalog of 2008. Besides the stunning new pictures who are already posted on Eurobricks (is there a Spy? X-D ) Iread on the last page that there will besides the new Racers also new racers from a movie who will be in Cinema around may 2008.

So already a new license, for something they can imagine themselves *wacko*

[Batbrick]

Yesterday the shop owner of www.Speelgoedwinkel.nl was giving me a peek in the new retailers catalog of 2008. Besides the stunning new pictures who are already posted on Eurobricks (is there a Spy? X-D ) Iread on the last page that there will besides the new Racers also new racers from a movie who will be in Cinema around may 2008.

So already a new license, for something they can imagine themselves *wacko*

________

That is weird, is it confirmed?

I reckon that movie must be Speed Racer, by the Wachowski Brothers.

I wonder why they would do that though! *wacko*

TTFN! >:-)

[Paradosis]

As long as they don't totally bomb (financially), I'm all for the licensed stuff. If I could choose themes based purely on my own interested, would I rather have Pirates, or maybe additional Castle or City sets? Of course! But what's most important is Lego actually staying in business. With all the things that Lego has to compete with (especially video games), they need to do all they can to attract and keep consumers. If Star Wars, or Harry Potter, or Spongebob gets someone to consider buying a Lego set, when that person wouldn't ordinarly even think about Lego, then that's a good thing. And then, hopefully, once you've gotten the person to buy one set, they might buy others.

[Zaktan of the Shadows]

Lego licences are awesome! *wub*

But they didn't need avatar... that was unnessacary. :-X

-ZotS

[gylman]

My impression is that Batman has not been doing all that well. Every one of the first years' sets I have picked up at 40-50% off. Personally, I don't much like the sets, but certainly my black part collection has grown immensely, and the Batman theme is great for keychains.

Avatar was a disappointment. Enough said. Great show, crappy sets. What were they thinking? Interestingly, I have yet to see one in the bargain bin though...

By the way, after a 2 year hiatus, Avatar resumed new shows this past week! My kids very extremely excited, and not disappointed.

I have no use for Spongebob except as a source of colourful odds and ends. The first year was OK, but too many useless bits in the second wave. I wouldn't blink it if went poof, although I have to say that the rocketship from next year looks hilarious.

Indie is the final nail in the coffin of Johnny Thunder so I resent it. I'll probably buy some of the sets, though, and replace all the fleshies with Adventurers

How about the Ferrari License. I think it was great for 2 year. The Scudaria truck is a classic. But they are clearly out of ideas at this point. Time to end it.

Star Wars has a life all its own, and has greatly advanced the quality and quantity of space design at TLC. It is a definite *y* . At the end of the day, this is the only license I think Lego really needed.