Discovering entertainment through LEGO

[Blondie-Wan]

Over in the Stranger Things thread elsewhere in this forum, when the subject of spoilers for the show came up and someone suggested that anyone reading the thread was surely already a fan of the show, and someone else responded that they knew people in the LEGO fan community who were now exploring the show because of the upcoming set.

It got me thinking about some of the other media creations upon which other LEGO products have been based. For many years, most of what I knew about Harry Potter I knew because of the LEGO sets. And while I was acquainted with the original Prince of Persia video games, I might not have ever seen the 2010 movie if not for the interesting-looking LEGO theme. I still haven’t really delved into Avatar: The Last Airbender (or its followup, The Legend of Korra), but it’s been on my agenda for several years now, and my interest was initially spurred by the two sets LEGO released back in 2006.

How many folks here have checked out (or even gotten heavily into) some entertainment franchise specifically because it got some sort of official treatment in LEGO?

[tafkatb]

Doctor Who is probably the main one for me, but there are others for which LEGO wasn't necessarily the sole cause but played a role in the increase of my interest. Like, I'm sure I would have gotten around to watching the MCU movies eventually anyway, but I wasn't compelled to start until around the time the LEGO Super Heroes license was announced in the summer of 2011. Same with Stranger Things - my wife was already a fan of the show, so I had seen a few partial episodes just because I happened to be in the room while she was watching, but I only started consciously watching it from the beginning last fall after I discovered a LEGO set was coming out.

On a non-entertainment note, I wasn't real big on Mies van der Rohe when I was in architecture school, but I was inspired to give his work a second look after the LEGO Farnsworth House, and I've come to appreciate it a bit more since then.

[CF Mitch]

Interesting topic!

I don't believe that's the case for me, though.

I always feel drawn to a LEGO set or entire line because it's a representation of something I already like.

Though you could say, for example, I got interested in more aspects of a certain 'universe'/franchise because of LEGO.

Like LEGO Star Wars for example, where occasionally sets were released that don't have anything to do with the movies I was familiar with, like that TIE Crawler, and then I'd look things up about it and I'd gotten interested its source material and such.

Regards, 

Mitch

[Blondie-Wan]

35 minutes ago, tafkatb said:

Same with Stranger Things - my wife was already a fan of the show, so I had seen a few partial episodes just because I happened to be in the room while she was watching, but I only started consciously watching it from the beginning last fall after I discovered a LEGO set was coming out.

Wait, what?! I was wholly unaware there were rumors of LEGO Stranger Things until earlier this month, and the oldest mention of it I'd seen anywhere since is from February. Were people outside LEGO actually talking about it as far back as last year?! I missed that...

 

Edited April 30, 2019 by Blondie-Wan

[tafkatb]

5 minutes ago, Blondie-Wan said:

Were people outside LEGO actually talking about it as far back as last year?!

 

No.

Spoiler

 

Edited April 30, 2019 by tafkatb

[legosamsonite]

Totally, I never would have seen Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings/Hobbit, Back to the Future, even the MCU!!! if not for the interest I had in the sets first

[Oky]

Interesting question! And yes, you should definitely check out Avatar: The Last Airbender!  (Stay as far away from the movie as possible though!)

For me, there was rarely ever a time where my decision to check out a piece of entertainment was purely due to the Lego sets coming out as I usually like to be informed about all nerdy pop culture media anyway. However, I had never completely seen Ghostbusters because I had seen snippets of the movies here and there and felt like I knew enough about the franchise that watching it wasn't  necessary. But when I won the HQ set in a contest, I finally had a reason to finally watch the two original movies and part of the Real Ghostbusters cartoon while building the set to have some context for all the details and references in it. I still gave the reboot a hard pass though! Now I kinda regret missing out on the Ecto-1.

I've also never watched Dr. Who and was almost motivated enough to finally check it out when the Lego sets were released, but I only own the Dimensions level pack and still felt too intimidated by the large amount of episodes.

[BrickBob Studpants]

The only IP I discovered through LEGO was Harry Potter. The first Potter-related thing I've ever seen was the first advertisement for the theme in one of the LEGO club magazines back in 2001 (you know, the one with Snape holding a flask that never appeared in any of the sets ). This is what lead me to then watch PS at the cinema a couple of weeks (or months) later.

For IPs like Star Wars, Marvel, DC, Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Minecraft, Doctor Who, all Disney properties and now Stranger Things, TLG releasing sets based on them increased my interest considerably, but I was a fan of all of these long before the sets came out. Except for Star Wars, the "long" part doesn't apply there since I've seen the OT a couple of weeks before I got my first Star Wars set, which turned me from a regular 9 year old LEGO fan into the collector I am today.

For other IPs, I collect the sets despite being more of a casual fan, if a fan at all. This concerns IPs like the Simpsons, Ghostbusters, Overwatch and some of the licensed Ideas sets (the Flintstones, Yellow Submarine etc). I don't dislike any of those IPs, but not even the sets manage to increase my interest enough to sit down and watch/play them  I just like to display those sets, and that's it. I'm still planning to see the first two Ghostbuster films in their entirety though, when I get around to it. I've seen (and liked!) the reboot though please don't pelt me to death with bricks 

There's only one franchise I can think of where TLG releasing sets didn't change my perception AT ALL, and that was Angry Birds  Judging by the sales, I wasn't the only one ignoring it, despite some of the builds looking decent for what they were.

Edited May 1, 2019 by Lego-Freak

[Agent Kallus]

I didn't really know what Portal was when they revealed the dimensions pack so I looked into it and now it's one of my all-time favourite games. When LOTR sets were announced/Rumored I didn't really know much about it (i'd read the Hobbit but had read or seen anything else Tolkien) but by the time they released I'd read all 3 books, seen all 3 extended edition movies and started looking for some of the other middle earth books. I'd've probably gotten into LOTR without the lego sets coming but they sped up the process.

I'd seen bits of back to the future and my sister was a fan but I never sat down and watched it properly till the Lego sets reminded me it existed. I watched the 8 minute long overwatch dragon short when it came up as an advert on youtube (could skipped after 5 seconds but it got my attention), hadn't touched overwatch since, cause I'm not really into online multiplayer or first person shooters, but the reveal of the lego sets convinced me to have a look at the character bios and the world seems interesting enough.

I  can wholehearted recommend Doctor Who and Avatar to anyone teetering on the edge. Doctor Who does have a lot of episodes but it frequently reinvents itself so there are plenty of good jumping on points. 

[Decat]

This happened for me with Doctor Who and Ghostbusters, when Dimensions came out. I'd seen the first ghostbusters movie as a kid but barely remembered it, and was was aware of Doctor Who but had never watched it. Dimensions itself probably wouldn't have intrested me except it had Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts. And then I started collecting more packs when they were on sale; I was already famililar with The Lord of the Rings and Back to the Future. (My Mum tried to get me into The Lord of the Rings when I was 11 and the first movie came out, but I was a bit young and got bored with it. I finally got into it when The Hobbit movies came out). So I found myself watching Ghostbusters and Doctor Who! But I also saw one episode of Adventure Time and thought it the stupidest thing I ever saw! (Sorry to anyone who likes it, but...)

Edited May 2, 2019 by Decat

[Ultron]

While it wasn't entirely the set, I was interested in watching the Voltron Netflix series and knowing there was a Lego set based on the property definitely helped me take the plunge to watch the series. Now after all is said and done I've just ended up upset because 1) it's based on the original Voltron mech and 2) we'll never get actual sets based on the show. 

[Oky]

4 hours ago, Decat said:

I also saw one episode of Adventure Time and thought it the stupidest thing I ever saw! (Sorry to anyone who likes it, but...)

 I wouldn't go that far, but I kinda agree. It's not bad, but it just doesn't seem that interesting to me either. I considered giving it another shot when the sets were released, but nope, still couldn't get into it. Just not my cup of tea I guess.

4 hours ago, Ultron said:

While it wasn't entirely the set, I was interested in watching the Voltron Netflix series and knowing there was a Lego set based on the property definitely helped me take the plunge to watch the series. Now after all is said and done I've just ended up upset because 1) it's based on the original Voltron mech and 2) we'll never get actual sets based on the show. 

Why not? If an Ideas project based on the 80s version was able to get made, why not one for the modern (and arguably superior) version? I've been thinking about submitting one myself. I'm glad you watched that excellent show though!

[Huigberts Builds]

Interesting question, a lot of franchises I like started someway or another with Lego actually, spiderman for example back in the day, way before the mcu started, batman because of the lego game (although I already liked superman), doctor who because I heard the theme song in a video discussing his dimensions appearance (or was it the ideas pack? whichever game first) and I thought something with such a cool theme must be good. I've also gotten into Star Wars starting of with the toys (some if which were lego) my parents and grandparents bought for me, although that's because my father is a fan himself. Can't remember if I first had interest in the Lego Harry Potter sets or the movies, the games maybe even, it's too long ago but it can very well be the case. Than ofcourse there were the Simpsons, I was so impressed by the amazing house build, so I watched the brick like me special and started watching more episodes since (I really didn't like the show when I first saw it like 10 or so years before that, probably because I didn't understand the humor). I probably forgot a lot more, but I can say for sure that me being a fan of many franchises and lego are very much related. (Tbh I might give Stranger Things a shot now as well)

[samurai-turtle]

Well I never heard of Overwatch until the LEGO sets. Then ABC was showing an Overwatch tournament one Saturday afternoon, so I watch a bulk of the thing. To me it seems like any other first person shoot up. Still not into the thing partly because I don't have the right set up for it, and I have really been into video games for some time. 

[RogueTwo]

Great idea for a thread!  Sorry for my late response.  Well, Blondie-Wan, based on your profile picture, you will be pleased to hear that I discovered Indiana Jones entirely through LEGO (that is, I knew about the movies, but somehow I thought they were from the fifties or something, based on the retro packaging).  To this day, I love Raiders to death, while I mostly dislike the others, with special disdain for Temple of Doom, but I suppose opinions vary greatly when it comes to entertainment.  

I also watched the Prince of Persia and Speed Racer movies as a result of new set releases, but that was a waste of my time!    To be fair, though, I have also seen the old Speed Racer cartoon, which is stupid but amusing, and the Prince of Persia sets were rather phenomenal, especially considering the source material.  Same sort of deal with The Lone Ranger.
 

On 5/1/2019 at 4:28 AM, Lego-Freak said:

The only IP I discovered through LEGO was Harry Potter. The first Potter-related thing I've ever seen was the first advertisement for the theme in one of the LEGO club magazines back in 2001 (you know, the one with Snape holding a flask that never appeared in any of the sets ). This is what lead me to then watch PS at the cinema a couple of weeks (or months) later.

Do you by any chance have a photo or link for that original LEGO HP magazine advertisement?  I love the nostalgic Potter stuff, but oddly, I don't remember that cover!  

[BrickBob Studpants]

3 hours ago, RogueTwo said:

Do you by any chance have a photo or link for that original LEGO HP magazine advertisement?  I love the nostalgic Potter stuff, but oddly, I don't remember that cover!  

It wasn't on the cover if I remember correctly, but somewhere inside the magazine. The motive was very similar to this one, with Snape being larger and the background being black if memory serves me well. It might just as well be the exact same one though 

I still have the magazines from back in the day, but I need to find them first  If the motive's any different, I'll post a picture of it once I've found it 

[jimmynick]

I got into Harry Potter through a combination of the books and LEGO sets - my grandparents gave me a bit of a nudge with Philospher's Stone and the Chamber of Winged Keys.

For me the big one is Star Wars. Sure, I'd seen TPM and AotC but it wasn't until I got on the internet and found (and lusted for) the 4504 and 10123 that I started taking Star Wars seriously. Then I went on a movie and LEGO binge around 2006 and here I am today.

[Tariq j]

I'd seen Avengers Assemble and The First Avenger. And although I liked them, I don't think I was properly invested in the MCU and the characters until a few years ago when the Civil War sets came out. Those plus the movie itself are what really got me interested in the MCU. 

[corasaur]

I still haven't seen The Lone Ranger, but if I ever do, it will be entirely because Silver Mine Shootout is a great Lego set.

[RogueTwo]

On 5/7/2019 at 4:22 PM, Lego-Freak said:

It wasn't on the cover if I remember correctly, but somewhere inside the magazine. The motive was very similar to this one, with Snape being larger and the background being black if memory serves me well. It might just as well be the exact same one though 

I still have the magazines from back in the day, but I need to find them first  If the motive's any different, I'll post a picture of it once I've found it 

Haha, wow, thanks!  Was that vial piece ever released in any theme?  I actually have some magazines from around that time that I've been trying to find (not physical copies, but just photos from inside).  I'll PM you, and if you have time, I'd love to see if you remember them!  Also, is that a "wood pattern" print on Harry's wand, or is it just the light?

[Digger of Bricks]

On 4/30/2019 at 12:31 PM, Blondie-Wan said:

How many folks here have checked out (or even gotten heavily into) some entertainment franchise specifically because it got some sort of official treatment in LEGO?

Though it hasn't received the "official treatment" as of yet, in light of recent news regarding the suspicious premature shelving of @figura's project for LEGO Ideas, I decided to check out Disney's Gravity Falls TV show a couple nights ago. Similarly, I only checked out the first two seasons of Netflix's Stranger Things just last fall shortly before hearing of our first rumors of the D2C based upon such; so, likewise, I'm kinda wondering if the same could be happening for Gravity Falls very shortly from now, as there were rumors from last year of BrickHeadz based upon such that we could still have yet to see. 

[Oky]

While the sets are based on the first incarnation of the show, I decided to check out Lauren Faust's reboot of DC Super Hero Girls partly because of the existence of the sets, but mainly because I am a fan of Faust's work. While it is extremely silly and obviously aimed at young girls, it does have that same energy and humor that made MLP so enjoyable, so if you're a fan of that style of animation, I'd say give it a shot.

I've only seen snippets of the previous version which the sets are based on and while it seems to have a more dramatic tone to it, it wasn't for me.

[sicadus]

On 4/30/2019 at 10:31 PM, Blondie-Wan said:

Over in the Stranger Things thread elsewhere in this forum, when the subject of spoilers for the show came up and someone suggested that anyone reading the thread was surely already a fan of the show, and someone else responded that they knew people in the LEGO fan community who were now exploring the show because of the upcoming set.

It got me thinking about some of the other media creations upon which other LEGO products have been based. For many years, most of what I knew about Harry Potter I knew because of the LEGO sets. And while I was acquainted with the original Prince of Persia video games, I might not have ever seen the 2010 movie if not for the interesting-looking LEGO theme. I still haven’t really delved into Avatar: The Last Airbender (or its followup, The Legend of Korra), but it’s been on my agenda for several years now, and my interest was initially spurred by the two sets LEGO released back in 2006.

How many folks here have checked out (or even gotten heavily into) some entertainment franchise specifically because it got some sort of official treatment in LEGO?

Its same for me before i am into Lego, now my perspective of any theme is developed around it. Either its batman, ninjago, or avatar. I also recon to stay away from the airbender movie it brutally spoiled. As the new sets comes out i try to be i try to absorb as much info so all the details get in correctly. 

 

[AManofNoConsequence]

It's happened a few times, I was aware of Indiana Jones as a kid but didn't really get into it until the Lego sets hit, I picked up the Last Crusade bike chase before watching the BBC broadcasts of the first 3 films in the run up to KotCS. Something similar happened with Stranger Things, the set looked really good so I decided to give the series a watch before investing in it, and I've enjoyed it so far.

[RayanBolter]

I love Lego madly. I am ashamed to admit that I am a grown-up guy and I am fond of it. In the near future I am considering buying a new set. It is very exciting that we can collect the Lego together with my son.