2014 - Best and Biggest LEGO Year Ever?

[TheBrickPal]

There is no doubt that 2014 will go down in history as one of the biggest years for LEGO ever. You may totally disagree or completely agree with me. There are many reasons why this is the case. Let's face the facts, shall we?

-The most obvious reason is The LEGO Movie, the first ever theatrical film for LEGO, the first not to be direct-to-DVD. The movie is currently making more than $300 million dollars at the worldwide box office, and Australia and a few other countries don't even have it released there yet! Plans for a sequel have already been announced, with a release date of May 26, 2017. Clearly one big win, at least in my book.

-After originally being thought to be long gone, LEGO announced their vague plans to return Ninjago in 2014 at the end of the 2012 year. "We will be back." read the first teaser poster we received. The sets have finally released, and the TV series is back with more new episodes later this year. Many happy fans, more money for LEGO.

-Mixels, LEGO's first big collaboration with another company, makes its debut. While Cartoon Network produces the Mixels cartoon shorts, LEGO has made their first ever collectible building theme, with nine in each series, allowing you to mix and match your own little monsters. Mixels also introduced a brand new system of balljoints, compatible with Technic towball pieces and the like. More possibilities for MOCs and a whole new way to build means more fun!

-Of course, all of the other themes I missed other than the major points will go here. Chima was popular enough to go into its second year, with new episodes of the cartoon later this month. Super Heroes enters it's third year, with more Batman and Spider-Man, as always. Friends is still going strong with little girls, which brought the debut of Disney Princess, the first licensed theme to utilize the minidoll. Star Wars is still going strong, celebrating fifteen years of sets, and rehashing the same old vehicles and scenes. Fan wishes came true when LEGO announced the Ghostbusters Ecto-1, based on the 80's film and the CUUSOO project. Hero Factory had innovation when it released minifig-sized heroes in battle machines. The biggest shock was the company's decision to produce sets based on the sitcom The Simpsons, with a house set out and a minifig series to be released in May, as well as a LEGO themed episode to air in the same month.

As you can see, this year already has a ton to offer us, and will hopefully be remembered. Do you agree or disagree with my points? Let me know below.

Edited March 5, 2014 by Puffle Pal26

[ritzcrackerman]

I'm cynical. I think that the chickens have come to roost, in a way - we're going to be paying much more in 2014 for TLG's rapid expansion over the previous few years - think tooling costs, costs of new manufacturing facilities, number of sets released, range of themes, etc. etc. MSRP on incoming sets are markedly higher this year, while consumer incomes are generally flat/stagnant. The recent sale of Mega Brands means that there will be more laser-focused competition on the toy aisles for construction bricks.

I hope LEGO welcomes the competition and embraces it and does the right things to continue to entice buyers. But surfing the different forums, I see a lot of comments and murmuring to the effect of: 1) there too many themes to be able to buy everything I want, 2) the set quality and value is going down with focus on minifigures, 3) And piece/manufacturing quality has also gone down.

[jFox]

-The most obvious reason is The LEGO Movie, the first ever theatrical film for LEGO, the first not to be direct-to-DVD. The movie is currently making more than $3 million dollars at the worldwide box office, and Australia and a few other countries don't even have it released there yet! Plans for a sequel have already been announced, with a release date of May 26, 2017. Clearly one big win, at least in my book.

I think you may have forgotten a few zeroes; the total box office is over $300 million at this point:

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=lego.htm

I agree that this year is a big one for Lego. With all of the new lines (or the continued success of existing ones) it can be tough for a single consumer to keep up with all of them--a good problem to have for the fans. I hope that as the the company continues to expand that it can maintain the same level of quality they are known for.

[TheBrickPal]

I think you may have forgotten a few zeroes; the total box office is over $300 million at this point:

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=lego.htm

Wow, I can't believe I didn't notice my mistake! I did know that, though. Fixed!

Interesting opinions, guys. I especially agree about the price and quality, and I hope that remains more or less the same. I cannot wait to hear more opinions.

Edited March 5, 2014 by Puffle Pal26

[lifeinplastic]

Biggest, maybe, but I'm sure calling it the best will be down to individual opinions.

The Lego Movie has no doubt brought attention to a wider audience (lots of people coming out of the woodwork claiming to be huge Lego fans - much the same as when Star Wars sets were first launched). Just how many will be retained post-Movie hype remains to be seen but I think the film will prove to be successful in this respect. However, I actually thought the film could have been a lot better and was personally very disappointed with it although I realise I probably am not the key target audience. I think many fans feel they have to like it just for the fact it is Lego.

Chima just doesn’t appeal to me at all and neither does Ninjago but at least these are Lego’s own brands. I know many Castle fans were disappointed with the latest offerings and any potential return to the Western theme was denied in favour of the Lone Ranger line. To me, Lego seems to have ‘sold out’ to licensed themes in recent years, creating a lot of specific parts for these themes and letting core themes fall by the wayside. A good example is the Ostrich and Camel from Prince of Persia being released, although Lego City (a representation of the modern World) still lacks a lot of common animal moulds despite decades worth of sets. It is also sad that themes like Pharoah’s Quest and Monster Fighters are only given a very short run as attention is focussed on licenses. I also feel that a lot of the Super Hero sets are just minifigs plus a few token bricks included to justify the high prices and that Lego has now become focussed on catering to the action figure collectors. I know this is obviously successful and profitable for them but I am disappointed that these have eclipsed the classic products I have always admired.

In my opinion the Collectible Minifigures have been one of the best concepts introduced by Lego in the past 5 years, allowing characters which would usually not appear in standard sets to be purchased but I was sad to see these put on the backburner in place of a Simpsons line in 2014. Lego used to run with the tagline ‘Just Imagine…’ but nowadays figures already come with their own character backgrounds and storylines, as well as ideas of how they should already look, leaving very little to individual imagination...

Edited March 5, 2014 by lifeinplastic

[lightningtiger]

I agree with biggest, but best year ever.......the jury will still be out on that till the end of the year.

[AFOLguy1970]

There are some nice sets this year. Parisian Restaurant and Benny's Spaceship are the most significant two for me. My main concern is the price. As Ritzcrackerman above said, wages are not going up, therefore disposable income is going down. The sets do seem more expensive for what you get, and I am appalled that random minifig packs are going to be $4 from here on out. Also, the online PAB prices are escalating into a very unreasonable range on many bricks. This all makes Lego an expensive hobby. As much as I have enjoyed a return from the dark ages, a cutback seems inevitable.

One hope seems to be with Megablocks. Even though I would not buy them, if they expand and compete with Lego effectively (along with others like KREO), then that could help keep Lego's prices in check.

[Wodanis]

The sets do seem more expensive for what you get, and I am appalled that random minifig packs are going to be $4 from here on out. Also, the online PAB prices are escalating into a very unreasonable range on many bricks. This all makes Lego an expensive hobby. As much as I have enjoyed a return from the dark ages, a cutback seems inevitable.

One hope seems to be with Megablocks. Even though I would not buy them, if they expand and compete with Lego effectively (along with others like KREO), then that could help keep Lego's prices in check.

I hadn't heard CMF 12 would increase to $4 per fig. The Simpsons jumped for obvious reasons, the characters and the extra moulded heads. I agree with what you stated about PAB pricing AFOLguy1970. I'm a bit worried that Lego is adopting old patterns of behaviour such as too much diversification without sticking to the 'core' lines. Growth shouldn't be confused with success. This is what happened in the late 90's.

I do think that this will be a banner year for Lego just like 2012. The Lego movie certainly has exposed the brand to an even wider audience. I'm wondering if the price increase isn't necessarily due to manufacturing costs but rather they are a bigger company now with no real competition as of yet. (In terms of building toys) Personally I would never buy another brand, leaves a bad taste in my mouth to think about it.

One lesson I'm hoping Lego doesn't forget, imagination. That is the driver of their business. It's what entices kids and AFOLs alike to the brand and sustains them. Licensing is good but they shouldn't let it control/dictate too much of their business.

I only wish I was employed so I could keep up with the pace of buying. I have many City sets to catch up on and my Star Wars collecting is on hold...

Edited March 5, 2014 by Wodanis

[Ojik]

To me, every new year seems better than the previous one, thus looks like the best one ever. It's logical - the times are changing and while kids in 1980s had to play with only a few themes and sets, today, we have hundreds of sets to choose from, lots of them based on many different popular licenses, ranging from films and TV shows to comics. This year is a little bit exceptional with The LEGO Movie, but the principle is still the same - new cool sets, minifigures, themes and so on in large quantities, customers are satisified.

But there are a few points I don't like about this, and since most of them have already been stated, I'm just gonna react on it.

But surfing the different forums, I see a lot of comments and murmuring to the effect of: 1) there too many themes to be able to buy everything I want, 2) the set quality and value is going down with focus on minifigures, 3) And piece/manufacturing quality has also gone down.

As I nowadays collect mostly licensed themes (which is not okay, more on this later), I agree with first two points. Too many themes, too much money. I must make hard decisions, since there are too many sets, and with additional costs here in Europe, I would be broke really soon if I bought everything I like. And what's worse, I like a lot, if not most, of the licensed sets only because of the minifigures. The builds itself are often very mediocre and the sets are centered around the characters, with weird structures bashed together around these figures.

Chima just doesn’t appeal to me at all and neither does Ninjago but at least these are Lego’s own brands. I know many Castle fans were disappointed with the latest offerings and any potential return to the Western theme was denied in favour of the Lone Ranger line. To me, Lego seems to have ‘sold out’ to licensed themes in recent years, creating a lot of specific parts for these themes and letting core themes fall by the wayside. A good example is the Ostrich and Camel from Prince of Persia being released, although Lego City (a representation of the modern World) still lacks a lot of common animal moulds despite decades worth of sets. It is also sad that themes like Pharoah’s Quest and Monster Fighters are only given a very short run as attention is focussed on licenses. I also feel that a lot of the Super Hero sets are just minifigs plus a few token bricks included to justify the high prices and that Lego has now become focussed on catering to the action figure collectors. I know this is obviously successful and profitable for them but I am disappointed that these have eclipsed the classic products I have always admired.

In my opinion the Collectible Minifigures have been one of the best concepts introduced by Lego in the past 5 years, allowing characters which would usually not appear in standard sets to be purchased but I was sad to see these put on the backburner in place of a Simpsons line in 2014. Lego used to run with the tagline ‘Just Imagine…’ but nowadays figures already come with their own character backgrounds and storylines, as well as ideas of how they should already look, leaving very little to individual imagination...

I can second all of this. I too don't care about these "mythological sci-fi" themes, but you must admit they are LEGO's own IP and although I find these themed very wild, with lots of crazy characters, vehicles, buildings and stories, all seemingly taken from many different eras and themes and leave a little to imagine, they are something original. Albeit being a fan of quite a few licenses, I must say it's not okay to base so many sets on them. We had The Lone Ranger theme which offered some nice new elements that would look great if reused in a new Western theme. Too bad, TLG doesn't seem to be doing one, even the new moulds (guns, hats) are about to fall in oblivion. Same with the animals you mention. The one-and-gone themes are also another convenient thing in this problem - themes like Ninjago continue and get more and more weird each year, but these little funny lines such as Monster Fighters die after one year. And licensed sets take their place, only to offer bland overpriced sets with good-looking figures, much to annoyance of many fans.

As you say at the end, it's not much about imagination anymore. LEGO should slow down and make more basic sets.

The Simpsons jumped for obvious reasons, the characters and the extra moulded heads. I agree with what you stated about PAB pricing AFOLguy1970. I'm a bit worried that Lego is adopting old patterns of behaviour such as too much diversification without sticking to the 'core' lines. Growth shouldn't be confused with success. This is what happened in the late 90's.

...

One lesson I'm hoping Lego doesn't forget, imagination. That is the driver of their business. It's what entices kids and AFOLs alike to the brand and sustains them. Licensing is good but they shouldn't let it control/dictate too much of their business.

I think the increase of price is because of the license, not the moulds. Each CMF line has about 16 new moulds, usually one new per a minifigure, this time, they are only a part of the minifigure itself. Other than that, you are right about the diversity and lack of imagination, I feel the same.

Long story short, the biggest doesn't mean the best. There are many cool things, but there's still much to be improved.

[Faefrost]

Just looking at it in terms of the product released I think 2014, particularly the back half of 2014 will be noted as one of the best ever Lego release years. With many sets having long term classic potential.

I understand the shift to more licensed stuff and less classic stuff etc. the reasons behind that are very basic. Lego doesn't really release basic building sets anymore because they are no longer unique or distinctive in doing so. Any competitor can release a near identicle set. The core patents have expired. So the value being sold has shifted to the IP and the stories. Be it licensed, such as SW or SH, or in house like Ninjago or TLM, or Friends.

As far as pricing, what can we do? We all have known pricing will be creeping up. We have seen the world economies. Plastic comes from oil. Petroleum products. There was news a week or two ago that TLG is starting to look for a long term replacement for ABS. You can safely assume that the essential "green" component of that search will be to get them out from under the volatile oil markets.

They have mainly done a good job at controlling product and product line growth. Contrary to what we sometimes think they have not over saturated the shelves like they did in the late 80's where they began essentially competing with themselves. Part of that seems to be that they are giving most individual products shorter life cycles and replacing them with something new faster. That of course is a blessing and a curse for fans like us. They don't target their product lines with the true complete collector in mind. Really the only outright expansion of their retail shelf profile has been Friends. Which looks to have paid off well.

Set design continues to refine and advance. And while pricing is going up, there does seem to be a concerted effort to do lots of interesting things at lower price points. And they still are offering AFOLs some amazing large complex and fun sets. The Parisian Restaraunt already stands out as one of the best ever.

Best ever? I dunno. I'd have to do some deep comparisons with 2008-2010 or so. But absolutely looking to be one of the best. Having trouble deciding where to put your budget because there is too much good stuff is NOT a bad year.

[Lyichir]

Having trouble deciding where to put your budget because there is too much good stuff is NOT a bad year.

This about sums up my opinion. Obviously it being the "best year ever" would be subjective and wouldn't apply to all builders (after all, this year offers no dedicated Castle, Space, Western, or Pirates themes, even if The Lego Movie offers bits and pieces of each of those). But for me personally, budgeting has been a serious challenge even this early in the year. There are plenty of sets this year (such as some of this year's Friends, Chima or Ultra Agents sets) that I feel would be surefire purchases for me if not for the excellent showings from Ninjago, Hero Factory, and of course The Lego Movie.

[BrickSponge2015]

This about sums up my opinion. Obviously it being the "best year ever" would be subjective and wouldn't apply to all builders (after all, this year offers no dedicated Castle, Space, Western, or Pirates themes, even if The Lego Movie offers bits and pieces of each of those). But for me personally, budgeting has been a serious challenge even this early in the year. There are plenty of sets this year (such as some of this year's Friends, Chima or Ultra Agents sets) that I feel would be surefire purchases for me if not for the excellent showings from Ninjago, Hero Factory, and of course The Lego Movie.

I more or less agree with this. The "best year ever" is only in everyone's personal opinion, but "biggest" for sure. I don't have a best year ever for LEGO, but at the end of they year, I might think this has been the best year in LEGO history.

[TheLegoDr]

I think not only are wages flat, but taxes seem to be going up (at least here). I have had yearly raises since I started my job, but I actually take home less because my taxes have also gone up. It is very unfortunate. I definitely have spent less over the last 6 months than I normally would have, but at the same time I guess that is good. I have been shying away from some collections I normally would have purchased otherwise.

There was something at a toy fair or convention recently that showed the Simpsons and the following series would both be $3.99 apiece. Just imagine the TRU mark up there! It may have to do with licensing, but it also may have to do with the success of the line and not much competition. Yes, every manufacturer has a blind bag collectible now, but LEGO knows they have loyalty with most fans. I've enjoyed that series, but with the price increase it will be difficult to keep up. Just getting 1 complete set now takes away 5 minifigures worth of dollars away from where it was originally (16 x $4 vs 16 x $3). Even with the success of Friends, we are buying less and less of that for our daughter.

Maybe LEGO is trying to tell us something. Quit buying new bricks and enjoy what you have. Be more creative with what you have and that in turn will be a success....

[kinggregus]

2014 is the most interresting year Lego wise for me. On one hand, I have never seen such a large offer, but on the other, I do not feel attracted to many sets this year. As a result, I have purchased mostly discountinued sets.It was the good opportunity to get these camels and ostrichs from Prince of Persia. That being said, I am amongst those that believe this will be Lego's biggest year. I am sure that the Lego movie will boost sales results. But as others have said, biggest year does not mean best... At least, it is highly subjective.

[Vee]

... 3) And piece/manufacturing quality has also gone down.

Today I had to use a plier to grab a 4L sword (#30374) and remove it from a plate with clip (#4081) after painfully having just inserted it, both new pieces. After realizing it was really stuck, I tried first to wear rubber gloves to have more grasp, but still could not pull it out. The plier did the trick but damaged a little the sword. I was like (sarcastically)... "whoa, that's what I call high quality manufacturing.."

Edited March 7, 2014 by Vee

[TeufelHund]

From my perspective this looks like a disappointing, albeit cheap, year as far as Lego goes unless they pull some amazing D2C sets out of the hat.

There's just not much that interests me to be honest. I mainly collect Castle, LOTR, Pirates and OT Star Wars. Most of the SW OT sets this year are just repeats of sets I already have and don't feel the need to replace. There are no new Castle or Pirates sets and the Hobbit sets due out are still an unknown quantity. The Lego Movie sets look a bit left of field but as the movie hasn't been released here yet I can't judge whether or not I will feel compelled to buy a few yet.

Overall, I'm looking forward to saving some money on Lego at this stage for once!

[Artifex]

Biggest year for sure (so far, that is! Lets hope for an even better 2015, 16 and beyond! ), but if it's the best or not I think is a matter of individual opinion.

I'd love to see some castle sets, for instance. But not related to the Movie or to the last Castle line. Something more akin to Kingdoms or to the old Castle themes (Black Falcons, Forestmen, etc.). Also, I miss Pirates and Space sets (again, not related to the Movie). But that's just me.

[Ardelon]

Im sure a case could be made - The LEGO Movie raising awarness and probably bringing in lots of new fans, TLG becoming the no. 1 toymaking company in the world, the partnership with The Simpsons to the point of the LEGO Simpsons episode (has the Simsosn show done something like this before?), the return of Ninjago signalling the strength and viability of in-house themes, etc, etc ...

BUT. As a fan of historical themes, Im disappointed in this years offerings - no new Castle, Pirates, Western or Adventurers-like theme, no mid-year LotR, and the regular CMFs getting shunted to the end of the year. LEGO may be booming, but this will be a very quiet year for me.

[Andy D]

Looks to be a good year for LEGO, but a bad year for my credit card. Just when I think there may be fewer sets I want, they go and do something like the new Creator Bike Shop/Cafe. Not to mention all the Steampunk looking Movie sets. Oh, well I didn't really need all that money anyway. ;) ;)

Andy D

[glendo]

this year will be good for TLG, but not as good for us:

IMO, im starting to see creep in two directions, firstly in size and scale of sets (downwards) and creep in price (upwards). it's the little things im starting to notice, and i hope it's not just me being over-analytical.

some of my examples:

- SW sets reboots are getting smaller, and more expensive. (comparing ISD's and AT-AT's, Jabba's sail barges for example)

- Modular shrinkage. The PR is shaved down compared to the older ones not by height, but be depth. this keeps the facade intact, but takes away from the less-seen places

and im a critic of part count at the moment (as my signature suggests). it's a mirage to show consumers there is heaps of parts in the box, but in reality it's more smaller parts in some cases.

call me paranoid, but it seems to been noticeable in the last 18 months.