How popular was the doctor who TARDIS set?

[BrickG]

If they did LEGO Doctor Who during the 10th Doctor I think we'd have seen more than one set but the series frankly turned to crap and it's reflected in it's popularity right now.

[Puresh]

On 7/22/2019 at 12:23 PM, BrickG said:

If they did LEGO Doctor Who during the 10th Doctor I think we'd have seen more than one set but the series frankly turned to crap and it's reflected in it's popularity right now.

I totally agree, I'm not expecting to ever get another playset for Doctor Who, but I have hope that we'll get at least one or two Brickheadz next year. They've used their Dimensions / Ideas licenses for such in the past, so I wouldn't say it's too unlikely. Plus, this wouldn't be nearly as big of a risk as another playset with new prints and figures - if one Brickhead fails, it's not going to impact their market too much

[MatthewRC]

11 hours ago, Puresh said:

I totally agree, I'm not expecting to ever get another playset for Doctor Who, but I have hope that we'll get at least one or two Brickheadz next year. They've used their Dimensions / Ideas licenses for such in the past, so I wouldn't say it's too unlikely. Plus, this wouldn't be nearly as big of a risk as another playset with new prints and figures - if one Brickhead fails, it's not going to impact their market too much

I wonder if LEGO should do Classic Doctor Who-themed sets? That may sell successfully for adult collectors and Whovians!

[Puresh]

12 hours ago, MatthewRC said:

I wonder if LEGO should do Classic Doctor Who-themed sets? That may sell successfully for adult collectors and Whovians!

I think that would sell even less. One thing I could (and really would love to) see is a Brickheadz kit like "Go Brick Me", where you get just enough parts to build all 14 Doctors and their outfits

[Puresh]

Actually, looking at this link, it seems like Doctor Who is no longer a license held by Lego, they still list things such as Lord of the Rings or The Wizard of Oz, but Doctor Who is nowhere  to be seen

Active Licenses:

Entertainment

Star Wars, MARVEL Super Heroes, DC Super Heroes, The LEGO Batman Movie, The LEGO Movie (1 & 2), The LEGO NINJAGO Movie, Disney characters (Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Tinker Bell/Peter Pan), Moana, Frozen, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Rapunzel, Cars, The Incredibles, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Mulan, Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit, Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, The Power Puff Girls, "Jurassic" franchise (Jurassic World/Jurassic Park), The Nightmare Before Christmas, Overwatch, James Bond, Toy Story, Stranger Things & The Wizard of Oz.

[MatthewRC]

11 hours ago, Puresh said:

Actually, looking at this link, it seems like Doctor Who is no longer a license held by Lego, they still list things such as Lord of the Rings or The Wizard of Oz, but Doctor Who is nowhere  to be seen

Active Licenses:

Entertainment

Star Wars, MARVEL Super Heroes, DC Super Heroes, The LEGO Batman Movie, The LEGO Movie (1 & 2), The LEGO NINJAGO Movie, Disney characters (Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Tinker Bell/Peter Pan), Moana, Frozen, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Rapunzel, Cars, The Incredibles, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Mulan, Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit, Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, The Power Puff Girls, "Jurassic" franchise (Jurassic World/Jurassic Park), The Nightmare Before Christmas, Overwatch, James Bond, Toy Story, Stranger Things & The Wizard of Oz.

It’s actually under Restricted IP from LEGO Ideas, which is further down.

[Puresh]

3 hours ago, MatthewRC said:

It’s actually under Restricted IP from LEGO Ideas, which is further down.

Yeah, because the ideas project reached 10k supporters, but I specifically remember "Doctor Who" being part of the active licenses list a while ago. I'm 99.9% sure they no longer have the license

[MatthewRC]

18 minutes ago, Puresh said:

Yeah, because the ideas project reached 10k supporters, but I specifically remember "Doctor Who" being part of the active licenses list a while ago. I'm 99.9% sure they no longer have the license

Well, there may still be hope for LEGO Doctor Who being part of next year’s BrickHeadz wave! Let’s just wait and find out in 2020.

[MAB]

On 7/24/2019 at 3:00 AM, MatthewRC said:

I wonder if LEGO should do Classic Doctor Who-themed sets? That may sell successfully for adult collectors and Whovians!

For brickheadz that might well make sense. Brickheadz seem to be aimed at slightly older builders than playsets, more for collectors than for play. So aiming BH at adults for nostalgia might work. Although I imagine a David Tennant for younger fans and a Tom Baker for older fans would be a good combination.

[Puresh]

 

 

 

 

On 7/28/2019 at 4:40 AM, Puresh said:

Actually, looking at this link, it seems like Doctor Who is no longer a license held by Lego, they still list things such as Lord of the Rings or The Wizard of Oz, but Doctor Who is nowhere  to be seen

Active Licenses:

Entertainment

Star Wars, MARVEL Super Heroes, DC Super Heroes, The LEGO Batman Movie, The LEGO Movie (1 & 2), The LEGO NINJAGO Movie, Disney characters (Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Tinker Bell/Peter Pan), Moana, Frozen, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Rapunzel, Cars, The Incredibles, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Mulan, Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit, Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, The Power Puff Girls, "Jurassic" franchise (Jurassic World/Jurassic Park), The Nightmare Before Christmas, Overwatch, James Bond, Toy Story, Stranger Things & The Wizard of Oz.

Okay, I need to correct myself. Looking at this list, I noticed that Minecraft was also not featured there. IPs that were introduced through Ideas are only listed in the second list of already accepted projects. We still have a small chance to get DW Brickheadz after all!

 

[ArneNielsen]

Back in 2011, MegaBloks had the license to Dr. Who. They only made 5 sets and two series of blind-bag minifigs.

(  - but they did make a TARDIS with opening doors - and an empty inside):

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Doctor-Who-Character-Building-Tardis-Mini-Set-11th-Doctor-Amy-Pond-Figures/323870624649?hash=item4b68318b89:g:rWwAAOSwn4FdPdTq

At least the minifigs must have had some acceptable sales figures since they issued another series, but all in all, the sales was not sufficient to make more than those first 5 sets.

I am trying to make the point, that brick-built Dr. Who dont really have a lot of potential. The show has aired here in Denmark as well, but on obscure channels, and with few viewers.

It really is a part of UK culture, that never fully made it out of the British Isles.

 

[MatthewRC]

3 minutes ago, ArneNielsen said:

Back in 2011, MegaBloks had the license to Dr. Who. They only made 5 sets and two series of blind-bag minifigs.

(  - but they did make a TARDIS with opening doors - and an empty inside):

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Doctor-Who-Character-Building-Tardis-Mini-Set-11th-Doctor-Amy-Pond-Figures/323870624649?hash=item4b68318b89:g:rWwAAOSwn4FdPdTq

At least the minifigs must have had some acceptable sales figures since they issued another series, but all in all, the sales was not sufficient to make more than those first 5 sets.

I am trying to make the point, that brick-built Dr. Who dont really have a lot of potential. The show has aired here in Denmark as well, but on obscure channels, and with few viewers.

It really is a part of UK culture, that never fully made it out of the British Isles.

 

That was actually Character Building, not Mega Bloks.

[Puresh]

 

 

 

 

2

2 minutes ago, ArneNielsen said:

I am trying to make the point, that brick-built Dr. Who dont really have a lot of potential. The show has aired here in Denmark as well, but on obscure channels, and with few viewers.

It really is a part of UK culture, that never fully made it out of the British Isles.

 

That is certainly true, I don't know a single Doctor Who fan in real life apart from people I recommended the series to. It's indeed quite obscure outside of the UK. But then again Lego has done BrickHeadz for very obscure licenses before. Designing and producing those doesn't cost Lego a lot of money, which is why we still have (a very slim) chance of getting a pack for the show

[ArneNielsen]

29 minutes ago, MatthewRC said:

That was actually Character Building, not Mega Bloks

Yes, but Character Building was a MegaBloks subsidiary - they are listed as MegaBloks sets in several databases.

[MatthewRC]

2 hours ago, ArneNielsen said:

Yes, but Character Building was a MegaBloks subsidiary - they are listed as MegaBloks sets in several databases.

Really? I never knew that! Was Character Options acquired by Mattel as well?

[ArneNielsen]

On 8/2/2019 at 4:56 PM, MatthewRC said:

Really? I never knew that! Was Character Options acquired by Mattel as well?

Sorry, you are totally right - I got it mixed. 

Character Building was a subsidiary of the Polish clone company Cobi, not MegaBloks. 

My bad, I should never trust my memory.

 

 

[MatthewRC]

3 hours ago, ArneNielsen said:

Sorry, you are totally right - I got it mixed. 

Character Building was a subsidiary of the Polish clone company Cobi, not MegaBloks. 

My bad, I should never trust my memory.

 

 

No hard feelings.

[Elrond]

On 7/28/2019 at 4:40 AM, Puresh said:

Actually, looking at this link, it seems like Doctor Who is no longer a license held by Lego, they still list things such as Lord of the Rings or The Wizard of Oz, but Doctor Who is nowhere  to be seen

Active Licenses:

Entertainment

Star Wars, MARVEL Super Heroes, DC Super Heroes, The LEGO Batman Movie, The LEGO Movie (1 & 2), The LEGO NINJAGO Movie, Disney characters (Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Tinker Bell/Peter Pan), Moana, Frozen, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Rapunzel, Cars, The Incredibles, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Mulan, Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit, Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, The Power Puff Girls, "Jurassic" franchise (Jurassic World/Jurassic Park), The Nightmare Before Christmas, Overwatch, James Bond, Toy Story, Stranger Things & The Wizard of Oz.

Yeah there's definitely more than that, like the car brands used for Speed Champions, the Flintstones or, like you said, Minecraft. Wonder what the situation for Pirates of the Caribbean or Scooby-Doo is though.

[Puresh]

1 hour ago, Elrond said:

Wonder what the situation for Pirates of the Caribbean or Scooby-Doo is though.

I'm guessing PotC is a license they automatically have under their Disney contracts. Not sure about Scooby-Doo though

[PickleManDan]

12 hours ago, Elrond said:

Yeah there's definitely more than that, like the car brands used for Speed Champions

The car brands are listed under the automotive brands section:

Quote

Automotive brands

Volkswagen, Ferrari, MINI, Porsche, Volvo, Mack Trucks, Ford, Bugatti, Chevrolet, Dodge, McLaren, Aston Martin & Liebherr.

 

[BrickG]

There's no way sets based on the older stuff would sell well. LEGO still primarily makes most of it's money from kids (or their parents for the kids) and that means ANYTHING that is older, is basically a no-go. Kids won't as often even know it exists. The popularity will have shrunk from the older stuff. It just wouldn't work.

 

The only way we'll get more Doctor Who sets in any significant way I'd say would be if Doctor Who suddenly got GOOD again, got the ratings it used to in the UK -AND- also got those international ratings. At which point they'd release mostly or entirely sets based on that new incarnation, and us older fans might get lucky if they released a set or two from the old days (I'd love a set that was basically just minifigures with a Tardis you can change to be any Tardis and like all the Doctors in minifigure form :P. Never gunna happen though probably.

[MAB]

33 minutes ago, BrickG said:

There's no way sets based on the older stuff would sell well. LEGO still primarily makes most of it's money from kids (or their parents for the kids) and that means ANYTHING that is older, is basically a no-go. Kids won't as often even know it exists. The popularity will have shrunk from the older stuff. It just wouldn't work.

 

The only way we'll get more Doctor Who sets in any significant way I'd say would be if Doctor Who suddenly got GOOD again, got the ratings it used to in the UK -AND- also got those international ratings. At which point they'd release mostly or entirely sets based on that new incarnation, and us older fans might get lucky if they released a set or two from the old days (I'd love a set that was basically just minifigures with a Tardis you can change to be any Tardis and like all the Doctors in minifigure form :P. Never gunna happen though probably.

Yet they released old themes such as  Ghostbusters plus the HQ, the BTTF set, Tron, Vintage Mickey, and loads of other nostalgia IPs through Dimensions, and so on. Of course, a lot of that has been through Ideas but Doctor Who is excluded from that now. There probably is a market, but it is difficult to judge how big that market is. A small run like on the scale of an Ideas set might sell well. But then there is the problem of whether it is worth doing at that scale. They already had someone design all the graphics for the minifigures of the Doctors for Dimensions.

[Retro]

24 minutes ago, MAB said:

Yet they released old themes such as  Ghostbusters plus the HQ, the BTTF set, Tron, Vintage Mickey, and loads of other nostalgia IPs through Dimensions, and so on. Of course, a lot of that has been through Ideas but Doctor Who is excluded from that now. There probably is a market, but it is difficult to judge how big that market is. A small run like on the scale of an Ideas set might sell well. But then there is the problem of whether it is worth doing at that scale. They already had someone design all the graphics for the minifigures of the Doctors for Dimensions.

Those (and indeed Star Wars, which is 40 years old) are all American though, and I think had more global reach. I'm a bit surprised Dr Who Lego ever got made at all.

1 hour ago, BrickG said:

There's no way sets based on the older stuff would sell well. LEGO still primarily makes most of it's money from kids (or their parents for the kids) and that means ANYTHING that is older, is basically a no-go. Kids won't as often even know it exists. The popularity will have shrunk from the older stuff. It just wouldn't work.

 

The only way we'll get more Doctor Who sets in any significant way I'd say would be if Doctor Who suddenly got GOOD again, got the ratings it used to in the UK -AND- also got those international ratings. At which point they'd release mostly or entirely sets based on that new incarnation, and us older fans might get lucky if they released a set or two from the old days (I'd love a set that was basically just minifigures with a Tardis you can change to be any Tardis and like all the Doctors in minifigure form :P. Never gunna happen though probably.

Out of interest, when do you think Dr Who was last 'good'? At it's heart, it is a great concept. One unique, humanoid alien in his ship. You can start the story afresh any time. But I haven't really enjoyed it since the 1980s... and, like superheroes, it doesn't really lend itself to Lego because it's about people and aliens, not so much spaceships and buildings...

 

[MAB]

18 hours ago, Retro said:

Out of interest, when do you think Dr Who was last 'good'?

1981! To be fair to him, Peter Davison wasn't too bad so 1984.

I never really liked the Sylvester McCoy ones, but that is probably as I was in my late teens by then. Tom Baker was "my" Doctor as a kid, so he will always be the best.

 

[BrickG]

whether it was good or not is irrelevant and purely opinional I guess. But it's peak of international popularity was during Doctor IX or X. And then it went way down. And from a purely opinion standpoint the show became trash when Moffat took over and we saw things like the Statue of Liberty being a weeping angle (and nobody looking at it in all of NYC? WHAT!?), a ninja flip distracting a robot's self destruct feature somehow because the flip was so sweet or something?, a lost woman being in a bush the whole time, etc. I've not really seen this new lady Doctor since Moffat left. Maybe she's better but Doctor Who has progressed downwards in ratings and merchandising.