Unpopular Opinions about LEGO

[Murdoch17]

19 minutes ago, SpacePolice89 said:

The original minifigure themes made Lego insanely popular all around the world and proved that they had a winning concept. It was actually only after the financial difficulties in the late 90s and early 00s caused by junior-ization and product diversification that they had to resort to licenses to get quick money to be able to survive. I believe that the original themes and what they represent are far superior than the licensed products. Nowadays they cater mostly towards fans of different media franchises instead of fans of Lego. But all hope is not lost, every now and then we get great products like the new Galaxy Explorer and the Lion Knights Castle. 

Licenses such as Star Wars and Harry Potter were only a quick monetary fix whereas Bionicle's launch in 2001 gave them enough cash to turn down the offer they were really considering from Mattel. Sure they're were bumps after that (Galidor) but several years of solid Bionicle sales save their butts until they could totally right the ship in 2004 / 2005. This was especially true in 2003 when no HP or SW films were released that year, as films drove sales in the early days. All this info comes from the books 'The Secret life of LEGO Bricks' and 'A Million Little Bricks'.

Edited June 7 by Murdoch17

[Lion King]

39 minutes ago, Black Falcon said:

Well, that argument about Space beeing put into City because of that reason was a claim with no evidence and if they would have wanted to produce them as standalone Theme they would have just done so - however there are surely several reasons why they didn´t. 

Well, I mean, sure there is no evidence available.  We don’t know what will happen after Space City subtheme for 2025. To me, I totally don’t mind Space as a City subtheme.

So yeah… no evidence why they coul not do a standalone Space theme, just silly speculations they came up with. 

[Karalora]

1 hour ago, SpacePolice89 said:

The original minifigure themes made Lego insanely popular all around the world and proved that they had a winning concept. It was actually only after the financial difficulties in the late 90s and early 00s caused by junior-ization and product diversification that they had to resort to licenses to get quick money to be able to survive. I believe that the original themes and what they represent are far superior than the licensed products. Nowadays they cater mostly towards fans of different media franchises instead of fans of Lego. But all hope is not lost, every now and then we get great products like the new Galaxy Explorer and the Lion Knights Castle. 

Sooner or later, every long-running franchise has to decide whether it wants to continue to cater to its existing fans or open up in the hope of attracting new ones. Both are risky--the existing fans might be alienated by any pivot to a new market which may not even respond, but the existing fans are likely to drop off over time anyway--and it is nigh-impossible to do both at once. There is no way to predict in advance which path will be the safer or more profitable one...but I think we can safely say LEGO is much bigger now than it was 25+ years ago.

[SpacePolice89]

5 hours ago, Karalora said:

but I think we can safely say LEGO is much bigger now than it was 25+ years ago.

Bigger yes, but is it better? I think quality and design of regular sets were better in the 80s and early 90s. I'm also very worried about Lego having manufacturing, theme parks and significant sales in China because it looks that they've chosen the same path as Russia and companies that invested heavily in Russia took huge hits when the war started and it's only a matter of time before China goes on the warpath in the Pacific. On the positive side Lego manufactures most of the pieces locally in Europe and North America for those markets and that might soften the blow.

 

[Black Falcon]

1 hour ago, SpacePolice89 said:

Bigger yes, but is it better? I think quality and design of regular sets were better in the 80s and early 90s.

To me, it is a lot better. I think Lego would have huge issues selling their products if they would still have the same design language as they did have back then. 

1 hour ago, SpacePolice89 said:

I'm also very worried about Lego having manufacturing, theme parks and significant sales in China because it looks that they've chosen the same path as Russia and companies that invested heavily in Russia took huge hits when the war started and it's only a matter of time before China goes on the warpath in the Pacific. On the positive side Lego manufactures most of the pieces locally in Europe and North America for those markets and that might soften the blow.

I think this might also be one of the reasons why they make a second asian factory in Vietnam, so if they would have to close their chinese Factory down, they can still produce for the asian marked from there. And actually the European and American market would probably even profit from it, as most of the other bricks are produced in China and and likely they won´t be allowed to be imported anymore then.

[Renny The Spaceman]

See I don't think LEGO HAS to do all the licenses they do to adapt. Even ignoring broader examples like Ninjago or the LEGO Movie just look at how well the Castle sets they do now sell. They can still appeal to the adults they are mainly gunning for now without licenses BUT it takes more to do that because obviously when it's a LEGO original you can't coast off the popularity of a brand. LEGO's clearly adapted to the funko pop model of trying to appeal people already attached to brands. I think it's pretty apparent if you talk to or see anyone who has gotten into LEGO through the modern "Adults welcome" stuff that what matters most to them is that it's a LEGO version of they recognise from somewhere else, LEGO for Redditors and people with a 'pop culture podcast' essentially.

 

Obviously there's nothing wrong with the sets or the people who like them inheritly but we've got to understand that the LEGO landscape has fundamentally changed here. For decades there were two demographics for LEGO the kids it was designed for and the AFoLs who would be thrown a bone with a UCS and the like. With the modulars and architecture and so on the AFoL centered products became a core of the LEGO brand and I think many of us still think with the mindset of this era, where every LEGO decision was for kids or us LEGO obsessives. That's not the way it is anymore.

the main demographic for most all these new licenses isn't kids anymore. Kids are pretty open to original themes and always have been, it's for adults who have only a passing interest in LEGO but love various other brands. The sorta people who'd love a set for The Boys or Ready Player One or would generate those disgusting AI "guess which movie is made in LEGO here" videos youtube won't stop recommending to me.

Sorry I feel I'm getting sidetracked a lot here, pretty much LEGO now trades a lot on being a vehicle for pop culture crossovers people can get behind and while many of us don't like it it won't change because it's what brings in a new audience, I think it has minimal impact on the spending habits on the two demographics that have always been here. So I guess be ready for the upcoming Ruthkanda forever or Free Guy sets

 

[Karalora]

7 hours ago, SpacePolice89 said:

Bigger yes, but is it better?

That's always going to be subjective, but in any case profit margins don't care about better. I get how frustrating it is when something you have loved for years finds increased success by changing into something you don't like as much, but if you had to choose between LEGO that less reliably caters to your tastes, and LEGO that is struggling to stay in business and maybe can't be obtained as easily as you're used to, which would you prefer?

4 hours ago, Renny The Spaceman said:

the main demographic for most all these new licenses isn't kids anymore. Kids are pretty open to original themes and always have been, it's for adults who have only a passing interest in LEGO but love various other brands. The sorta people who'd love a set for The Boys or Ready Player One or would generate those disgusting AI "guess which movie is made in LEGO here" videos youtube won't stop recommending to me.

It's ironic, isn't it? A very high proportion of these licensed brands are themselves driven by nostalgia for the childhood favorites of now-adults. You'd think people would be willing to cut out the middleman and just dive into nostalgia for LEGO itself.

[Lyichir]

Personally I'm more a fan of non-licensed themes than licensed themes but I certainly am in no hurry for them to do more... I'm already hooked on enough of them as it is! I've been a Ninjago fan for ages, then got into the excellent animation and high-quality set designs of Monkie Kid, now Dreamzzz is getting better and better, not to mention the occasional City and Friends sets... at this point if they brought back an old favorite of mine like Bionicle or Elves I might have to make some really tough choices.

[JesseNight]

10 hours ago, Black Falcon said:

To me, it is a lot better. I think Lego would have huge issues selling their products if they would still have the same design language as they did have back then.

I think the issue isn't whether the old or new designs are better. Designs have to change and evolve to keep their appeal to the masses. And sure there will always be those who prefer the old over the new (myself included), but there's only so much you can do when not embracing change, before things get really stale.

I absolutely agree that I miss more creative in-house themes and would love to see many of the licensed themes gone or reduced. It's fine having a few of course, but bring back more in-house themes and start investing in creativity again. And that was a major thing that made it work for me in the 80s and 90s, every year I couldn't wait to see what new models but also new factions they would bring to the table. And sometimes even a completely new theme that we hadn't had before.

[Yperio_Bricks]

34 minutes ago, JesseNight said:

It's fine having a few of course, but bring back more in-house themes and start investing in creativity again. And that was a major thing that made it work for me in the 80s and 90s, every year I couldn't wait to see what new models but also new factions they would bring to the table.

What is more creative? A kid in 1989 that waits for a new official castle faction to be released or a kid in 2024 that waits for a favorite Marvel superhero minifig to be released? A adult fan of an 80s in-house theme who waits for a new official faction to be released or a Lego Star Wars fan who creates his own characters and factions within the SW galaxy?

You see, people who like licensed themes are not less creative than fans of the (old) in-house themes.

[Lion King]

3 hours ago, Lyichir said:

Personally I'm more a fan of non-licensed themes than licensed themes but I certainly am in no hurry for them to do more... I'm already hooked on enough of them as it is! I've been a Ninjago fan for ages, then got into the excellent animation and high-quality set designs of Monkie Kid, now Dreamzzz is getting better and better, not to mention the occasional City and Friends sets... at this point if they brought back an old favorite of mine like Bionicle or Elves I might have to make some really tough choices.

Same here. I got hooked to DreamZzz becuase I found those sets more intersing and unique. I got intrigued by Monkie Kid and Hidden Side themes. 

Missed out on the in-house theme “Dino” in early 2010s but Jurasic World theme arrived. I only care for Jurassic World is dinosaurs that allows me to place them into the in-house universe. Same way for fantasy creatures from Harry Potter. 

I will always welcome new in-house themes. 

11 minutes ago, Yperio_Bricks said:

What is more creative? A kid in 1989 that waits for a new official castle faction to be released or a kid in 2024 that waits for a favorite Marvel superhero minifig to be released? A adult fan of an 80s in-house theme who waits for a new official faction to be released or a Lego Star Wars fan who creates his own characters and factions within the SW galaxy?

You see, people who like licensed themes are not less creative than fans of the (old) in-house themes.

Well, that’ snot creativity when it comes to licensed themes. 

And I’m not totally into nostalgia myself.  I just feel that Lego is not enough creative to come up with ideas for new original in-house themes. I found the new in-house themes more appreciated like Nexo Knights, Monkie Kid, Ninjago, Hidden Side, etc.  

Licensed themes are well known that the designers kept remaking the old sets from past into presents like Great Hall from Harry Potter, Millimeum Falcon from Star Wars. It’s not exaclty  creativity but just new building techniques. 

Edited June 8 by Lion King

[Yperio_Bricks]

9 minutes ago, Lion King said:

Well, that’ snot creativity when it comes to licensed themes.

Sorry, i don't understand. So you say it is more creative to wait for an official faction to be released instead of creating one on you own (for an licensed theme)?

[Lion King]

9 minutes ago, Yperio_Bricks said:

Sorry, i don't understand. So you say it is more creative to wait for an official faction to be released instead of creating one on you own (for a licensed theme)?

Sorry for not being clear. 

No, not that’s what I meant. I just feel it’s not very creative when it comes to licensed themes that are based off movies, tv show, pop culture. The original in-house themes I consider are creative things desginers produces. 

[JesseNight]

1 hour ago, Yperio_Bricks said:

What is more creative? A kid in 1989 that waits for a new official castle faction to be released or a kid in 2024 that waits for a favorite Marvel superhero minifig to be released? A adult fan of an 80s in-house theme who waits for a new official faction to be released or a Lego Star Wars fan who creates his own characters and factions within the SW galaxy?

You see, people who like licensed themes are not less creative than fans of the (old) in-house themes.

Oh, by "creative" I was more referring to uniqueness of designs.
For example, if you release a Star Wars X-Wing, you want it to look as accurate as possible and the only question is how well you can realize that. I will not doubt that this will require creative solutions within the boundaries of what can be done with the bricks that are available.
But if you release a 'spaceship' for an in-house theme, you have a lot less boundaries and a lot more design freedom for what the final result will look like, and what sort of play features you wish to include. And the buyer's question will be what the set will have to offer. That's the sort of creativity that appeals a lot more to me personally.

[VinnieCannoli]

To be honest, creative lego ideas are the only thing that keeps me in this hobby. And we are getting more and more.
I was in a dark age until Chima came out and amazed me with its designs, then I noticed Galaxy Squad, which awakened my love for Lego Space again with new ideas and more interesting minifigures and builds.
Now, after Monkie Kid and Dreamzzz, I can’t imagine how we can say that “it was better before”. As a kid i would go nuts if people would gift me not just Royal Knights Castle but Fortrex - a movable castle with all kinds of things. There is a flying shark ship and a giant mechanical dinosaur in Dreamzz and cool buildings and super unique Monkie Kid stuff.
Licensed themes are also amazing and give us new pieces and can be bought even if you don't like the theme. (i'm not a huge fan of star wars but these days i'm buying it unlike back then when it was...just "for star wars fans").

PS: Thought i do admit was disappointed by Space (galaxy squad was the last time i was interested in it) but current NasaPunk space theme is amazing. (sorry for talking about galaxy squad a lot BUT...but it actually has hints to G.S. The plants found by current space theme astronauts are kinda the same plants that Beetlezoid from the current CMF is eating. Which means it's only a matter of time when Galaxy Squad bugs will find out Space astronauts, hehe)

Edited June 8 by VinnieCannoli

[Lion King]

1 hour ago, JesseNight said:

Oh, by "creative" I was more referring to uniqueness of designs.
For example, if you release a Star Wars X-Wing, you want it to look as accurate as possible and the only question is how well you can realize that. I will not doubt that this will require creative solutions within the boundaries of what can be done with the bricks that are available.
But if you release a 'spaceship' for an in-house theme, you have a lot less boundaries and a lot more design freedom for what the final result will look like, and what sort of play features you wish to include. And the buyer's question will be what the set will have to offer. That's the sort of creativity that appeals a lot more to me personally.

Yup exactly! In-house themes allow desginers to have freedom of creativity for sure. 

Also minifigures from licensed themes are hardly acccurate. For example,  in 2020, there was Lavender Brown in Harry Potter set but she didn’t look like the character from movie.  Some folks sometimes complain about how inaccurate the characters from all licnessed themes are.  In-house minifigures’ desgins are pretty easy, however, the color schemes ae tricky.

[MAB]

On 6/7/2024 at 10:16 PM, SpacePolice89 said:

The original minifigure themes made Lego insanely popular all around the world and proved that they had a winning concept. It was actually only after the financial difficulties in the late 90s and early 00s caused by junior-ization and product diversification that they had to resort to licenses to get quick money to be able to survive. I believe that the original themes and what they represent are far superior than the licensed products. Nowadays they cater mostly towards fans of different media franchises instead of fans of Lego. But all hope is not lost, every now and then we get great products like the new Galaxy Explorer and the Lion Knights Castle. 

LEGO wasn't insanely popular all around the world in the 80s though. It is way more popular now than back then. 

People buying licensed LEGO sets are just as much fans of LEGO as people that buy in-house sets. 

[Lyichir]

1 hour ago, MAB said:

LEGO wasn't insanely popular all around the world in the 80s though. It is way more popular now than back then. 

People buying licensed LEGO sets are just as much fans of LEGO as people that buy in-house sets. 

Yeah, that's a thing it's easy to forget as an AFOL. The "fandom" for classic Lego themes is inherently a lot smaller than those for things like Star Wars or other major media properties of the same era. Things like Classic Space didn't cement itself in the public consciousness through movies or TV the way other properties did, so even while some adults may fondly remember "space Lego" of their childhood, they're less likely to remember or be nostalgic for the specifics unless they've spent time marinating in a community like AFOLs that actively celebrates and reinforces that nostalgia.

And yes, back then Lego was more one toy among many rather than the kind of dominant player it has become today.

[BrickBob Studpants]

So TLG should be more creative… by regressing and doing the exact same stuff they did in the 80s and 90s that nobody except for a segment of AFOLs care about nowadays. Great plan  It’s like saying Marvel should go back to their 70s style and cover their actors in cheap costumes and bodypaint. Yes, those shows still have their charme and their fans, but new audiences would NOT want to see that. You simply have to keep up with the times.

Licensed themes are what keeps the company alive. Without them, I wouldn’t be a collector, and I wager many other people are in the exact same boat. I like the in-house themes, but those are not what I’m here for.

[Renny The Spaceman]

16 minutes ago, BrickBob Studpants said:

So TLG should be more creative… by regressing and doing the exact same stuff they did in the 80s and 90s that nobody except for a segment of AFOLs care about nowadays. Great plan  It’s like saying Marvel should go back to their 70s style and cover their actors in cheap costumes and bodypaint. Yes, those shows still have their charme and their fans, but new audiences would NOT want to see that. You simply have to keep up with the times.

Licensed themes are what keeps the company alive. Without them, I wouldn’t be a collector, and I wager many other people are in the exact same boat. I like the in-house themes, but those are not what I’m here for.

No-one is saying that here though, they're saying they'd prefer more original themes not bringing back old ones. You can disagree but this is the unpopular opinions thread, idk what's even the point of using a disingenuous argument like this. By posting here people are admitting they are in the minority on whatever argument they're making.

 

My unpopular opinion here is I think it's weird how obsessed LEGO fans (and fans of all media now ngl) get with how brands are doing. Like obviously I get wanting them to do well enough to keep the lights on but aside from that I think people become too producer brained with this stuff. I don't need LEGO to be the most popular thing in the world and I think it's healthier to not become emotionally invested in the growth of corporations

[Lion King]

3 hours ago, MAB said:

People buying licensed LEGO sets are just as much fans of LEGO as people that buy in-house sets. 

That’s fair. There is no thing, such as “true fans”, though. 

1 hour ago, BrickBob Studpants said:

So TLG should be more creative… by regressing and doing the exact same stuff they did in the 80s and 90s that nobody except for a segment of AFOLs care about nowadays. Great plan  It’s like saying Marvel should go back to their 70s style and cover their actors in cheap costumes and bodypaint. Yes, those shows still have their charme and their fans, but new audiences would NOT want to see that. You simply have to keep up with the times.

Licensed themes are what keeps the company alive. Without them, I wouldn’t be a collector, and I wager many other people are in the exact same boat. I like the in-house themes, but those are not what I’m here for.

Oh yeah? You think they do the same stuff for current in-house theme as before in 80s and 90s? Nah… I’m not totally into nostalgia stuff. Take a look at DreamZzz, Monkie Kid, Hidden Side , China - they have their own uniqueness in design. It’s just “never-see-before” stuff I am into. 

I don’t think licensed thems are competely original.  They cointinue remaking the sets, such as Hagrid’s Hut, Great Hall, Milliecum Falcon, If you are a collector, you end up having multir Great Halls, multi Hagrid’s Huts, multiracial Mlllieum Falcons at your home.  Is that a “creativity” thing Lego is doing for several years? 

and I will never wish  that entire themes should be replaced with in-house thems, just roughly 50:50 balance. I do understand that licensed AND in-house themes keep the company alive…

[Yperio_Bricks]

20 minutes ago, Lion King said:

I don’t think licensed thems are competely original.  They cointinue remaking the sets, such as Hagrid’s Hut, Great Hall, Milliecum Falcon, If you are a collector, you end up having multir Great Halls, multi Hagrid’s Huts, multiracial Mlllieum Falcons at your home.  Is that a “creativity” thing Lego is doing for several years?

There are constantly new people joining the hobby and they want to buy a Great Hall or a Millennium Falcon too. And Lego keeps making these remakes because they sell.

 

25 minutes ago, Lion King said:

and I will never wish  that entire themes should be replaced with in-house thems, just roughly 50:50 balance. I do understand that licensed AND in-house themes keep the company alive…

But it is roughly 50:50 as @MAB has shown above.

[BrickBob Studpants]

1 hour ago, Renny The Spaceman said:

No-one is saying that here though, they're saying they'd prefer more original themes not bringing back old ones. You can disagree but this is the unpopular opinions thread, idk what's even the point of using a disingenuous argument like this. By posting here people are admitting they are in the minority on whatever argument they're making.

Fair enough. But given how often themes from the 80s and 90s are brought up here and treated as the pinnacle of all sets in existence, some people do seem to want exactly that  I know it's the "unpopular opinion" thread, my point was just that it doesn't make much sense to go back to those days. 

55 minutes ago, Lion King said:

Take a look at DreamZzz, Monkie Kid, Hidden Side , China - they have their own uniqueness in design. It’s just “never-see-before” stuff I am into. 

Exactly! It's funny to me that TLG is accused of being uncreative when great themes like Dreamzzz and Mookie Kid exist

[TeriXeri]

16 minutes ago, BrickBob Studpants said:

Exactly! It's funny to me that TLG is accused of being uncreative when great themes like Dreamzzz and Mookie Kid exist

Yeah and even if Creator , Classic, City and Friends do repeat the "same" type of buildings / animals / microbuilds / emergency buildings (Police + Fire all the time) / Food shops / Cars / Trucks , they change them up more and more , in recent years the Police / Fire and medical color schemes alone has changed quite a bit , and while some figure designs are quite "classic city" at this point, there are still minor details that make them new torsos.

City and Friends in particular make very different stuff this year compared to at least the past 10 years, with a large scale crane and excavator not seen in a long time, or something like Friends adventure camp might be a "repeat" of some years ago, the design of the new sets is still updated and fresh.

Creator recently switched to larger, more detailed animals, going back to the earlier 2000s but with very updated parts useage.

I think that's still more refreshing compared to doing another Xwing, Tie Fighter etc, even if those do get updated designs (I mean, X-wing in particular got a lot of them in different colors in recent decade with the standard / black+orange / grey+blue / different scales, etc etc ) they are ultimately still locked by designs from the license.

Edited June 9 by TeriXeri

[JesseNight]

57 minutes ago, Lion King said:

Oh yeah? You think they do the same stuff for current in-house theme as before in 80s and 90s? Nah… I’m not totally into nostalgia stuff. Take a look at DreamZzz, Monkie Kid, Hidden Side , China - they have their own uniqueness in design. It’s just “never-see-before” stuff I am into. 

That pretty much sums it up for me too.

As for IP's... It's not that I'm not into them, but they just appeal a lot less to me in Lego. Because when I love an IP enough to wish for models of it on my shelf, I am looking for high accuracy and crazy high detail... which is very hard in Lego. Excepions I made were some Icons like ECTO-1 and the BTTF Time Machine DeLorean, which I modded and equipped with lights before I was happy. They're not perfect, but they sure ain't lacking on detail. And especially ECTO-1 looks amazing with a good light kit.