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Opinions on stuff we need, and stuff that is destroying LEGO

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We need:

Statue of Liberty reissue

New Carousel, much larger than original, more detail

Ewok village

City Zoo (has there ever been one?)

New historic theme (Anything really)

The following themes and sets need to be cancelled immediately:

Lord of the Rings

Hobbit

Lone Ranger *facepalm*

ALL Superhero sets (it's over, just admit it to yourself)

Galaxy Squad

Star Wars ships of any kind (keep the Falcon, that's it)

The following theme needs to be revamped:

Castle (needs to be more like Fantasy era, expand on that feel)

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I think the licensed themes are going to bankrupt LEGO. Star Wars is my only exception, and even the Star Wars universe might go sour in the public's eye within a few years. Especially if the new movies are no good. By the way, that's why they're making the new movies. Star Wars merch sales across the board have almost completely collapsed over the past 4 years.

LEGO should focus on building their own themes because nobody can take those away from them, and they aren't trendy. Trust me on this. If LEGO continues to embrace licensed themes while neglecting (or intentionally destroying? My evidence: Galaxy Squad and new Castle sets) their original themes, LEGO as we know it will be gone within the decade.

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I think the best thing LEGO can do right now is a bold new historic theme. By the way, the superhero trend over the past ten years or so is about to go off a cliff, mark my words. Mass public interest in superheroes is about to collapse.

Please consider these recent licensed themes which are now cringe-worthy: Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, Prince of Persia, etc. LEGO is drifting to a place they don't want to go.

I would almost be cool with them abandoning all licensed themes, even Star Wars (though I like it). They should invest in their own IP's. Look at the recent success of Ninjago (though I'm not a huge fan, I applaud their efforts here), and Chima is very good stuff as well. BTW I say Atlantis is the best LEGO theme of all time. Are you feeling what I'm getting at here?

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This should end up an interesting read of the thread with a first post like that. You would need to add actually reasons for what you suggest....

Counterpoints... I'm not sure the Statue of Liberty would be that popular as a second release besides just for the speculators to sell later... Same with an another carousel.

Elko village would be a decent collectors series set... Would need to be BIG though.

City Zoo. Also a good choice, also needs to be big....OR a modular series of smaller sets.

New historic set. As posted elsewhere using any non-generic theme based on the real world would offend some group somewhere.

Hobbit and LOTR. You may as well give it up. It's popular, it sells, and there are movies coming. And it's decent design. If you don't care for the material, don't buy it.

Lone Ranger I also personally didn't understand, but there are western fans out there. I wouldn't expect a second set run.

Super heros, I think they are stretching for material and it takes up a ton of floor space in stores... BUT kids love super heros and parent but for the kids... You are also out of luck here.

Galaxy squad, I have never cared much for the space themes, but I'm guessing they sell.

Star Wars, I have noticed a whole lot of ships with just minor changes. Seems lazy to just swap some colors and rerelease. Also 3 or 4 issues of the same ship... Meh.

Castle this year does seem juvenile. I'm hoping for a few lego shop only sets later this year more like the joust or village.

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Ok, I think you are over stressing the issue. Yes Lego should focus on non-licensed themes. But they will not bankrupt the company. The licensed themes are yes trendy, but they are an easy way to get a lot of profit from kids and adults who like those movies.

You cant cancel Star Wars ships, as that is one of the major parts of the Star Wars theme, and has been the backbone of the Lego SW sets.

Also, You said Lego should cancel Galaxy Squad, while that is one of their original ideas. I dont understand that logic.

Lego is meant to have something for everyone, and if someone likes Superheros, Why shouldnt Lego offer that, at least once! And then secondary markets take over after Lego drops that theme.

And if Lego is going to go under in the next ten years, Its not going to be by their current themes. If anything, it will be the lowering part quality which so many Lego users have noticed.

Also, You talk as if you have knowledge of future events. You dont know what will happen in the future. Maybe superheros will spike again. You NEVER know.

And no, I am honestly not feeling what your saying. Please dont take your opinions on a global company and talk as if they are the truth.

Edited by Spitfire2865

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Thanks for all the great replies.

As a side note, I think there is credibility to the theory that LEGO is intentionally destroying their original space and medieval themes in order to clear the way for LOTR and Star Wars to permanently take over (Galaxy Squad and the new Castle sets are so bad that I think they were intentionally designed not to sell. Sorry, I don't mean to offend, just one person's opinion.)

Whether a mole from Lucas or LOTR has insidiously infiltrated LEGO to make this happen, or whether it is LEGO's intent to destroy these themes, I can't say.

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The financials in the last few years of the lego group suggest they know what they are doing. They are expanding quite well.

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Lego has teams of market experts whose sole job is to predict what will sell. I dont think a global company would sabotage itself after decades of greatness. Just because YOU wouldnt buy some themes, doesnt mean no one will. I dont see myself buying Galaxy Squad, or Friends, or most of the Licensed themes, but Im still a customer to Lego. And the great thing about Lego is there is something for everyone. If one person doesnt like something, there are bound to be dozens who will.

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After 35+ years I do not believe Star Wars is "trendy" Why would it suddenly get sour, especially with a new trilogy on the horizon. In fact Star Wars always enjoys a big surge in popularity whenever a movie is about to be released. Remember the months leading to Episode One? Sure there was backlash after the release, but I sure don't remember it being any less popular. Star Wars in all of its incarnations continues to be a popular form of entertainment for all ages, and a theme that fits LEGO perfectly.

I did not get the Statue of Liberty, so an update would be welcome here. I would like to see a smaller scale, but include the base.

LEGO has had great success with licensed themes and it would be a shame to abandon them. I'm interested as to why continuing these themes will bankrupt TLC.

I don't think LEGO will be gone in ten years- there are plenty of new classic themes in production right now for those who do not prefer licenses.

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After 35+ years I do not believe Star Wars is "trendy" Why would it suddenly get sour, especially with a new trilogy on the horizon. In fact Star Wars always enjoys a big surge in popularity whenever a movie is about to be released. Remember the months leading to Episode One? Sure there was backlash after the release, but I sure don't remember it being any less popular. Star Wars in all of its incarnations continues to be a popular form of entertainment for all ages, and a theme that fits LEGO perfectly.

I did not get the Statue of Liberty, so an update would be welcome here. I would like to see a smaller scale, but include the base.

LEGO has had great success with licensed themes and it would be a shame to abandon them. I'm interested as to why continuing these themes will bankrupt TLC.

I don't think LEGO will be gone in ten years- there are plenty of new classic themes in production right now for those who do not prefer licenses.

Thank you. Someone else with a valid, well rounded argument.

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So we NEED an Ewok Village set, yet they should discontinue Star Wars...

TLG should only focus on their own IP, yet discontinue Galaxy Squad (which is their own IP)...

I don't even know how to elaborate on those two points.

As far as the rest goes, the Licensed themesare what keeps TLG in business to create their other lines. The CEO even said so in an interview. Toys today are focused on licensed material. Licensed good sells toys. Period. For LEGO to abandon free advertising and recognizable characters/sets to focus only on their own material, they would lose a lot of money on promotional material alone. I loved LEGO long before they did licenses, but I basically only buy Licensed LEGO currently, so, if they abandoned all of it, they would lose out on a fan.

As far as Super Heroes going away, I think they are more popular than ever now. Especially over the next few years with Avengers and potential Justice League creations. If anything, they are just getting started (said in an Al Pacino voice)..

LOTR/Hobbit are doing decent right now because of the new movies, but who knows what will happen when they are no longer available. Same goes for Lone Ranger. It will be like Pirates of the Caribbean and only pop up with new movies on the market. That is how licenses would work. Free advertising.

But LEGO hit it out of the park with Monster Fighters and a lot of people seem to really like the CITY line and the new Galaxy Squad line. CITY sells towards the top every year I think, so their own IP isn't going away.

A rehash of the Statue of Liberty or Carousel would not be feasible. They will continue to create new things for more buyers. Plus, how popular was the Statue originally?

Edited by TheLegoDr

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I mean to say that if LEGO is relying on all these licensed themes, they will be dependent upon the companies with the rights to those themes, and if and when that goes sour, LEGO goes bankrupt. Instead LEGO should focus on things like Ninjago, Chima, in-depth redesign of Castle, taking it to the next level again and again with modulars, NEW, ORIGINAL themes, etc.

And yes a CMF Statue of Liberty would be cool too! Ebay prices for that fig are already double to triple retail.

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Just because you don't like a theme doesn't mean it was "intentionally designed to not sell", geez. The new castle theme is designed to sell to a much younger crowd, it's angling to get the market share that's too young to enjoy Lord of the Rings. Galaxy Squad has some of the most interesting designs in a non-licensed space theme in years. LOTR and The Hobbit are immensely popular properties, and because the designers have been treating them right (devoting actual effort to them, unlike they did with POP and POTC - I don't know why you're lumping Harry Potter in with that, because the last wave of Harry Potter was fantastic) they've created some absolutely classic sets. Bag End is a serious contender for best non-D2C set of the 2010s. It doesn't matter if you personally don't like them; LEGO couldn't care less if you don't like them so long as they sell, which they are. You can't say that it would be a good business decision for them to just cancel profitable themes because you have some unfounded dislike of them.

Despite what you seem to think, LEGO's prime customers aren't AFOLs. Sets like the Statue of Liberty and the Grand Carousel are nice treats that they give us, but their main focus HAS to be on things that will sell to kids and/or to non-FOL fans of different movies. You're severely overestimating the impact that the AFOL interest level has on TLG's bottom line, and ludicrously overestimating the impact that your personal patronage has on them. Just because you don't want to buy a theme doesn't mean they should cancel it.

Saying that Star Wars should stop making ships is ludicrous, it's like saying that City should stop making buildings. I'm all for them changing up their ship designs, but to stop making them altogether would be idiotic. And to make no ship but the Falcon, the ship with the most different version in Star Wars history, is an unimaginably naive suggestion.

Superhero films have been popular since 2000 and they're only getting popular. They're not a fad anymore, they're their own genre of film, and they'll be popular for years to come. They're not Batman Forever any more; studios have figured out how to make superhero films that are also just plain good films in their own right, with legitimate actors, directors, and scriptwriters making legitimately compelling stories. I can eventually see them going the way of the Western, but right now, when Iron Man 3 is poised for a $180million opening weekend domestic, coming off of a $195million international opening, when Man of Steel is revving up to do almost as well, when Marvel films are fast closing in on Star Wars as the third-highest-grossing movie franchise of ALL TIME? Lego would be complete fools to abandon the superheroes theme in a market like that.

I will agree with some of your "stuff we need" list. An Ewok village would be great as a D2C set, and I'm amazed they haven't done it already. A City Zoo would be great, though all the new molds required would give it a disappointingly low parts/price ratio. And a historical theme would be great, even if it's never going to happen. But your "stuff that is destroying lego" list couldn't be more misguided and wrong.

Edited by Tereglith

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I said discontinue Star Wars ships, not sets, and keep the Falcon. And as I mentioned, LEGO seems to be intentionally destroying space with Galaxy Squad and needs to go back to the drawing board with their space themes. I liked Alien Conquest. They can do so much better than Galaxy Squad.

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I said discontinue Star Wars ships, not sets, and keep the Falcon. And as I mentioned, LEGO seems to be intentionally destroying space with Galaxy Squad and needs to go back to the drawing board with their space themes. I liked Alien Conquest. They can do so much better than Galaxy Squad.

Just drop the Star Wars argument. Galaxy Explorer and Tereglith already made great points.

And so what? You dont like some themes, Get over it! They sell to hundreds of others.

Edited by Spitfire2865

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Good argument Tereglith. However, it feels to me like Super Heroes and even Star Wars may be headed for the ash heap within the next decade. Think of all the insanely popular properties that now have only a small devoted following. The world is changing fast and faster than ever. Interest can collapse quickly in anything. And it works both ways. An odd example, but WWE was almost bankrupt and gone in the late 90's, but over the past few years is just about the biggest money maker in entertainment. And you mention the Western, a perfect example of my point.

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I said discontinue Star Wars ships, not sets, and keep the Falcon. And as I mentioned, LEGO seems to be intentionally destroying space with Galaxy Squad and needs to go back to the drawing board with their space themes. I liked Alien Conquest. They can do so much better than Galaxy Squad.

What is your evidence that Galaxy Squad is supposed to be intentional sabotage other than "ew, I don't like it, so that means nobody can like it!" This: http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=70709-1 doesn't look like something designed to not sell to me. And guess what, LEGO can make corporate decisions autonomously if they want! They don't have to sabotage their own themes to convince themselves to stop making them, that makes no sense! If LEGO wanted to stop making non-license space themes, they would just stop making non-license space themes, simple as that.

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In the short term, of course chasing the hot licenses will bring more money. But it cheapens the legacy of the company and will eventually lead to bankruptcy. I haven't even mentioned this point, that if you base your company's content in large part upon licensed IP, beware that other company. If there is a hugely popular IP, other companies can compete for it, etc.

Build your own IPs, nobody can touch them, they can only try to copy them.

Tereglith, I'm an honest guy. I gotta say that Galaxy Squad set you posted looks pretty good.

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Good argument Tereglith. However, it feels to me like Super Heroes and even Star Wars may be headed for the ash heap within the next decade. Think of all the insanely popular properties that now have only a small devoted following. The world is changing fast and faster than ever. Interest can collapse quickly in anything. And it works both ways. An odd example, but WWE was almost bankrupt and gone in the late 90's, but over the past few years is just about the biggest money maker in entertainment. And you mention the Western, a perfect example of my point.

Ok, Im going to use YOUR example. WWE ALMOST went bankrupt, but came back. Why would Lego not do that if they were going under? And the Lone Ranger sets are Legos reintroduction of western! If they find western sells again, they might bring back an original theme of them.

Tereglith, I'm an honest guy. I gotta say that Galaxy Squad set you posted looks pretty good.

Then stop bashing Galaxy Squad....

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Also, about the sabotage theory, which I said seems credible but I'm not backing it 100%...According to the theory, it's unclear whether LEGO are doing it intentionally from the top down or if there is some imposter within LEGO or from another company or monied interest etc. It's a conspiracy theory with a lot of possibilities. Or you could be right and the designs were just junk. I find that so hard to believe. Go back and look at those new Castle sets posted on the front page. Something ain't right.

PS. Galaxy Squad overall is still alarmingly bad, esp the minifigs. One man's opinion. The set you posted is good though, but it doesn't negate my overall arguments.

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