More TV show licenses?

[Dorayaki]

Simpsons was a major surprie for many reasons. The most important one I think is it's the third TV show license in system, which isn't as many as movie licenses.

Avatar : being the very first TV show license it was totally a dissapointment. The plan should had been in the show's final(third) season if TLG didn't want to make multiple waves and sets.

Spongebob : the theme was okay, since most notable scenes are here (except Sandy's home, Pearl and Karen). I wonder if TLG still have plans with it.

In Duplo, there's also Jake and the Never Land Pirates sets this year. The story itself is simple, so three sets might be the end. Besides the possibility of other Disney Channel Junior shows, I'm curious about why the Pooh sets didn't include the Super Sleuth elements.

Generally, movie sets sell better than TV shows sets which are more popular and have better art designs. However, many classic TV shows have longer story than one-shot movies, which also makes little sense. Does the start of Simpsons hint that more TV show license would appear after 2014?

Edited August 13, 2013 by Dorayaki

[BrickG]

Adventure Time needs Lego.

[Blondie-Wan]

Adventure Time needs Lego.

There are multiple CUUSOO proposals that reflect this, and I'm inclined to agree. I haven't seen much of the show yet (just started watching), but from what I can tell it's a good fit for LEGO (with the caveat that it would obviously require some new molds), and so long as there aren't any unknown roadblocks (say, another company having already gotten the construction toy rights, for example), I'll be surprised (and disappointed) if LEGO doesn't go for it.

It should be noted there are also TV series represented in a number of other franchises for which LEGO has created themes, such as Star Wars and Marvel and DC Superheroes.

[BlueberryWaffles]

Ummmm.........TMNT is a TV show. Don't forget about it!

[Herky]

Being new to this site, and the whole Lego online community, I am not sure if anyone has said this, but Doctor Who? I would love a Tardis with a mini Doctor...we now have 12 of them they could produce. Not sure how lengthy the line would be or exactly what all would be in it, Tardis, Dalek, Doctors, Companions...there are possibilities though

the other tv show I would love would be a one shot, Happy Days with a set of Arnold's with all the characters...guess you could do the Cunningham house too

[MattieG7]

Being new to this site, and the whole Lego online community, I am not sure if anyone has said this, but Doctor Who? I would love a Tardis with a mini Doctor...we now have 12 of them they could produce. Not sure how lengthy the line would be or exactly what all would be in it, Tardis, Dalek, Doctors, Companions...there are possibilities though

the other tv show I would love would be a one shot, Happy Days with a set of Arnold's with all the characters...guess you could do the Cunningham house too

I would love LEGO Doctor Who as well but I think Character Building has the rights to it

[tkatt]

The Lone Ranger was a T.V. show. It ran in the 1950's. It was popular, but the fans are now over age 60.

The Simpsons had a full length movie a few years ago.

I think that Licensed sets do very well if the sets appeal to both kids and adult builders. Star Wars is interesting to many generations, Avatar not as much.

As cool as some of the licensed sets are I feel like they can limit Lego, the unlicensed sets give them more freedom to do whatever they want. I'd like to see new Pirates and Western sets come out, both in the Creator-Modular style.

[TheLegoDr]

It is certainly possible that more tv show licenses will be had in the future, but I think without constant media support they can be trickier to handle. A lot of the shows that they have/had have also has movie support. Maybe not coinciding with the tv show license, but Spongebob, tmnt, Simpson's all have had movie tie ins also.

I'm sure there are a few tv shows out there that may be a good fit, but with any animated creations comes lots of new molds and I think the Simpson's will help decide if it is worth it in the long run.

[Herky]

agree on both types of sets, especially Western...they do rerun Lone Ranger on a channel we get and watched a couple episodes, I can see how this would have been a cool show to my parents, but today's SPFX are just so much better

Western would be cool though, gold rush set, wagon train set, more trains, western goods store modular, would love to see a saloon too but I am guessing that would be a no, barn with horse corral (Friends has this, why not Westernize it), Ranch house

[BrickG]

Doctor Who isn't happening. Character Building has the license. Lego has commented as such with the Doctor Who Cuusoos that have come and gone. A rival company has the license and I doubt they'll give it up any time soon.

Plus there's the whole issue that it's probably not financially viable outside of the UK and perhaps some of Europe. Yeah, Doctor Who has more attention in places like the US these days than ever before but it's not like they can sell the toys everywhere around here.

[Blondie-Wan]

Doctor Who isn't happening. Character Building has the license. Lego has commented as such with the Doctor Who Cuusoos that have come and gone. A rival company has the license and I doubt they'll give it up any time soon.

Plus there's the whole issue that it's probably not financially viable outside of the UK and perhaps some of Europe. Yeah, Doctor Who has more attention in places like the US these days than ever before but it's not like they can sell the toys everywhere around here.

Actually, Doctor Who has become increasingly popular outside the UK (and specifically in the US) in recent years, to the point at which I think it actually would be worth TLG's consideration, if only the rights weren't currently sewn up by another maker of construction toys. Surely if they could have a theme (even a small one) for Avatar: The Last Airbender they could have one for the more popular Doctor Who.

However, the fact another company has the rights does make it moot, and it's for the same reason that we won't see sets based on Star Trek anytime soon, and a not-entirely-dissimilar reason we won't see ever see sets based on My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I'd personally love official LEGO themes based on all three, but oh well.

________________________________

One thing worth noting is that, up until Star Wars exploded on the cultural landscape in 1977 and changed everything, licensees tended to prefer doing toys based off TV shows than movies, since even a successful movie would have a shorter "shelf life" than a successful TV show - a movie might have lasted in theaters for several months, but a TV show could run continuously for years, providing near-constant, ongoing long-term support for a toy line. To an extent, there's still some truth to that even now.

[Oky]

As others have said, there have been a lot more TV show based themes, especially if you count non-System sets. Dora, Bob, Thomas, Little Robots, Galidor, Ben 10, just to name a few. There are also TV show based subthemes like Clone Wars and Ultimate Spider-Man.

What was so surprising about the Simpsons, I think, is that it's the first one based on an adult-oriented TV show.

As for TV licenses versus movie licenses, yes, movie themes tend to sell better because of all the marketing behind them and because they usually appeal to a wider audience. However, they also don't usually offer much material to base sets on. That's why I think Lego usually jumps on licenses that either already have some history behind them or have the potential for larger franchises. Being one of the longest running TV shows/cartoons of all time, the Simpsons seems like an obvious choice. It is the adult themes within the show that make it a surprising one. So I think the question shouldn't be whether Lego is making more TV show licenses, but rather if they are widening their target audience.

[Techno_Knight]

Doctor Who is on eof these licences that non-UK companies can't get. A while back they commissioned some minimates. Designs were done and shown at an expo and as soon as they were ready to start production they stoped it because the UK licence holder wanted to make in-house building block products.

[Blast]

Most of mine are quite Unlikely:

The Venture Bros.

How I Met Your Mother.

Most likely of mine to get made:

Scooby-Doo

[Jaller8240]

If we get an Adventure Time theme, my life will be complete. All we had from TLG's Cartoon Network liscense was the (Awful, IMO) Ben 10 theme. Now, I can see another Cartoon Network theme interfering with the Nickelodeon and Disney licenses, but don't they already do that to begin with, kind of?

[Faefrost]

One thing worth noting is that, up until Star Wars exploded on the cultural landscape in 1977 and changed everything, licensees tended to prefer doing toys based off TV shows than movies, since even a successful movie would have a shorter "shelf life" than a successful TV show - a movie might have lasted in theaters for several months, but a TV show could run continuously for years, providing near-constant, ongoing long-term support for a toy line. To an extent, there's still some truth to that even now.

Yet it's not as true as it once was. As you said Star Wars changed everything. The licensee's started to understand how it could be more profitable to go after movie licenses than TV. A typical movie release will garner 10x more fans than a typical TV show, in a much shorter time span. Making successful merchandising more likely. A good movie ay have 100 million + fans. A good TV show 10-20 million. And the movies will immediately cross international borders these days. TV shows will not.

[Fives]

Adventure Time would be a really smart choice for LEGO. It has a huge following from both kids and young adults (I'm in college and have many friends who are avid watchers of the show). It would sell well, and just look really cool.

[Fives]

Also, I thought this might be something worth mentioning.

http://shop.citizenbrick.com/Superlab-Playset-CB720570.htm

Breaking Baddicts (me included) can now have this amazing set! While not a real LEGO product, its the closest we'll ever get!

[InnerRayg]

Actually, Doctor Who has become increasingly popular outside the UK (and specifically in the US) in recent years, to the point at which I think it actually would be worth TLG's consideration, if only the rights weren't currently sewn up by another maker of construction toys. Surely if they could have a theme (even a small one) for Avatar: The Last Airbender they could have one for the more popular Doctor Who.

I don't think so. It's got a very respectable following in the UK, sure, but the US ratings are still pretty tiny, and definitely not close to what Airbender was getting when the line was released. Not to mention the whole cartoon factor making avatar a much more marketable line. Doctor Who has a fantastical setting yes, but I don't think it's nearly as marketable to children.

[BrickG]

Actually, Doctor Who has become increasingly popular outside the UK (and specifically in the US) in recent years, to the point at which I think it actually would be worth TLG's consideration, if only the rights weren't currently sewn up by another maker of construction toys. Surely if they could have a theme (even a small one) for Avatar: The Last Airbender they could have one for the more popular Doctor Who.

No way.

It's not THAT popular here in the US. It's simply more popular than it used to be. Comparing the popularity to like the UK and it's only a fraction. I'd also argue that there's significantly less merchandising potential. "If they can do Airbender as Lego"? Airbender got over 5mil in ratings here. Doctor Who just passed 1.5mil.

Assuming my sources are right (wiki :P)...

In the UK Doctor Who could peak at 16 million in the 80s. But the new series got around 10 million. The UK has about 62 million population. Like 1 in 6 people watched some Doctor Who episodes (that seems insane).

In the US the ratings are about 1.5 million. The US has a population of about 313 million. 1 in 200ish people watched it here.

That should show you the large gap in popularity between countries ;p. I'm not sure a Doctor Who series of sets would actually do that well here. You can't find Doctor Who toys anywhere but the odd stores like Barnes and Nobels (forget ToysRus and stuff). It's just... much less popular.

[Green]

I think the no-brainer TV show license to pick would be Adventure Time. LEGO have a strong relationship with Time Warner, and I think the sets would be really successful.

As for other licenses, I'd love to see an 'Arrow' based minifigure in a future DC Super Heroes set. I know a theme based on it is a bit unlikely, but I think slipping one in a set with Batman would be nice,

[Blast]

Doctor Who is unlikely due to Character Builder having their own Brick toyline which is a shame as Lego could do so much better with a large Dalek set, Tardis Set, Dalek and Cybermen minifigures as well as better Human and Timelord Minifigures.

[Blondie-Wan]

No way.

It's not THAT popular here in the US. It's simply more popular than it used to be. Comparing the popularity to like the UK and it's only a fraction. I'd also argue that there's significantly less merchandising potential. "If they can do Airbender as Lego"? Airbender got over 5mil in ratings here. Doctor Who just passed 1.5mil.

Assuming my sources are right (wiki :P)...

In the UK Doctor Who could peak at 16 million in the 80s. But the new series got around 10 million. The UK has about 62 million population. Like 1 in 6 people watched some Doctor Who episodes (that seems insane).

In the US the ratings are about 1.5 million. The US has a population of about 313 million. 1 in 200ish people watched it here.

That should show you the large gap in popularity between countries ;p. I'm not sure a Doctor Who series of sets would actually do that well here. You can't find Doctor Who toys anywhere but the odd stores like Barnes and Nobels (forget ToysRus and stuff). It's just... much less popular.

Keep in mind I'm talking about overall popularity (i.e., including the UK), not just its popularity in the US. Does Doctor Who have more or fewer overall fans (everywhere on the planet - both in and outside both the UK and the US) than Avatar: The Last Airbender does/did? I'd think the established popularity of DW in the UK and its increasing popularity in the US would be enough to put it over the line, but perhaps I'm wrong. The thing is, the USA doesn't hold a monopoly on LEGO sales; the UK is among the many countries to which they sell. There's even a LEGO Star Wars game sold over there but not here in the US, undoubtedly due to licensing restrictions concerning Star Wars boardgames. Is Star Wars more popular in the UK than Doctor Who (honest question; I really don't know)?

At any rate, DW is obviously popular enough for another maker of construction toys to consider it worth doing. Now, I realize TLG is much much much larger and undoubtedly has higher hopes and expectations saleswise for its themes (any of them, licensed or not) than pretty much every one of its construction toy competitors, but still.

________________________________________________

All this said, though, and as previously noted, it's all moot as long as said competing company does indeed hold the license anyway (and the same applies for Star Trek, of course).

Edited August 13, 2013 by Blondie-Wan

[Deefuzz]

Also, I thought this might be something worth mentioning.

http://shop.citizenb...et-CB720570.htm

Breaking Baddicts (me included) can now have this amazing set! While not a real LEGO product, its the closest we'll ever get!

I was really hoping there would be more discussion on this somewhere. I LOVE the show and love the work that went into this set, but the $250 price tag is a very hard pill to swallow. Making it more expensive than the Town Hall.

Part of me wants to do something really dumb and buy it though...

[BrickG]

Keep in mind I'm talking about overall popularity (i.e., including the UK), not just its popularity in the US. Does Doctor Who have more or fewer overall fans (everywhere on the planet - both in and outside both the UK and the US) than Avatar: The Last Airbender does/did? I'd think the established popularity of DW in the UK and its increasing popularity in the US would be enough to put it over the line, but perhaps I'm wrong. The thing is, the USA doesn't hold a monopoly on LEGO sales; the UK is among the many countries to which they sell. There's even a LEGO Star Wars game sold over there but not here in the US, undoubtedly due to licensing restrictions concerning Star Wars boardgames. Is Star Wars more popular in the UK than Doctor Who (honest question; I really don't know)?

At any rate, DW is obviously popular enough for another maker of construction toys to consider it worth doing. Now, I realize TLG is much much much larger and undoubtedly has higher hopes and expectations saleswise for its themes (any of them, licensed or not) than pretty much every one of its construction toy competitors, but still.

________________________________________________

All this said, though, and as previously noted, it's all moot as long as said competing company does indeed hold the license anyway (and the same applies for Star Trek, of course).

At the time of Airbender's showing it was more popular. Ratings are everything. Doctor Who has not ever reached those ratings in markets that matter.

And saying the USA isn't everything is true. But it's a LOT. A freakin' lot. The fact of the matter is, as much as I'd LOVE Doctor Who sets myself... it's not the best business decision. I'm not saying it would do terribly. I'm saying there are other franchises that would sell a lot better and to more of the world. :P

I hope they release Doctor Who sets some day. Maybe when the upcoming reboot happens they'll grab the license. If it happened I'd say that is when.