The position and future of Friends and minidolls in Lego?

[Aanchir]

39 minutes ago, x105Black said:

While they don't specifically articulate at the elbow, minifigures at least have an elbow.

I don't feel as though there's anything about the mini-doll design that implies a lack of elbows. I don't stop having elbows if I keep my arms straight; they're just fixed at a different angle than they would be if I kept them bent.

Not all minifigures are yellow, but likewise not all minifigures have articulated legs. I was describing the traits of what I would call a typical minifigure… someone like https://brickset.com/minifigs/cty843/, for example. If you think licensed minifigures are more typical then I suppose you can cross that trait off the list.

[x105Black]

Just now, Aanchir said:

If you think licensed minifigures are more typical then I suppose you can cross that trait off the list.

I would probably say "as typical" rather than more, as I would with any minifigure that isn't yellow but is made up of the same parts.

[Blondie-Wan]

On 6/17/2018 at 2:07 PM, x105Black said:

Not all minifigures are yellow.

Minidolls lack wrist articulation.

While they don't specifically articulate at the elbow, minifigures at least have an elbow.

I also find the minifigure to be more versatile in its simplicity, while still consisting of specifically molded parts to make a humanoid, but I suppose that's a different discussion to the post I'm quoting.

I’m going to agree with Aanchir about yellow skin being typical of minifigures, and about arms / elbows. Minifigure arms and minidoll arms both have the elbows fixed in a certain position (that real human arms can take), and it's ludicrous to suggest arms with elbows permanently bent in that position are inherently more realistic than arms permanently straightened. Both positions are equally attainable.

I do agree the stock minifigure mold is more versatile in its simplicity, but that’s not really important to the question of where LEGO is going, the position and future of minidolls, or which figure type is more realistic. Moreover, even in minifigure themes, the trend over the past several decades has been toward increased specialization. While they still make plain-torso minifigures (as seen with this year’s Building Bigger Thinking sets), those are far from the norm nowadays, and that seems to be the way kids like it.

We have to remember that minidolls happened because for a large part of the market, as wounding as it may feel to some of us, minifigures just didn’t engage them the way minidolls do. I’m sure LEGO would rather that weren’t the case; it would have been much simpler to just stick with minifigures than to design a whole new figure style, especially one that required far more of the distinguishing details to be molded rather than simply printed. But their research clearly indicated it was needed if they were to have any chance of connecting with many more girls than they were pre-2012, and their sales have borne this out.

[x105Black]

1 hour ago, Blondie-Wan said:

I’m going to agree with Aanchir about yellow skin being typical of minifigures, and about arms / elbows. Minifigure arms and minidoll arms both have the elbows fixed in a certain position (that real human arms can take), and it's ludicrous to suggest arms with elbows permanently bent in that position are inherently more realistic than arms permanently straightened. Both positions are equally attainable.

I do agree the stock minifigure mold is more versatile in its simplicity, but that’s not really important to the question of where LEGO is going, the position and future of minidolls, or which figure type is more realistic. Moreover, even in minifigure themes, the trend over the past several decades has been toward increased specialization. While they still make plain-torso minifigures (as seen with this year’s Building Bigger Thinking sets), those are far from the norm nowadays, and that seems to be the way kids like it.

We have to remember that minidolls happened because for a large part of the market, as wounding as it may feel to some of us, minifigures just didn’t engage them the way minidolls do. I’m sure LEGO would rather that weren’t the case; it would have been much simpler to just stick with minifigures than to design a whole new figure style, especially one that required far more of the distinguishing details to be molded rather than simply printed. But their research clearly indicated it was needed if they were to have any chance of connecting with many more girls than they were pre-2012, and their sales have borne this out.

Fair enough.  I still believe that the minifigure is superior to the minidoll, and that the minidoll is less realistic and versatile in certain ways.

[dr_spock]

On the other hand, it seems easier to wrap a big-fig hand around a minidoll than a minifig.

 

[MAB]

On 6/16/2018 at 12:13 AM, Aanchir said:

 

 

That adjusted photo is really interesting. I know the heads are bigger than normal, as are minifigure heads, and so we are used to that. On the real minidoll the feet don't seem too big, I guess they are balanced by the size of the large head. Whereas the small head one appears to have quite thick legs and massive feet. Yet cover the feet up, and the legs look fine in proportion to the head, yet uncover the feet and they look like an elephant hybrid. This is the price that is paid for having the minifigures/dolls compatible with the stud widths. They could have made the minidolls significantly taller, but that would decrease the size of sets/builds in proportion or increase the number of parts needed and cost, and make the parts/accessories less interchangeable with minifigures. Or they could have had a base that they come with and have to stand on, but limiting playability.

I can totally understand why the heads are big now.

[glego73]

Really interesting to see how this thread evolved over time...had to laugh at the 2013 prediction that there would never be a friends set with an ambulance. 

For a local lego show, I put together some black, pink, purple and lavender starwars ships (including the UCS y-wing) and created a scene inspired by the work of Bricksky. Due to my own lack of available figures, and the desire to put in some other characters in there, it ended up a real mix of minifigs and minidolls. Things to note: 

- the main issue with integrating them is they inability of the minidolls to sit on studs. If you want something that both a minifig and minidoll can sit on, you need to use the special part 93095. It is interesting that a lot of the SW sets are using this now for minifigs - it saves on the old problem of pulling your pilot out and leaving the legs behind. 

- you need to plan out who is going to drive vehicles. Due to the leg lengths, it is not necessarily easily to go from a SW to a friends pilot

What was really interesting was the reaction to the people. Nobody cared that there were minidolls and minifigs together. This simply wasn't an issue, just like it isn't an issue for my 7yo son when he plays with the friends stuff and mixes them in with Ninjago. The only kid who criticised the figures was one who wanted to know why Iron Man was in the star-wars universe.

My conclusion to the whole minifig / minidoll question is the same as the whole flesh versus yellow minifig issue. Whether you can mix them up depends upon what you are going for. If you want a display piece with every detail correct, then you want consistency - either all friends, or all flesh figs or all yellow figs. If you want something that is a bit fun, then such consistency goes out the window, and if you are wanting something for the kids to play with then they really don't care. 

As for what TLG will do, I can't see them putting minidolls  in city sets (just like they don't put flesh people into city either) but I would not be surprised to see them to pop up in SW or other lines. The new movie is probably the ice breaker for this process.  

 

[x105Black]

On 8/16/2018 at 9:05 PM, glego73 said:

As for what TLG will do, I can't see them putting minidolls  in city sets (just like they don't put flesh people into city either) but I would not be surprised to see them to pop up in SW or other lines. The new movie is probably the ice breaker for this process.  

Gosh I hope not.

[Soupperson1]

I think TLM2 will have a licensed section of the minidoll planet and we’ll get a few Scooby-Doo, Harry Potter and Wizard Of Oz mini-dolls. Additionally we’ll probably get minidoll versions of the main characters (including an anime “neko” inspired unikitty) in the summer. I think that’s honestly our only hope for future licensed minidolls atm.

I hope we get a grey eyed girl (as someone with grey eyes) and a hazel eyed one next year in Friends as they’re long overdue.