Karalora

LEGO's focus on vehicles above all potentially hurt them here. The Indy movies are more about the places Indy travels to and what he finds there, not the means he uses to get there. If you want play functions...come on! Booby traps, hidden passages, clever escapes! Castle Grunwald has a rotating fireplace. Are you telling me TLG can't think of something cool to do with that?

The cutesy aesthetic of Friends and the related lines bugs me, not so much on its own but because it winds up being stylistically incompatible with standard LEGO and effectively creates a separation between...not "LEGO for girls" and "LEGO for boys," but "LEGO for girls" and regular LEGO. It subtly enforces the notion that LEGO isn't for girls by default, because they had to make up a different girly version. But, as I understand it, this is not TLG's fault. It's the fault of toy retailers, which maintain a rigid separation between girls' toys and boys' toys in stores and would not stock LEGO products in the girls' aisles without certain stylistic markers--the more doll-like figures, lots of pink and purple colors, etc.

You're right, we did, I'd forgotten somehow. Maybe I'm just biased because Crusade is my favorite Indy movie and I think it deserves ALL THE SETS. As regards the dicey prospects of including military vehicles, I feel that can be worked around by focusing more on temple/artifact retrieval scenes and building the play features around those. I know TLG loves their vehicles, but surely not every theme needs so many of them? We've got City for cars and trucks and planes, Pirates for pre-industrial watercraft, Space for space vehicles, and Ninjago and Monkie Kid for funky mechas, to say nothing of all the licensed superhero sets that have signature vehicles. The chase scenes in the Indy movies are fun, but I've never thought they were the most important scenes compared to Indy puzzling out boobie traps to retrieve treasure and then fist-fighting the bad guys over it.

The circus train would be an epic set! The original Indy theme really did LC dirty by only having the one small and fairly generic set while the other classic trilogy films got 2-3 each.

Poor cishet white people define themselves as the undefined, the norm from which every other human deviates...and then get all sad when they don't get their own flags and parades. They mock the idea that people with multiple minority statuses might wish for specific representation (see every sneering reference to "black disabled lesbians" and other such phrases), and then decide that they're being left out because a LEGO set that references the Progress Pride flag doesn't include a specifically Caucasian-colored minifigure (peach not being one of the colors in said flag). Buddy. Bruh. Any of those minifigs except the black and brown ones can be read as white.* Any of them except, probably, the pink and white ones could be read as male.** The light blue and pink ones could be read as straight*** and any except light blue, pink, and white can be read as cis.**** So where exactly are you lacking representation? *Black and brown are included in the Progress Pride flag specifically to represent people of color. **Pink and white in the Trans Pride flag represent transfeminine and nonbinary people, so those are probably not male minifigures, though gender identity is a complex thing and we can't rule it out entirely. ***The original rainbow Pride flag was devised to represent non-straight orientations, and as the white stripe is for enbies, it's hard to say what "straight" means for them. ****Cis = not trans. So any minifig not of the Trans Pride colors is potentially cis.

Not all homophobia (or other sociological "phobias," for that matter) is big and obvious and extreme. Pato Sendado expressed the sentiment (paraphrased) "I have no problem with gay people, but there's too many of them in the media!" The second half of the sentence makes the first half a lie. Obviously, Pato Sendado does have a problem with gay people if seeing them in the media in proportions which (are perceived to) outstrip their real-world percentages is upsetting to them. This is a form of homophobia. The "phobia" doesn't necessarily mean fear or even hate. It means aversion, and aversion comes in all different strengths.

You know, I suspect that if you actually tallied up all the couples in narrative media productions for a given year--television, movies, books, video games, plastic building toys--at least 99% of them would in fact be het couples. Same-sex couples are overrepresented in the discourse, because it's a hot-button issue and it's only very recently that anyone took deliberate strides to make progress in that area...but not in the actual numbers. You just don't notice het couples, because they're "normal." Take, for example, Steven Universe. Terrific show, highly praised for its LGBTQ+ representation, must be crawling with same-sex couples, right? You want to know how many unambiguously gay, unambiguously romantic couples there are in the show's five-season run? One. Ruby (F) and Sapphire (F). That's it. But Karalora, you might be saying, that by itself doesn't tell us anything! For all I know, Ruby (F) and Sapphire (F) might constitute the only romantic couple in the show, which would make it 100% gay! Right you are, which is why I'm about to list all the other named couples in the series: Greg Universe (M) and Rose Quartz (F) Steven Universe (M) and Connie Maheswaran (F) Lars Barriga (M) and Sadie Miller (F) Priyanka (F) and Doug (M) Maheswaran (Connie's parents) Dante (M) and Martha (F) Barriga (Lars's parents) Marty (M) and Vidalia (F) (not a committed couple in this case, but they did produce a kid) Yellowtail (M) and Vidalia (F) That's all I can think of--if there are more, they are so minor that I have no immediate memory of them, and I was heavily into the show while it was current. So there you go--even Steven Universe, a show that went out of its way to provide representation for the LGBTQ+ community, is still 87.5% straight when it comes to actually portraying romantic relationships.

They must be really overstocked with frogs...

This is more a fun bit of brainstorming than a serious proposal.

I've been mulling this over. I do love me some fantasy creatures and cryptids, and part of my goal in this was to expand the MF cast, but for the initial concept I want to keep it pretty close to its classic Halloween roots. And there's also the issue of running out of transparent colors for the Moonstones to be in. While it's always lovely when TLG releases new colors--for example they really ought to have something that mimics amber glass such as you find in old medicine bottles (and modern vanilla extract bottles)--after a point we reach the limits of what would be easy to distinguish during play. You'll notice I haven't tried to come up with a monster for a trans-medium blue Moonstone--it's not different enough from trans-light blue to be striking. However, if I go back to the earlier idea of a "sequel" theme where the MFs have more adventures on a haunted, monster-infested ocean...that also opens up the possibility of still more adventures and monsters once they get to the other shore! So now I've got a trilogy of concepts: Phase 1: Expanded version of the MF theme we actually got (Halloween-type monsters) Phase 2: Monster Fighters: The Haunted Ocean (sea monsters) Phase 3: Monster Fighters: The Forest of Mystery (fantasy/mythology monsters) And I figure we can solve the problem of running out of Moonstone colors by coming up with different sorts of collectible treasures for the sequel lines. For the Haunted Ocean it's obvious enough: Pearls. A nice spherical piece like the Technic ball but maybe somewhat bigger. And it would be an excuse for TLG to expand their palette of pearlescent colors, which is an area where I feel they have some shortcomings. For the Forest of Mystery and its fairy themes, then, the treasures should probably use the glitter-trans colors, but I haven't yet decided on the form they should take.

Want to add also that you can really get a sense of the currents that might be present from the direction that various patches of organisms are "pointing." Every time I look at it I discover more details!

Trans-bright green could definitely work. I've been tiptoeing around it because we have two greens already, but it is pretty distinct from both. And of course, it already exists in Moonstone form if you count Vitruvius's lollipop-staff. It's the same mold. Actually, as long as I am re-envisioning this theme with tweaks and additions, I'm going to swap the colors of two of the original Moonstones. I think trans-green is more suitable for the murky water of the Swamp Creature's home, while trans-neon green is more suggestive of mad science chemicals and lurid lightning.

Did the Wacky Witch come with a cat? I completely forgot. It's been such a long time since S14 and I don't tend to keep the accessories with the minifigs. Robert8 my guy, you mention the Boogeyman as a potential monster to include...did you not notice where I described a potential set about just that? In general, I'm trying to stick pretty close to the vibe of the original, which is very much classic Halloween mixed with wacky pulp adventure. And I'm kind of treating this like an expanded version of the story suggested by the original line--i.e. it's still about stopping Lord Vampyre from blotting out the sun, but there are a lot more episodic adventures with various monsters along the way as well as exploration of the Monster Realm's mysteries. While thinking about this, I've been making notes nailing down the individual Monster Fighters' skills and combat specialties, based partly on the official info and partly on what I think is interesting. I'm probably putting more effort into the story aspect than LEGO did when they developed the line. XD

Let me outline some more of the sets I've come up with: The Skeletons Price Point: ~$30 Minifigures: Jack McHammer, Frank Rock, Skeleton King (a skeleton with a bony crown headpiece) Builds: Jack's Hammer Glider (a hang glider with hammers on the ends of the wings, naturally--I want us all to take a moment to appreciate the absurdity of a hang glider, a conveyance that must be as light as possible to remain airborne, outfitted with hammers), Glider Launch Cart (a powered cart with a catapult in the back for launching the glider), Giant Osteomech (a big articulated figure implied to be made of the combined bones of several skeletons--at least 6, judging by the number of skulls included in construction--with an open-topped cranium where the Skeleton King sits, controlling it with bony levers. The Moonstone fits inside the ribcage where the heart would be) Moonstone: Trans-black with white skull emblem The Witch's Cottage Price Point: ~$40 Minifigures: Dr. Rodney Rathbone, Ann Lee, Witch, Major Quinton Steele Builds: Small thatched-roof cottage, open at the back for playability, with furnishings including a bed with a quilt, fireplace with cauldron, table and chairs, teacups (is it safe to drink the tea offered by a witch, though?), shelf of potion bottles, broomstick placed bristles-up in barrel. Garden patch with pumpkins, flowers, toolshed, well, and a multi-headed Venus Flytrap--Technic elements make the heads and vines writhe when a crank is turned. Other noteworthy elements: Garden shears. Book of Moonstone Lore. Black cat--have you noticed that LEGO witches NEVER have their black cats? Broomsticks yes, the occasional frog, but never the cat! Lady Rathbone's Haunted Parlor Here I get to introduce one of the newly imagined members of the Monster Fighter team--Lady Rathbone, Dr. Rodney's auntie and the group's sponsor! She's the one who actually holds the purse strings, and she'd like to know just what cockamamie expedition he plans to squander the family fortune on this time, that rogue of a nephew of hers! Price Point: ~$11.99 Minifigures: Dr. Rodney Rathbone, Lady Rathbone (an elderly proper Victorian lady), Suit of Armor (Ghost Knight) Builds: Section of parlor wall with portraits (one depicting @Robert8's new Monster Fighter character that started me on this whole mess), umbrella stand, large flower vase, longcase clock, parlor table and chairs with tea set, gold coins The story here is that after the Boogeyman incident, Dr. Rathbone approaches his aunt to finance an expedition into the Monster Realm to see what's going on. She's reluctant at first--fighting monsters when they invade human communities is all well and good, but must one venture into that dreadful place looking for trouble?--but quickly comes around when her antique suit of armor suddenly becomes possessed by a ghost and attacks!

There's some witch references in Ann Lee's official backstory, but none of it seems to have made it into the actual sets, and that's fine by me. Despite being one of the core Halloween archetypes, I don't really think of witches as monsters per se. They're human women (and occasionally men) who can cast magic spells. Beyond that the lore varies considerably, but I like my witches to be neutral to good, and for their powers to be learned rather than innate. A scary green-skinned hag who can just zap you with magic isn't a witch...that's some sort of faerie. Okay. Okay. There is a witch in HNMF (that's Hypothetical New Monster Fighters). She's a human lady who moved to the Monster Realm because it's a convenient place to study her magic and collect ingredients for potions. She'll help the MFs out...for a price. What price? How about a spot of yard work? Her Venus Flytraps really are overdue for some pruning...watch out for the teeth, dearies...

Great minds think alike?

@Eggyslav That is a delightful image, but I'm a bit too proud of my Boogeyman idea to ditch it just yet. If we can think of an alternate color for the Boogeyman's Moonstone, Captain Bloodbeard's Galleon will make a wonderful addition...if not, we'll have to save it for Monster Fighters Gaiden: The Haunted Ocean. (Who says there's only one Monster Realm?) Also, I figured out what to do with your mecha--I'm giving it to the Skeletons! Or rather, it is the Skeletons, using the power of their Moonstone to combine into a giant Osteomech piloted by the Skeleton King! I'm also toying with the idea of having "lesser monsters" that don't have a Moonstone of their own, to drive home the idea that the Monster Realm is a dangerous place in general, not just a series of loosely connected boss fights. And expanding the Monster Fighters team a bit--it's only fair, as long as we're expanding the monsters themselves.

It came to me as I was riding to work. Our trans-dark blue Moonstone belongs to... The Boogeyman! (Emblem: a bed--or if that's too corny, a pair of eyes in the dark) In fact, a rash of child disappearances is what alerts the Monster Fighters to the fact that something is going on in the Monster Realm. Normally they can only cross the border into the human world when the moon is full or on Halloween, so when children start going missing under a half-moon in June, the MFs know something is up. Fortunately, the Boogeyman is a weak monster (which is why he only picks on kids) and the team is able to swiftly defeat him, seize his Moonstone, and return the terrorized children to their homes. It's obvious that they must venture into the Monster Realm to investigate this curious occurrence... Set: Boogeyman Attack Price point: ~$20 The set resembles a child's bedroom with a bed, dresser, and freestanding closet large enough to fit the Boogeyman minifigure inside. Two Monster Fighter minifigs are also included. The bed and dresser together transform into a specialized Boogeyman-cage--this is a sting operation!

Something aquatic does seem to be the obvious choice, but I want to stay close to the tone of the original, and Lovecraftian cultists seems rather out of bounds. The mecha sounds fun, though. I'll keep that in my back pocket. Onto further ideas... @Robert8's idea that maybe one of the monsters used to be a Monster Fighter suggests the intriguing possibility that maybe some of the monsters can be converted, befriended, or pacified rather than straightforwardly defeated. Likely candidates include: The (Frankenstein's) Monster: In the words of Scott Evil, he never asked to be artificially created in a lab! Even in the source fiction, the Monster is an intelligent and sensitive creature who only turned bad because he was done dirty by his creator. Alluding to that very fact has become quite fashionable of late. Perhaps the MFs can unplug the mind-control implants and turn the Monster into a Monster-Fighting Monster! The Werewolf: Werewolves are more often portrayed as good guys than bad guys nowadays anyway. It must be because we stopped hating wolves and started admiring them instead. The Ghosts: Ghosts haunt because they left unfinished business from their lives, yes? Help them resolve that issue, and they can move on to a proper afterlife, or at least settle down in this one. Lady Vampyre herself: If she was a Monster Fighter before she was turned, then she can potentially be induced to remember that and join the fight against the one who turned her. (Whether she can be turned back or not depends on how you decide vampires work in this world!) And that brings me to my other nifty idea, the super-special Glow in the Dark Moonstone! The original Moonstone from which all the others were spawned, bearing a simple crescent moon emblem and possessing the power to "purify" the other Moonstones so that Lord Vampyre can't use them in his ritual. If the Monster Fighters can get the number of "corrupted" Moonstones below six, Lord Vampyre's plan will fail...but no Moonstone can be purified while its corresponding monster still rampages, and if even one corrupted Moonstone remains, it can be use to corrupt the others. If only all the Moonstones could be purified, the Monster Realm would become a place of harmless spooky fun, suitable for teenagers' dares and Halloween hayrides.

I have made the new thread to discuss expanding Monster Fighters, in case anyone wants to participate:

Largely inspired by @Robert8's post here. Even though I eventually resold most of my sets, Monster Fighters is a theme that remains close to my heart. A badass team of seasoned adventurers sallying forth to square off with the lyrics of Bobby Pickett's most famous song...what's not to love? And like most themes in the action/adventure category, it offered unique "treasures," one per set, to entice you to buy them all and complete the collection. For MF it was the "Moonstones," a series of mystical gems, each keyed to a different monster type and bearing an emblem to match. The lore of the theme had it that Count Dracula Lord Vampyre, the leader/most powerful of the monsters, could use the six (actually seven, but we'll get to that) Moonstones in a ritual to blot out the sun and allow the monsters to rampage in the mortal realm as well as their own Monster Realm. The six Moonstones were as follows: Trans-red: Vampires (bat emblem) Trans-neon orange: Werewolf (howling wolf emblem) Trans-neon green: Swamp Monster (seaweed emblem) Trans-green: The (Frankenstein's) Monster (lightning emblem) Trans-light blue: Ghosts (ghost emblem) Trans-purple: Mummy (Eye of Horus emblem) But there was actually a seventh, included in a limited-edition set that I never managed to get my hands on not that I am still salty about that, LEGO. This "bonus" Moonstone was: Trans-dark pink: Zombies (erupting grave emblem) So many years post-MF as an active theme, I would have been content to leave it at that, but then our buddy Robert8 had to go and posit a "prequel" to the story, complete with an eighth Moonstone! Trans-yellow: Headless Horseman (jack-o-lantern emblem) Clearly there is more of this story to be told--monsters not included, transparent LEGO colors still gone unused. I've offered my own suggestion for another Moonstone: Trans-black: Skeletons (skull emblem) Robert8 and I also both independently came up with: Trans-clear: Invisible man (dashed minifigure outline emblem) But he thought that was a dumb emblem, and I'm not even sure the Invisible Man counts as a monster as such. He's just a guy who did a weird science thing to himself and used it to indulge his id. Monstrous, perhaps, but not a monster in the traditional sense. So trans-clear is still open. I'd also like to include trans-dark blue, and maybe trans-orange if it's sufficiently distinct from trans-neon orange. We just need enough classic Halloween monsters to go around! In my next post in this thread, I'll respond to feedback and keep going with some more ideas.

I considered the Invisible Man: trans-clear, with a dashed outline of a minifigure as the emblem. How similar was yours? Something aquatic seems the way to go, but I would want to keep the monsters in that humanoid and human-scale, "standard Halloween" category. Anyway, we're getting to the point where I should probably start a new thread in the Action/Adventure sub-forum.

That is fantastic! I like the idea of there being more Moonstones. We had that "bonus" one for the zombies, but the set was such a limited release that I never managed to get it (and you should see how much just the zombie Moonstone is going for on BL). So we've got: Red: Vampires (bat emblem) Orange: Werewolf (howling wolf emblem) Yellow: Headless Horseman (jack-o-lantern emblem) Neon Yellow-green: Swamp Monster (seaweed emblem) Green: Frankenstein Monster (lightning emblem) Light Blue: Ghosts (ghost emblem) Purple: Mummy (Eye of Horus emblem) Pink: Zombies (erupting grave emblem) I think dark blue and black would round it out nicely, but I only have an idea for one: Dark Blue: ??? Black: Skeletons (skull emblem) I do have one more idea, but I want to hold it back until I've thought about it a bit more and maybe come up with something for that dark blue Moonstone. What monsters are we missing? Hmmmm...

@Lacdaran Well, part of it is surely that he doesn't have a bunch of risk-averse executives breathing down his neck, demanding that his designs conform to very specific focus-test data and also incidentally allow them to get more use of molds that they made for Licensed Theme XYZ. He gets to flex his creative muscles with designs that appeal directly to us AFOLs here because of how well they flesh out existing themes that we love and/or suggest themes that don't exist (yet).

"Faceless Man" is an expy of Slenderman, who was invented by someone on the internet as part of a "creepypasta" story. The concept struck a chord and people went on to create web series, at least one video game, and I think also a movie. But he originated online, in a very rare example of constructed folklore where we have the origin point and can trace the development of the legend.