Karalora

I know I'm probably in the minority on this, but I would be thrilled to have a bipedal Pluto specifically because of the theme park connection.

I would have preferred more variety for sure. But I think the reasons for this selection are pretty obvious--with the exception of Hercules and Hades, each one is either a perennial favorite or directly relevant to a recent/ongoing/upcoming Disney release. Still probably gonna get them all. An underwhelming selection of Disney minifigs is preferable than no Disney minifigs.

My storage boxes for minifig parts were overflowing, so I decided to put some cute ones together and package them in sets of three, with appropriate accessories, in the Build-a-Mini packs which I have also saved several of. I have eleven sets so far, some modern, some historical, some pure fantasy. I was wondering if this might be something I could actually sell on eBay. Would people be interested in Build-a-Mini packs where they don't get to pick the parts themselves but the figures all fit together in a given theme?

In honor of the date tomorrow... Female Leprechaun Head: Smiling, freckles Hair: This hairpiece in orange or dark orange with pinhole Hat: Green miniature top hat or bowler hat with pin Torso: Green bodice over lime green blouse Legs: Short legs in lime Other: Green cloth miniskirt Accessory: 4-leaf clover

Does Disneyland/Walt Disney World count as a theme? We've got the Cinderella Castle set and the CMFs... For a truly giant set, comparable to the MF, I would say: Main Street Train Station. The station house itself, a train on the tracks, the slope with the flower picture of Mickey Mouse, and maybe the tunnels under the tracks to either side, would easily run 5,000+ parts. It's attractive, iconic, and they could justify including minifigs of any popular Disney character they could get permission for, since the characters often greet arriving guests in the area below the flowers.

Lots of awesome ideas and designs once again, but I think the real stars of the show this time around are the animal accessories! The snake, the seal, the beaver, the robot dog, the ZOMBIE DOG!!! The Cosplayer is also funny as heck and would work great in a scene with your Theme Park Mascot from the last series!

This is a gorgeous model! I have always loved the legend of the phoenix and this is exactly what I've always imagined!

By that point, though, people are already kinda committed to buying a LEGO product, or at least strongly considering it. Outside ads, primarily on TV, are going to be what gets people into that store. I don't think the licensed themes are out of control, and I don't think they're necessarily bad in any case. I just think the presentation implies that TLG is slightly prouder of the licenses they've managed to acquire than their in-house creations. And that's potentially a problem, because as others have pointed out, the licensed sets often seem to be designed from a "minifigs first" perspective rather than a focus on quality building.

There's not just shelf space to consider. There's also promotional time and effort. There might be some confirmation bias in my end but it seems like the licensed themes get more than half of the TV advertising--which is even more unbalanced if, as you say, they only constitute about one-third of the stock. I get that a lot of it is enticement for non-LEGO fans to make the jump based on their enjoyment of the source material, but it does feel a bit like regular LEGO fans are taken for granted.

I have mixed feelings. On the whole, I probably prefer original themes over licenses, since I often think about general concepts I would like to see in LEGO form, but there are only a few outside IPs I would like to see LEGO versions of. But obviously there are strength and weaknesses of both, in terms of both premise and execution. Being licensed for one or more LEGO sets can be seen as a form of validation for the source material, given both the prestige of the LEGO brand and its specificity--it's not just saying "This deserves to have toys made of it" (which it probably does already), but "This deserves to have elaborate, customizable toys made of it." On the downside, LEGO has been focusing awfully hard on its licensed themes for the past decade or more, potentially at the risk of boxing itself in since such themes tend to be limited to expressing specific scenes from (for example) a popular movie. On the downside of original themes, lately they seem to run the risk of being either too generic (City, most iterations of Castle--note how many set concepts get rehashed every few years or so), or sometimes too quirky, like the theme is really straining to be distinctive. So again: pros and cons of both.

There are not enough heart emojis in the entire internet to describe how I feel about this build!

I meant more using the heads that go under the masks. They look funny, but some of the designs are tolerable as heads in and of themselves.

Has anyone tried combining the animal costumes with Chima heads to get animal characters?

Just Fine with Them. Actually, my opinion is probably somewhere between that and LOVE THEM!, but I voted the way my gut leaned. I've collected most of the costume figs that have been released--they're great for Halloween scenes, theme parks, plays, any occasion where people might wear costumes in real life.

Robert8 does it again! I think the Rugby Player and Art Restorer are the only ones that didn't immediately make me go "Ooooooooh!", and even the Art Restorer has that sweet painting piece. Mrs. Claus looks perfect (the "official" one that came with the Santa's Workshop set has a great skirt piece, but her face and torso are pre-existing prints and they don't quite fit the archetype) and I love the Pizza Guy's mismatched sleeves representing the Italian flag!

Blind Justice has been on my wishlist for ages! She looks pretty much exactly how I would design her too! The boy with the sheep is clearly Little Boy Blue from the nursery rhyme. Nice to see him around--Little Bo Peep seems to get all the attention nowadays.

This. If only I had more self-control, I would have more money AND more space in my tiny apartment.

I want both! Look at the details on the family house, and the minifig outfits!

I'd considered that, but it's a pretty bland image. Full-sized, Pride Rock is a grand enough locale, but in micro scale, it's just...a pile of rocks. Maybe a micro build of a lion instead? Then you can say it's a plush toy. They make some pretty colossal stuffed lions these days, so it wouldn't even have to be that "micro."

With a second round of Disney CMFs coming next year, I thought it might be fun to speculate about a hypothetical Disney Advent Calendar. I tried to keep my ideas as much like an actual Advent Calendar set as possible--only a handful of minifigs, and with the rest of the builds mostly things that would make sense as winter/Christmas imagery, toys for minifig children, and/or household items. I also made things a bit simpler by limiting myself to the Disney Animated Canon for my ideas--no Pixar, TV cartoon series, etc. (with one exception, because I couldn't resist). I chose to focus mainly on the iconic "fairytale" movies, so if your favorite is absent...why not share your own list in response? Finally, I don't have any actual builds to show you, I'm afraid. I'm still in the imagination stage here. Day 1: Small table with potion flask, book, and cauldron (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) Day 2: Evil Queen minifig (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) Day 3: Cuckoo clock (Pinocchio) Day 4: Snow-covered tree stump (Bambi) Day 5: Dress mannequin and sewing basket (Cinderella) Day 6: Tea Cup (Alice in Wonderland--also a nod to the theme parks) Day 7: Mad Hatter minifig (Alice in Wonderland) Day 8: Mini-pirate ship (Peter Pan) Day 9: Doghouse with dog bowl and bone (Lady and the Tramp) Day 10: Burning briars (Sleeping Beauty) Day 11: Prince Philip minifig Day 12: Coral patch with treasure chest (The Little Mermaid) Day 13: Reading table and chair with book (Beauty and the Beast) Day 14: Belle minifig (winter outfit--pink dress and red cloak) (Beauty and the Beast) Day 15: Magic carpet (Aladdin) Day 16: Elephant skull (The Lion King) Day 17: Bronze bell (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) Day 18: Training dummy and weapon rack (Mulan) Day 19: "Ping" minifig in armor (Mulan) Day 20: Mini-steamboat (The Princess and the Frog) Day 21: Rowboat and lantern (Tangled) Day 22: Candy racecar (Wreck-It Ralph) Day 23: Mini-ice castle (Frozen) Day 24: Mickey Mouse minifig in Santa suit, with red sled I am of course open to suggestions on all of these. In particular, while I like the idea of an elephant skull as a Lion King mini-build in principle, I acknowledge that it is the least suitable of all of these for an Advent Calendar and I would like to find something for that movie that is a little more...heartwarming? It's a tough one to pin down because it's about wild animals in Africa--no winter imagery or household possessions! I'll leave you all to it!

Seconding carebear on the brilliance of using the mer-Bat tail as her famously slinky skirt. (It also gives her proportions more like a human!) The entire model is elegant in its simplicity.

I have a sincere question for anothergol and MAB... Do you guys want a "Men of NASA" set? Is that a product that actually interests you? Or are you just angry that there was a "Women of NASA" set? If it's the former--heck, even if it's the latter--why not propose one on Ideas? You claim it would never succeed because of "SJW" protests, but that's a huge assumption on your part. In any case, you literally have nothing to lose by trying. If the feminists do shut you down, you get to be proven right, and if they don't, you have a shot at launching a cool LEGO set! It's win-win! On the more general subject of feminism, I must strenuously disagree with any and all assertions that feminism is "no longer necessary" in developed countries. Here in the United States, our government is in the hands of wannabe theocrats and just plain misogynists who would love to wind back every inch of progress made in women's rights for the last 100 years. We could lose our reproductive rights any day now, for instance. That's all I'll say on that matter, but it's a very real struggle.

This is a point I hadn't considered. Thank you for bringing it up.

'Tis the season...! Charity Santa Gender: Male. Occupation/print on torso: Red Santa suit with pamphlets sticking out of a pocket Type of headgear: Santa hat Type of facial expression: Young, smiling Bodywear: White beard, obviously fake Color on torso/legs: Red w/ black boots Accessory: Handbell and red bucket

Surely that depends on where you are, doesn't it? In Western Europe where you live, churches are part of the background scenery but mosques are new and potentially controversial. In the United States where I live, it's all potentially controversial and (Protestant) churches can be some of the most obnoxious buildings in town. In my specific city, Los Angeles, religious diversity is taken for granted and few people make a big deal about it either way. Someone in Indonesia might very well have the opposite opinion to yours, considering mosques normal and Christian churches to be a weird, intrusive exception. Just something to think about.