Karalora

I would argue that Christmas is primarily a secular holiday nowadays, even though plenty of celebrants include a religious component. The most popular traditions--decorating, gift-giving, etc.--are religiously neutral, and observed by people who have never set foot in a church or even follow a non-Christian religion. The term Advent itself is arguably religious, but in practice all it means is "the lead-up to Christmas," and if Christmas is secular, then Advent can be also. That said, I find it a little weird that LEGO won't release sets of religious buildings, since they are so commonplace in any town or city. Merely portraying a church, mosque, etc. doesn't amount to an endorsement of the religion in question, IMO. And what about the Taj Mahal set? If being an important world landmark is enough to convince them to break their "no religion" rule, why not Notre Dame, St. Peter's Basilica, and other famous cathedrals and religious sites?

He's not animated, but I was able to make a stunningly accurate King Brian of Knocknasheegah: https://karalora.tumblr.com/post/177858128922/my-latest-custom-built-lego-minifig-king-brian-of (If you've never seen Darby O'Gill and the Little People, you should. It holds up astonishingly well for a 60-year-old movie about leprechauns.)

It depends on the specific parameters of the license, but my assumption is that they're cleared for a certain number of recognizable characters, which, yes, would mean no cheating via the accessories. On the other hand, they could probably get away with "generic" sidekicks, such as a songbird for Snow White. There are so many animated Disney characters that I can barely begin to speculate upon who will be included this time around, or even who I would hope would be included. But maybe we can expect a similar breakdown to the first series, which included: 4 characters from classic Disney shorts (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy) 5 characters from Walt-era animated movies (Alice, Cheshire Cat, Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Maleficent) 5 characters from Renaissance or later animated movies (Ariel, Ursula, Aladdin, Genie, Stitch) 4 Pixar characters (Buzz, Green Alien, Mr. Incredible, Syndrome) I think these four categories sum up most people's understanding of "Disney animated characters." I've always been iffy about throwing Pixar in with the "pure" Disney stuff--it's a separate studio and it has its own rules for storytelling and characterization--but I acknowledge I am very much in the minority on this. I would love to have a Sorcerer's Apprentice simply because I love that iteration of Mickey. (And then I could have him square off with Maleficent like he does in the Fantasmic! show at Disneyland!) I do hope you're right about that. It would also be awesome to get Pluto--not as a quadrupedal pet, but on two legs a la the costumed character from the parks. Yes please. I have already vowed to myself that if a Sleeping Beauty Castle set is made, and I cannot otherwise afford it, I will sell off my Cinderella Castle set. Because, well, Disneyland is my "home park" and I feel like it gets ignored in most of the "official" merch, which centers on the biggest resort.

I love all kinds of holiday-related figures! But let's be real--Christmas and Halloween have the most potential for interesting characters, and there are lots of Halloween minifigs. Christmas is less explored territory.

We got one if you count Wiley Fusebot from the LEGO Movie series. But "robot frontiersman" is a little too oddly specific for most people. I swapped out his head and hands to make a Davy Crockett-type character, and even then, I wish the outfit were more "fringed buckskin leathers" and less "ratty overalls."

Not gonna lie, my favorite this go-around is definitely the Calaca--such fine detail! Also, I'm a big sucker for both holiday-related figures and cultural figures, and she's both!

Already in love...

A firehouse is an odd choice for a Winter Village set, to be sure. All the previous sets have a direct and obvious connection to the Christmas season, but a firehouse? Do they want us thinking about trees catching fire and turkeys getting horribly overcooked?

Outstanding! Supported!

I love this and I need it.

Origin: Scandinavia Name: Four letters, properly rendered in all-caps Products: Endless cool stuff, but you have to (get to!) put it together yourself Why didn't this partnership happen years ago?

Bringing this back to pet peeves, one of mine is when TLG produces a cute hairstyle in a particular color for a specific character or license and then never uses the mold again. Look, I just really want Hobbit hair in black and blond.

Week 10: https://karalora.tumblr.com/image/171534210237 Some of the new buds are opening! Spring is finally nigh!

I wasn't able to upload last week due to technical difficulties, so today you get a twofer: https://karalora.tumblr.com/post/171286721217/i-was-unable-to-upload-a-new-seasonal-tree-photo I think by next week, there will be some solid evidence of springtime on this tree!

Week 7: https://karalora.tumblr.com/image/170784133227 I couldn’t do the full update I had planned because the new parts I ordered didn’t arrive in time, so here’s something simpler. The ice from last week’s storm has melted…not only that, but some buds of new growth have emerged on the branches!

Week 6: https://karalora.tumblr.com/image/170510234062 A warm spell brought rain, melting away the snow…but that night brought a chill, turning the rain into sleet and freezing rain. The ground retained enough warmth to remain mostly clear, but the tree is covered with a thin coating of ice.

The current auction ends tomorrow. So far I have no bids. Am I asking too much? If so, I'll drop it down when I renew the listing.

Week 5: https://karalora.tumblr.com/image/170242830057 Weather conditions continue to be somewhat inconsistent. Between wind and passers-by, most of the icicles have gotten knocked off the tree. (It's been a hell of a week and I didn't have it in me to change the tree more than this.)

If anyone is interested, I've put up the whole bunch of parts as a big lot on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/152883584645?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649 I have to hedge my bets on pricing because of the potential cost of shipping, which is included.

Week 4: https://karalora.tumblr.com/image/169978604752 Continuing intermittent mild thaw conditions have resulted in more icicles and generally degraded the quality of the snow. Some kids tried to build a snowman, but it just wouldn’t mound up properly and they quickly gave up…leaving the carrot they had been planning to use for the nose!

I've actually pulled most of the old gray and brown since I've been discussing a sale privately with another member. Some of them may end up going back in, depending on what agreement we come to. On the other hand, I've been continuing to add this and that as I sort through my collection and make decisions about what I do and don't want to keep. For example, I put some small Adventurers sets and quite a few individual minifigs up today.

Looking at the three photos so far, I remember now that I decided to take the third from a slightly different angle than the first two to get a better perspective on the bird. I wish I had the luxury of setting up something permanent to take better photos, but I can't even leave the tree on the table where I have posed it so far. I just don't have enough space in here. :/

I have all kinds of parts. You can see what I've uploaded so far in my Bricklink shop, Karalora's Brick Bargains, but there's lots more to come. I keep finding more as I sort! DM me if you might be interested in cutting to the chase and buying the lot off me. Once I have everything sorted, I'll weigh them up, take photos, etc., and we can negotiate.

@Huaijozu I thank you for the suggestion, but I don't have access to a tripod...or a nice camera, for that matter.

I hadn't really given much thought to species...I suppose subconsciously I'm probably patterning it after the sweetgums that grow around here (Los Angeles) and are one of the few local trees to exhibit much in the way of seasonal changes.