I am sure this is not the response you are expecting from yesterdays post Confessions of an AFOL – Part 1 by Pinar. I think the comments on this post cover a lot of territory and you should give them a read. It is not for me to criticize LEGO, I generally vote with my check book, so my thoughts took a different direction.
I enjoy many aspect of this worldwide toy photography community and I am blessed to have so many international friends who willingly share their lives and cultures with me. It has been a wonderful and enriching experience. Occasionally I get a glimpse of my own country through foreign eyes and honestly, it always makes me feel a little uncomfortable. I just have to read The Short News (which originates in Australia) for some cringe worthy story emanating from the US.
Yesterdays post by Pinar (who lives in Turkey), really got me thinking: If LEGO is a Danish company with a world wide global fan base, why are so many of their sets based on pop culture and entertainment products that originate from the USA / Hollywood? Like Pinar, I have been feeling lackluster about sets like Back to the Future, The Simpsons and now Scooby Doo. I am not a fan of the entertainment / pop culture that the US spews out on a daily basis and it makes me sad that it casts such a long shadow over the LEGO corporation.
Sure licensing is not new to LEGO and many attribute licensing the Star Wars franchise as key to turning the company around financially. No one can deny the success of the Harry Potter or the Lord of the Rings sets either. But what about the Lone Ranger Movie sets? Sure these gave us Tonto, one of the coolest mini figures ever, but is that enough?
Personally I would like to see Lego develop more sets from their Lego Ideas platform along the lines of Peter Reid’s Exo Suit, NASA Mars Rover, the Birds and of course the Research Institute. To me these sets offer a wider range of play not just a trip down memory lane.
But then maybe I am wrong and you guys would like to see LEGO develop a line of products based on The Brady Bunch next?
~ xxsjc
What kind of sets do you think LEGO should produce? Free play, nostalgia or movie franchise based sets?
The Sea Casts its Spell by Shelly Corbett
Very interesting topic! Like you, I’m not that excited by some of the licensed sets (The Simpsons, BTTF, Scooby Doo). I will always love Star Wars and the Star Wars LEGO sets are what got me back into LEGO and got me started in LEGO Photography. I still love to do Star Wars photos but I also get a lot of joy (maybe more joy?) from the characters I’ve created myself from LEGO minifigs (the gymnasts, Angel, Frank the Hot Dog Vendor etc). I also really enjoy some of the characters that LEGO created that I’ve used for photos (Executive… Read more »
I really enjoyed reading both posts, along with the response comments that followed. One of the statements that Mister_Bricks (Mike) made really rings true, in that “When it comes down to it, we’re all different. You’re opinions are different than mine, and that’s great.” I loved how he followed up by saying “I’d hate it if we were all the same” and I couldn’t agree more with that. I’ll be the first to say that I am “getting old” as I am approaching my 46th birthday this month. Whoa!… 46?!? Geez! However, I am a kid at heart and my… Read more »
Nice response SillyBrickPics! Each of our individual ages, experiences, and backgrounds definitely play a huge part in all of this. For instance, in her latest post, Pinar talks about how the LEGO video games enhance her experience of some of the related set themes, but that is a medium that will probably never be part of my experience. It sounds fun, but let’s face it, I’m “old” and wouldn’t know how to operate anything more advanced than Nintendo! Plus I just don’t have the time. I agree with Shelly that it would be great to see LEGO release more sets… Read more »
Shelly said – “I am not a fan of the entertainment / pop culture that the US spews out on a daily basis and it makes me sad that it casts such a long shadow over the LEGO corporation.”
I would argue that every pop-culture Lego release is based on the US market. As far as I’m concerned, the recently announced Doctor Who set, even though it is a British institution, would not have been green-lit if is wasn’t so huge in the US.
That’s the business world.
You’re probably right Cole. I’m not a fan of the US pop culture / entertainment conglomerate. I don’t partake and I feel bad it is inflicted on the rest of the world. Its influence makes us all the poorer.
Just catching up on the latest posts and again i´m enjoying the different views of the individuals that form this community. I do agree that the age and personal experiences influence one´s interests. Am not a Simpson´s fan, not a ScoobyDoo or DoctorWho fan so I´m really not excited about these sets to come. Just like SillyBrickPics I can relate to the eighties and am still superduperhappy about the Lego DeLorean. My greatest wish (future Lego-sets-like) would be a Bluesmobile with Jake and Elwood. Yet…- think it´s good they did not release one so far. Not too many people would… Read more »
HerrK I could totally get behind a blues mobile! One of the greatest movies ever to be made with a killer soundtrack! Jake and Elwood – the original anti-heroes. xoxo
Way late to the party, because I’ve been moving and had a lot else on my plate. I agree that the U.S.-centric licensed character releases tend to exclude a lot of folks interested in free play and those living in places where U.S. cultural icons don’t play as well. When I interviewed a prominent Lego builder in Portugal three years ago, he told me the City themes are most popular there, followed by the Pirates and Castles that draw on the country’s history and heritage. That was certainly evident when I attended the LEGO Fan Event in Lisbon last year… Read more »