Category Archives: LEGO News & Facts

2012 LEGO Friends sets bring brick-based construction play to girls [News]

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Since the news is making the rounds on the web at this point, most of you are probably already aware of the upcoming LEGO Friends theme in 2012. The response has been, shall we say, mixed. Since I’m sure there’ll be quite a discussion here and elsewhere, I won’t shy away from sharing my own opinion. Bottom line for me: I’m not a huge fan of the new figures, but they bring much-needed diversity to LEGO people, and the sets themselves appear to be entirely brick-built, with some interesting new colors.

For those of you out there who’ve made statements about gender stereotyping, take a look at this photo of set 3933 Olivia’s Inventor’s Workshop:

LEGO Friends 3933

That’s right — Olivia has invented herself a robot in her laboratory through the use of math and science.

The main difference is in the scale and shape of the figures, called “mini-dolls”. Here’s a comparison:

LEGO Friends vs. Minifigs

I’ve heard that the hair pieces are compatible with standard minifigs.

The buildings in the sets are built from standard bricks, rather than large, single-purpose elements:

LEGO Friends 3315

Here’s the official press release:

LEGO Group Declares New Year’s Resolution for 2012: Deliver Meaningful Play Experiences to Girls Worldwide with LEGO® Friends

Company brings classic construction play to the girls’ aisle with first-of- its-kind LEGO® mini-doll figure, three new brick colors and detailed interiors that reflect four years of research in play needs of girls

BILLUND, Denmark (December 19, 2011) – The LEGO Group, the world’s leading construction toy brand, today announced LEGO® Friends, a new play theme that tailors the iconic LEGO construction experience especially to girls ages five and up. LEGO Friends delivers on a girl’s desire for realistic role-play, creativity, and a highly-detailed, character-based world with the core values of LEGO building.

The LEGO Friends collection of 23 products ranges in price from $5.99 to $99.99 USD and the first 14 will be available for sale in select toy, discount merchandise, specialty and online stores beginning December 26, 2011 in the United Kingdom and January 1, 2012 in the United States. A rolling International launch will follow in the spring, with the remaining nine sets launching in the summer months.

“We felt it was time to test assumptions that girls aren’t interested in building and to breathe fresh air into a toy category filled mostly with pre-fabricated play experiences for girls,” said Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, CEO, LEGO Group. “We focused on creating a play experience centered on the joy of creation, while heeding the way girls naturally build and play. We are incredibly proud of the solution we deliver with LEGO Friends, and are resolved to build this platform for years to come.”

LEGO Friends is the first 100 percent LEGO building experience fully optimized to girls’ tastes and interests. Thousands of girls and their mothers worldwide participated in intensive research that validated the desire for more beauty, realistic details, accessories and interior building and role play opportunities in a LEGO offering.

Introducing the LEGO mini-doll figure

Anchored by the introduction of a new mini-doll figure, LEGO Friends introduces a new LEGO minifigure platform tailored to girls’ requests for a more realistic, relatable and stylized figure. Designed to the same scale of the classic LEGO minifigure, the mini-doll figure stands roughly 5 millimeters taller than its minifigure sibling, yet features similar constructability, shares the iconic “claw” hand to hold the same accessories, can wear the same hair and headpieces, and is compatible with all LEGO building sets. A total of 29 different mini-doll figures will be introduced in 2012.

“LEGO Friends is one of the most researched LEGO projects ever and is a culmination of years of anthropological research with girls around the world to understand what they expect from a construction toy,” said Nanna Ulrich Gudum, senior creative director, LEGO Group. “In talking with girls and their moms, we understand that girls really want a LEGO offering that mirrors what the boys experience, but in a way that fulfills their unique desire for remodeling and redesign, combined with realistic themes in community and friendship.”

“Unlike previous LEGO toys for girls, LEGO Friends, at its core, does not apologize for being a construction toy and delivers, for the first time, a building experience in the same scale as our classic offerings,” Nanna Ulrich Gudum continued. “What LEGO Friends does differently is deliver the beauty, details, accessories, real world themes and need for strong interior play that the research revealed would make all the difference for girls ages 5 and up.”

Welcome to Heartlake City

The LEGO Friends story centers on the everyday lives and personalities of five girls in a fictional hometown called Heartlake City. Each of the friends—Olivia, Mia, Andrea, Stephanie and Emma—has a distinct personality and interests, such as animals, performing arts, invention and design, that are reflected in the models. Building sets reflect different parts of town where the girls’ adventures take place—downtown, suburbs, beach, camping grounds and mountains.

The product collection

Half of the launch collection includes construction sets themed to introduce girls to each of the “Friend’s” personalities, including: Stephanie’s Outdoor Bakery, Emma’s Splash Pool, Andrea’s Stage, Olivia’s Inventor’s Workshop, Stephanie’s Pet Patrol, Mia’s Puppy House and Emma’s Design Studio. Girls are also invited to construct the Friends’ favorite locations in Heartlake City with larger building sets, including: Stephanie’s Cool Convertible, Olivia’s Tree House, Heartlake Dog Show, Butterfly Beauty Shop, City Park Café, Heartlake Vet, and Olivia’s House. The remaining nine sets launching later in the year deliver the same range in price and theme.

Immersive brand experience

Children will be immersed in the new world they can create with LEGO Friends through a variety of brand experiences planned for 2012. In addition to providing product information, the LEGO Friends website will allow children to explore the personalities of each of the five Friends and the different spots in Heartlake City. The site will also feature an avatar creator, mini-movies, games, video building tips, story extensions, contests, news and an events calendar. Also planned are Interactive building events and road shows, promotions, magazines, digital content, a mini movie, in-store experiences, books and more. Check www.LEGOFriends.com for more information.

So, what do you think? Sound off in the comments.

How to identify LEGO Series 5 Collectible Minifigs by touch

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iconLEGO Series 5 Collectible Minifigures proves, it’s pretty hard to identify the minifigs using any but the “touch and feel” method. Thankfully, SEALUG / TexLUG member Jason Junker has put together this handy guide to find the minifigs you want by touch.

Small Clown: His bowler hat feels similar to the Detective’s hat. He also has a pie, which feels smaller than I thought it would. (that’s what she said) [Tee hee! -ed] Each time I confirmed by feeling for the short legs.

Boxer: The surprise here is that his boxing gloves are attached to his hands. He’s one of the hardest to feel if you don’t know this little fact. Also feel for the gap in his face guard. (Thanks for the “attached gloves tip” W. Heron)

Royal Guard: 2 words, HUGE hat. And feel for the rifle to confirm.

Lumberjack: The only “baseball cap” in this series. The axe is easily recognizable. But be sure that you feel the attached axe head on the end, or it could be the Evil Dwarf’s axe handle.

Zookeeper: I expected the monkey to be easy to feel, but the banana is the dead give away here. No other pieces feel anything like it.

Graduate: He’s the only fig with a 2×2 tile (certificate, like “Disco Guy’s” record from S2), and his graduation cap is what I used to confirm. It’s square, with 1 different feeling corner for the tassel and a little raised bump in the middle of the top.

Cave Woman: The only fig with a squishy element this time. Her hair. Feel for the bone separately, and the club is the same as the S1 Cave Man’s. (Thanks for the “squishy hair tip” W. Heron)

Snowboarder Guy: Just like the last 2 snowboarders, the snowboard is a dead giveaway.

Detective: His hat is double billed, so feel for both sides, or it could be the Small Clown. I felt for the magnifying glass to confirm.

Egyptian Queen: Huge wedge dress, and snake are easy to feel.

Ice Fisherman: The fish, and fishing pole are the giveaway here, just like the last 2 series fisherman/gnome.

Evil Dwarf: The winged helmet is bulky, but so are the pieces for the Royal Guard & Gladiator, so I felt around for 1 of the 2 detached axe blades, or the handle. The difference in the shield between the Gladiator’s is that the front of the Evil Dwarf’s is smooth.

Gladiator: He has a huge bulky helmet, but he’s also the only fig with a knife/sword. It’s shorter than I expected. (That’s what… never mind) The difference in the shield between the Evil Dwarf’s is that the front of the Gladiator’s has a stud.

Gangster: This fig has the smallest accessory, his pistol. I also felt his hat, it’s he same as the Cowboy’s from S1 or Indiana Jones’. I never once knowingly felt his case.

Fitness Instructor: Big long hair, and the “boom box” feels like a brick with a handle (just like the Rapper’s from S3)

Lizard Guy: Last but not least, the one I was most excited about, and will be the first one I open… His tail was what I ended up feeling for. It’s a very large piece that fits under his head like a backpack, so you can feel for that tab with the hole in it as well.

Jason rightly says that it’s helpful to have a good picture in front of you, so here it is:

LEGO Series 5 Collectible Minifigures

LEGO drops paper from Indonesian rainforests, reduces box sizes [News]

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As LEGO spreads various parts of its supply chain and manufacturing process beyond Billund, Denmark and Enfield, Connecticut, the number of countries listed on the box after “Components made in…” has increased dramatically, making it unclear exactly where specific LEGO elements and aspects of the product packaging come from. Some LEGO fans have been concerned about the fact that the country list now includes China. After all, the PRC is not particularly well known for its positive environmental record, nor for hitting the high quality bar set traditionally by LEGO.

Although LEGO has not yet confirmed — despite general consensus among fans — that products like the Collectible Minifigures and magnet sets are manufactured in China, LEGO has recently come clean about its packaging.

Environmental advocacy group Greenpeace reports that LEGO has agreed to stop sourcing paper and pulp products from Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), a company based in Singapore notorious for harvesting Indonesian rainforests in an unsustainable manner. LEGO packaging I’ve reviewed does not list either Singapore or Indonesia — though APP does operate plants in China. LEGO’s original response to Greenpeace identifies the offending item as a licensed product actually manufactured by Dorling Kindersley (most likely a book) and therefore not part of LEGO’s core product lines. Nevertheless, Greenpeace has complimented LEGO on its responsiveness to the issue and leadership among toy companies. (Packaging news via Environmental Leader.)

Meanwhile, LEGO is further improving its environmental record by making its boxes smaller. Astute readers will already have noticed that the latest line of LEGO Star Wars battle packs are in smaller boxes, reducing the amount of paper needed to produce the packaging. This is apparently a general trend across all product lines.

Our sources tell us that the move toward smaller packaging was entirely business-driven — that the smaller boxes allow more product to be placed on shelves, while simultaneously giving consumers the impression that they’re getting more LEGO by increasing the “perceived density” of the product (a counter-intuitive result from consumer research). Whatever the reasons, LEGO will be using less paper in its packaging going forward, and that’s a good thing.

Next time you call LEGO, let them know that you’re thankful that they’ve taken these steps to improve sustainability and environmental stewardship.

Lego’s Dress Performance : Fergie

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lego-dress

lego-dress

Your imagination is your limit!
This goes best with LEGO. You can made whatever you can think of with LEGO, including your stage costume.
Catch Fergie during her performance with the Black Eyed Peas at the 2011 Kids’ Choice Awards on Saturday.

Fergie looked festive and fun in a custom-made Lego dress, replete with a plastic-looking black bustier and colorful shoulder pads. The singer matched the look of her dress with bright orange eyeshadow.

According to the LA Times, the dress was the creation of Los Angeles-based designer Michael Schmidt. “It was built on a corset to give it structure, but all of the external stuff was made of Legos. The sheets were formed in hot water to create a structre around the body.”

Awesome!

Lego Dress

kids choice award

kids choice award

How to identify Series 3 Collectible Minifigs by touch through the bag

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minifigures3The LEGO Series 3 Collectible Minifigures are now available in local store.

Since Series 3 packaging doesn’t have a barcode unique to each minifig  it’s good to have other ways to get past LEGO’s ridiculous marketing ploy.

SEALUG member J Junker posted a great guide to figuring out which minifig is in the bag by feeling for specific elements. Here’s J’s method in its entirety:

Gorilla – it’s best to find the banana. Be careful though, the Pilot has goggles that can feel like a banana.

Pilot – feel for the backpack/parachute (and the goggles there’s an indentation in the middle that the banana doesn’t have).

Racecar Driver – feel for all 3 of these, head, helmet & hair. He’s the only guy with all 3.  Finding the visor helps too.

Samurai – if you find the sword, that’s the best. He’s also got an ‘armor’ chest piece that’s unique.  It collapses inward when you squeeze it from front to back.

Rapper – feel for the mic, and his hat brim is curved. Careful not to mistake for the Hula Girl… She has 2 maracas that feel like the mic.

Hula Girl – finding both maracas is the best. The hair also feels different, since it’s designed to be in the front and back. Easy to confuse with the Rapper by feel and dots.

Indian Chief – the headdress is pretty easy to feel.  It’s very big.

Baseball Player – the bat is a dead giveaway. One of the easiest to feel.

The Mummy – the dots are very easy to spot on this one. Really the best way to feel this one is to find the scorpion.

Sumo Wrestler – another where the dots help quite a bit. I only felt the trophy one time, so I ended up feeling for the ball of hair on top of his head the most.

Alien – the head has the 2 distinct spheres. I almost always felt the beam from the gun as well. Dots are good for this one too.

Space Pirate (Cyborg) – easy to confuse with the race car driver. If you can find his robot hand, that’s the best. Remember that both the alien and this guy have a ray coming from their gun (the gun: which is also a good way to narrow it down to one of the 2).

Tennis Player – the racket is the tell tell here.

Elf (Legolas) – I felt the back if the shield on the first one, but found the bow & arrow easiest from then on out.

Snowboarder – the snow board is as easy as the surfboard and skateboard were to feel. Both ends curve up.

The Fisherman – the fish is easy to feel, plus the rope on the fishing pole is very different than anything else since it’s ’soft’.

I personally has manage to find all 16 of them from 18 packs (2 mistakes)

Good luck in hunting your favorite minifigures.

The Adventures of Clutch Powers – LEGO Movies

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Yes, you have ever watched LEGO movies. LEGO has launched before the LEGO Bionicles Movies, but this will be the first time ever LEGO movies with minifigs as the actors.

lego movies: the adventure of clutch powers

From Universal Studio, for the first time ever, the LEGO® toy brand will be coming to life in an all-new feature-length DVD movie tomorrow entitled LEGO®: The Adventures of Clutch Powers.

You may watch the trailer here.
Meet Clutch Powers, the best builder and explorer in the LEGO® universe as he heads off on his most dangerous mission yet. Join Clutch and his team of LEGO® experts as their adventure leads them from LEGO® City to the Space Police prison planet to the medieval world of Ashlar where they must help the rightful heir to the King’s throne find the courage to regain the kingdom from the evil wizard Mallock the Malign.

Their brick-building skills will be put to the ultimate test as they face off against Mallock’s skeleton army. Get ready for an action-packed adventure like nothing you have ever seen before, The Adventures of Clutch Powers!.

Kids Suspended From School For LEGO Toy

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Nine-year-old Patrick Timoney brought a gun to school at PS 52 in Staten Island, N.Y., Tuesday and almost got suspended. The problem? It was a two-inch LEGO toy gun.

The fourth grader brought some of his LEGOs to school to show his friends during lunch. The LEGO police officer toy was holding a small gun. (Patrick’s dad is a retired police officer.)

When the principal saw it, she pulled the kid out of class and called Patrick’s parents. She says the school has a “no tolerance” policy and does not allow any weapons on campus.

Laura Timoney, Patrick’s mom, told CBS News: “This isn’t a safety issue. This is a judgment issue. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen? It could poke you in the eye?”

We’re all for keeping kids safe, but we’d say the school took this way too far this time. What about you?

Discuss it in the forum.

Hero Factory Replaces Bionicle

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LEGO HERO FACTORY

Wizard World Magazine has revealed the pictures of HERO Factory, the successor of Bionicles.

The plot of the new line describes certain Heroes who fight evil across space and time, which pretty much sets the stage for an infinite possibility of expansion.

These new sets will be available on August 2010. Still no clue when it will arrive Indonesia. You can take a glance now.

7164 Preston Stormer
He’s the Hero Factory Alpha Team leader, having completed more missions than any other hero. Brave and tough, yet proud and competitive, he is armed with a built-in multi-functional ice weapon, featuring an ice saw, bolt shooter, and harpoon to stop anyone in their tracks.

7165 Natalie Breez
A Hero Factory rookie, training alongside Blaze, she is agile, a natural diplomat and always ready to give it everything she’s got. Armed with energized dual boomerangs and harpoon for climbing, she’s always ready to tackle any mission.

7167 William Blaze
A Hero Factory rookie on his final training mission, Blaze is smart, highly competitive and very confident. Armed with a dual fire shooter, he always has everyone’s back.

7168 Duncan Bulk
The toughest, strongest hero on the Hero Factory Alpha Team, Duncan has built-in heavy multifunctional metal weapons which shoot metal spheres, helping to protect everyone from danger.

7169 Mark Surge
The youngest rookie on the Hero Factory team, Surge is a little clumsy, yet highly competitive. He tends to have problems landing his hero pod, but his skill in manipulating his electrical shield, armor and lightning weapon makes up for it.

7170 Jimi Stringer
The most highly advanced hero on the Factory’s Alpha Team, Stringer is armed with a built-in multi-functional sonic weapon.

Indonesia BrickFest 2010

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DUNIA BRICKS INDONESIA, is a new event organized by LEGO distributor in Indonesia. It is some sort of brickfest.

This is the first DUNIA BRICKS INDONESIA event and will be held on 13-14 March 2010 at Indoor Tennis Stadium, Senayan, Jakarta.

What you expect to see :
– Largest LEGO exhibition ever in Indonesia
– MOC Building Competition
– LEGO Collection on Sale
– Souvenir from DUNIA BRICKS INDONESIA

LEGO Craziest Sale – Last 2 Days

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There is only 2 days left for the LEGO Craziest Sale. If you haven’t get your LEGO, you can go to StarKidz at Cambridge City Square, Medan now.

Up to 50 % discount available with additional 30% discount if you are using BII credit card.

Go now while it last.

Happy New Year!