Tag Archives: lego

LEGO and SEGA partner to bring Sonic the Hedgehog to brick form

Posted on by

The LEGO Group has detailed a new partnership with SEGA to bring Sonic the Hedgehog into brick form, thanks to a concept design submitted to the Danish toy maker’s invention platform, LEGO Ideas.

Created by a 24-year-old LEGO superfan, Viv Grannell, the design was inspired by SEGA’s critically acclaimed 2017 platformer experience Sonic Mania and features iconic characters and environments from the game’s Green Hill Zone level.

The design achieved its pre-requisite 10,000 votes from LEGO fans worldwide and has now been given the green light to enter production through a partnership between LEGO and SEGA.

Talking about the winning idea, Viv Grannell, said: “I’ve been invested in the world of Sonic for almost my entire life, and it’s such a perfect fit for the LEGO system that I spent about a year rallying support for it to happen.

“Having 10,000 people back my design was overwhelming enough, even with friends and family behind me, but having it be selected for further development was the most exciting secret I have ever had to keep.”

The Sonic Mania Green Hill Zone LEGO Ideas design will now go into the product development phase, in partnership with SEGA and once finalised will be available worldwide.

Talking about the collaboration, Jason Rice, director of brand licensing, SEGA Europe Ltd, said: “At SEGA, we’ve always encouraged fans to take part in the legacy of the Sonic franchise through their own creations and it’s wonderful to see the tradition continued through the LEGO Ideas program.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Viv and the LEGO Group, and hope to inspire fans to continue creating their own unique Sonic the Hedgehog experiences for generations to come.”

The Sonic Mania Green Hill Zone LEGO Ideas design is the ultimate embodiment of Sonic the Hedgehog’s past and future as the franchise celebrates its 30th anniversary this June. Featuring a wide variety of elements inspired by Classic Sonic, the set will provide LEGO collectors and Sonic fans alike a truly supersonic LEGO experience.

LEGO launches wellness soundscape using the satisfying sounds of 10,000 bricks

Posted on by

The LEGO Group is treading (softly) new ground for toys in the mindfulness space with the launch of a new LEGO White Noise playlist, designed to help listeners find a moment of relaxation – by listening the noises made by LEGO bricks.

But there’s no soundtracks of fully-grown adults yelping as they step on LEGO bricks left across the floor, but moreover, a curated list of tracks that have each been created using nothing but LEGO and the sounds that they make.

Designers of the LEGO White Noise playlist experimented with over 10,000 bricks in their quest for the perfect soothing sounds. The result is a soundscape that includes tracks such as It All Clicks, capturing the sound of two LEGO elements joining together, and The Waterfall, created by pouring thousands of LEGO bricks on top of one another.

Like other white noise tracks, the playlist is designed to help listeners find a moment of zen in their day, making it an audio accompaniment for falling asleep, unwinding, or relaxing through LEGO building.

The playlist can be accessed for free from over 15 different music streaming platforms including Spotify, iTunes and Google Music.

The LEGO White Noise playlist has been released to accompany the immersive LEGO Botanical Collection building experience, following research that found that almost three quarters (73 per cent) of adults are on the hunt for new ways to destress.

The new LEGO Botanical Collection includes the LEGO Flower Bouquet and the LEGO Bonsai Tree that are designed to offer adults an immersive building experiences to help them express their creativity and destress as they build a beautiful model that can be proudly displayed when completed.

Both sets are available now from LEGO.com, LEGO Stores and other retailers globally.

LEGO Super Mario and Warner Bros. among NPD’s Global and European Toy Industry Performance Awards winners

Posted on by

The LEGO Group, Spin Master, Mattel, and Warner Bros have been named among the winners of the NPD Group’s 2020 Global and European Toy Industry Performance Awards.

The Danish toy maker took home the NPD’s Global Top Toy Manufacturer of the Year award, while its officially licensed LEGO Super Mario Bros. range scooped up the Top Gaining Toy Property in Building and Construction accolade.

Meanwhile, global toy maker, Mattel took home a number of wins, including Global Top Toy Property of the Year for its Barbie brand, and the award for Global Top Selling Toy of the Year for its Hot Wheels SIngles 1/64 Assortment.

An awards programme developed by the NPD Group, the Global and European Toy Industry Performance Awards celebrate the manufacturers and license owners of the top gaining toy properties by category, as well as the top gaining toy property of year, top global toy manufacturer, and global top selling toy across the markets, according to its Retail Tracking Service.

Warner Bros.’ Harry Potter Franchise received The NPD Group’s Toy Industry Award for Top Gaining Toy Property of 2020 in the Games & Puzzles category, while Nintendo took home the award for Europe’s Top Gaining Toy Property of the Year for its Super Mario Brothers and Mario Kart properties.

“This year’s award winners should be recognised not only for their great accomplishments and dedication to excellence, but also for excelling during a particularly tumultuous time for manufacturers and retailers brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic,” said François Klipfel, president, Toys, The NPD Group.

“Congratulations to all award winners. We wish you continued success in 2021.”

“We are thrilled to receive this award from The NPD Group and have them recognize the strength of the Harry Potter franchise,” said Julian Moon, SVP, EMEA Warner Bros. Consumer Products.

“During these challenging times, it has been uplifting to see children and families come together to play games and puzzles while experiencing the magic of Harry Potter.”

The winners of Europe’s Top Gaining Toy Property according to NPD’s Retail Tracking Service are as follows:

Action Figures and Accessories – Bakugan – Spin Master
Arts & Crafts – LEGO Dots – The LEGO Group
Building Sets – LEGO Super Mario Bros – The LEGO Group
Dolls – Barbie – Mattel
Games & Puzzles – Harry Potter – Warner Brothers
Infant/Toddler/Preschool Toys – PAW Patrol – Spin Master
Youth Electronics – Hatchimals – Spin Master
Outdoor & Sports Toys – Nerf Fortnite – Hasbro
Plush – Star Wars – Disney
Vehicles – Hot Wheels – Mattel
Explorative & Other Toys – Playmobil Scooby Doo – Playmobil

The NPD Group has also presented the Ninth Annual Toy Industry Performance Awards for The Americas – Mexico, the US, Canada and Brazil.

Among the winners in this market, it was MGA Entertainment’s LOL Surprise that was handed the award for US Top Toy Property of the Year, while the US Top Selling Toy of the Year award was given to Mattel’s Barbie Dreamhouse.

The winners of the US Top Selling Toy by Supercategory awards, are:

Action Figures & Accessories – Beyblade Hypersphere Starter Pack Assortment – Hasbro
Arts & Crafts – Kinetic Sand Sandisfying Set – Spin Master
Building Sets – Super Mario Brothers Adventures Starter Course – The LEGO Group
Dolls – Barbie Dreamhouse – Mattel
Explorative & Other Toys – 5 Surprise Mini Brands Mystery Pack – Zuru
Games/Puzzles – UNO Card Game Assortment – Mattel
Infant/Toddler/Pre-school Toys – Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Puppy & Sis Assortment – Mattel
Outdoor & Sports Toys – Bunch O Balloons 3-Pack – Zuru
Plush – Star Wars The Mandalorian The Child Vinyl Head Plush 11″ – Mattel
Vehicles – Hot Wheels Singles 1:64 Assortment – Mattel
Youth Electronics – Kidizoom Smartwatch – VTech

LEGO teams with Universal Music Group to launch creative music franchise LEGO Vidiyo

Posted on by

The LEGO Group has teamed up with Universal Music Group to unveil LEGO Vidiyo, an innovative music video maker experience that celebrates children’s creativity and passion for music.

Through LEGO Vidiyo, kids can direct, produce, star in, and share their own music videos, using chart-topping tracks from Universal Music’s wealth of global artists.

Aimed at kids aged seven to ten, LEGO Vidiyo aims to provide a safe universe where they can explore physical and digital play by letting them experiment with play and music. LEGO states that the platform combines new technology with the LEGO System in Play, to help kids discover music, express themselves, and do so with anonymity that keeps them safe online as they upload their content to the accompanying App feed.

Accessed through a mash-up of LEGO elements, minifigures, music, augmented reality, and a new app, LEGO Vidiyo features endless combinations of editing options that are unlocked through new special effect ‘BeatBits.’

Kids can choose one of the man songs in the App from a variety of established artists. They can then create their own band form a collection of physical minifigures which can be customised and brought to life in different scales through AR tech n the Vidiyo app. Using ‘BeatBits’ – decorated 2×2 square LEGO elements that unlock special features when scanned – users can then line-up an array of special effects. This element allows them to control everything from video and music styles, to scene effects.

LEGO Vidiyo music videos can be set anywhere, and kids can set their stage by scanning their surroundings. Then, by hitting the selected BeatBits in the app, children can take creative control of their music video production, creating dance moves and audio effects in a 60 second performance. These performances can even be trimmed down to five, ten, 15, or 20 seconds clips for sharing with friends.

Finally, once the content has passed moderation, these clips can then be uploaded to the App feed.

LEGO underlines that any content featuring personally-identifiable information, such as children starring in the video, will not be approved for the App feed upload, but can be stored locally in-app, so friends and family can enjoy the content.

New music, challenges, and inspirational content will be added regularly to the App to keep gameplay fresh and encourage children to continue developing their creative skills. The challenges are designed to help young creators transform their videos from simple performances to exciting and dynamic productions, while ensuring they take full advantage of the wide range of features LEGO VIDIYO has to offer through new unique BeatBits.

“We want to feed the imagination of the next generation of creatives, providing a new canvas for kids to creatively express themselves,” said Julia Goldin, chief marketing officer, the LEGO Group.

“Research shows over three quarters (79 per cent) of parents globally wish their children had more creative confidence, so we’re launching LEGO Vidiyo to help make that happen. We know children are always chasing new ways to experiment creatively, and LEGO Vidiyo is here to help all kids with a passion for music unleash their creativity through LEGO building and music video production. We can’t wait to see what they come up with.”

LEGO Vidiyo is the first collaboration between the LEGO Group and Universal Music Group, after the two companies announced their partnership in April 2020.

Olivier Robert-Murphy, executive vice president, Universal Music Group and Brands added: “Through this innovative global partnership – with the power of music and play harnessed to support early development of creativity – children around the globe will be able to express themselves as they stage, direct, perform, and share their music videos.

“LEGO Vidiyo is a great way for millions of kids to discover new music and get closer to their favourite artists while learning and connecting through play.”

LEGO Vidiyo will witness the roll-out of a new App experience, LEGO sets, and lifestyle products, which are being brought to life in partnership with Bravado, Universal Music Group’s industry-leading merchandise and brand management company.

The first LEGO Vidiyo products will be available in the UK from March 1st 2021.

LEGO teams with Hype to launch LEGO Ninjago apparel collection

Posted on by

LEGO has partnered with HYPE to launch a new apparel collection themed around the Danish toy maker’s hit global franchise, LEGO Ninjago. The 28-piece  collection feature t-shirts, shirts, shorts, hoodies, joggers, jackets, and bags. The range is available from JustHype.com and LEGO.com this week.

The new collection illustrates some of the most memorable moments and characters from the LEGO Ninjago franchise’s successful TV series, its building sets, as well as Japanese and Chinese myths and culture.

LEGO Ninjago’s 2020 TV series witnessed the Ninja enter the new realm of The Prime Empire, an urban and futuristic city that has formed the basis of the inspiration for the Hype partnership. The fashion line will feature mesh panelling, embroidery, on-trend chunky taping, branded neck ribs, and over-sized graphics.

Featuring over-sized silhouettes in the LEGO Ninjago’s iconic colour palette of yellow, deep red, and monochrome, with the placement of the secret LEGO Ninjago language spelling out ‘JUST HYPE’ throughout the collection, each individual tee showcases prints of fan-favourite LEGO Ninjago characters.

LEGO opens its first airport LEGO Store in the US in Marshall Retail Group partnership

Posted on by

The LEGO Group has opened its first airport LEGO Store in the US, having partnered with The Marshall Retail Group – a WHSmith Company – to set up shop inside Salt Lake City International Airport.

The all-new LEGO store allows visitors the opportunity to shop for hard-to-find products from the LEGO portfolio, as well as its top sellers, unique featured items, and more.

“Marshall Retail Group is honoured to open the first ever LEGO retail store in the United States in an airport and we’re thrilled to partner with The LEGO Group as it continues to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through creative play and learning,” said Michael C Wilkins, chief executive officer of Marshall Retail Group.

“With its inimitable products and playful atmosphere, we’re confident the LEGO storefront will provide visitors of all ages an unforgettable experience as they travel through the newly-constrcuted Salt Lake City International Airport.”

Among the ranges in stock at the new store will be toddler-friendly LEGO Duplo play-sets, best-selling LEGO City builds, LEGO Friends, and a raft of specialist builds from LEGO Technic, including the Lamborghini Sian FKP 37.

“We are proud to have the first out of many LEGO airport stores in the US here in Salt Lake City. The LEGO airport store offers a premium retail experience to the traveler and engages families, children, and adults​ with a broad range of products from LEGO DUPLO to very sophisticated LEGO Technic models,” said Simon S. Bast, head of sales for Travel Retail Americas.

LEGO Art grows its mosaic-building ‘relaxation’ portfolio with Harry Potter Hogwarts Crests sets

Posted on by

The LEGO Group is growing its LEGO Art portfolio with the launch of a range of Harry Potter Hogwarts Crests sets, designed to give Harry Potter fans and adult LEGO builders the chance to display their house allegiances.

The new 2D tile mosaic wall art sets each allow Harry Potter enthusiasts to build one of four different Hogwarts house crests: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw with the 4,249 piece set. Four sets can be combined to make the ultimate Hogwarts crest.

LEGO Art offers adults a creative experience to help them relax and recharge as they transform a blank canvas (or in this case, small interlinking base plates) using LEGO tiles. The new LEGO Art Harry Potter Crests set can be reimagined in a number of different ways to display a different crest if loyalties change.

The new launch also comes with an immersive soundtrack designed to give fans a ‘behind the scenes’ peek into the Wizarding World as experts talk more about Hogwarts and the different houses. The range and its soundtrack is designed to helping builders “switch off and explore their love of Harry Potter as they build”.

The soundtrack includes stories of those close to the Wizarding World™ including Miraphora Mina, graphic designer for the Harry Potter & Fantastic Beasts films, Eduardo Lima, graphic designer for the Harry Potter & Fantastic Beasts films, Alan Gilmore, creative director for the Harry Potter films, Pierre Bohanna, head prop maker for theHarry Potter & Fantastic Beasts films, and Kitt Kossmann, LEGO designer.

A Harry Potter logo tile adds the final touch to the impressive 15.5” (40cm) square tile mosaic before it is proudly hung on the wall. The new LEGO Art Harry Potter Hogwarts Crests set is designer for builders aged 18 and over, and will be available from January 1st, 2021 from LEGO.com, LEGO Stores and other retailers globally priced from $119.99/€119.99.

SILC 2020: LEGO’s dream to be “a playground of prototyping sustainable alternatives” for licensing partners

Posted on by

The LEGO Group has outlined its plans to bring its sustainable efforts into the firm’s wider LEGO licensing business through an overhaul of its product development and packaging, and to be a “playground of prototyping sustainable alternatives for its portfolio of licensing partners.”

Speaking at the first Sustainability in Licensing Conference this week, LEGO’s licensing sustainability transformation lead, Sine Klitgaard Moller, said that while its core toy offering is developed to be ‘hand-me-down’ or heirloom toy range, the company is aware that the ethos doesn’t necessarily apply to its extended licensed product portfolio.

The mission statement that the LEGO licensing division has now issued is to eliminate single use plastic completely and make all of its licensed products and extended lines sustainable by targeting packaging and other elements of production over the coming years.

Over the next year – from 2021 to 2022 – the LEGO Group will begin to transform all of its plastic packaging into paper packaging, starting with the five types of packaging that make the biggest difference to the environment.

“Our focus, for now, is first of all educating ourselves,” said Klitgaard Moller during a conference slot dedicated to sustainability in the toy industry. “We are also going to transform and help our licensing partners with the packaging challenge.

“I am personally very excited to learn about new materials and the journey that will challenge me to think about licensed products in new ways. It is important that designers and manufacturers join us on this journey, too.”

While the global coronavirus pandemic has thrown its many hardships at industries across the board and across the globe, it’s also expedited a number of social trends, not least the mass move towards online shopping. This move has been earmarked by LEGO as a potential avenue through which to re-think its product packaging.

Klitgaard Moller, said: “With Covid-19 pushing consumers hard into online shopping, suddenly packaging facings aren’t so important. This means we are now given the space to explore new ways of introducing sustainability to the packaging we use.

“By 2030 we want to see a clear path to a planet that is more in balance with consumption. The tools we are creating to educate ourselves, we are sharing with our licensing partners and are trying to make them as simple as possible.

“We are really good at making building instructions for complicated LEGO sets for children to understand, so we are trying to break sustainability and demands down for that single person sitting in their packaging and manufacturing office to help them make better design choices, too.

“We in LEGO Licensing would really like to function as that playground for sustainability, where we can prototype with big and small partners, big and small ideas and show children that we want to do something now, that we are truly listening and are taking action,” she concluded.

LEGO reveals new LEGO Super Mario building sets and collectable character packs

Posted on by

The LEGO Group has expanded its 2020 LEGO Super Mario line with the launch of a new line of sets and characters, including the Master Your Adventure Set, the Chain Chomp Jungle Encounter Expansion Set, The Pirhana Plant Puzzling Challenge Expansion Set, and more.

Leading the newest line up, the Master Your Adventure Maker Set delivers a creative toolbox that enables kids to customise LEGO Super Mario building, play and ways to earn coins. Users can change how LEGO Mario reacts to three Special Bricks, offering a variety in play and a new element of surprise.

The Maker Set also introduces a new special Start Pipe that will shuffle the known rules of the level play, in that players are challenged to reach the Goal Pole in less time, yet with increased rewards up for grabs. The Maker Set comes with 366 pieces, all selected to ensure that children can unleash their creativity and customise their own levels for themselves or other players.

Further sets that have been introduced today are the Chain Chomp Jungle Encounter Expansion Set, the Piranha Plant Puzzling Challenge Expansion Set, the Wiggler’s Poison Swamp Expansion Set, Penguin Mario Power-Up Pack and the Tanooki Mario Power-Up Pack.

As well as this, Series Two of the LEGO Super Mario Character Packs has also landed, all featuring an action tag that LEGO Mario can read for fans to easily integrate into the level play. Series Two features ten new collectable, buildable characters.

Kept a surprise until opened, fans could be getting a Huckit Crab, Spiny Cheep Cheep, Ninji, Foo, Parachute Goomba, Fly Guy, Poison Mushroom, Para-Beetle, Thwimp or a Bone Goomba.

The new sets and characters will give fans the chance to have LEGO Mario slide on his belly as Penguin Mario or spin round as Tanooki Mario. The sets will also introduce much-loved enemies including the Piranha-Plants, Larry, a Goomba, Wiggler, and Koopa Paratroopa, to the play, all of whom can be defeated or played with for coin rewards.

LEGO Super Mario jumped into existence earlier this year through a unique partnership between The LEGO Group and Nintendo. The adventures were kick-started with an entry-point set: LEGO Super Mario Starter Course, which includes an interactive LEGO Mario figure that collects coins in interactive level play created with LEGO bricks.

Each Expansion Set and Collectable Character is designed to be used with the entry point set, featuring seven action bricks for different interactions with the LEGO Mario figure, which has LCD screens in its eyes, mouth and belly to display instant reactions to movement, colour and action bricks.

All sets and characters are compatible, allowing fans to combine sets and characters announced today with the Starter Course and all other LEGO Super Mario products revealed in June this year. Each set also comes with its own series of distinctive challenges and characters, and have been designed to work alongside the free LEGO Super Mario app.

The app hosts 3D Building Instructions for the sets, keeps track of scores and provides inspiration for builds and ways of playing to encourage continuous rebuilding and extended playtime.

Simon Kent, design creator and creative lead for LEGO Super Mario, The LEGO Group, said: “It wouldn’t be Super Mario if we weren’t constantly creating new worlds and adventures for everyone’s favourite Plumber.

“The LEGO Super Mario sets we released earlier this year have been extremely well-received by fans and we’re really excited to build on those with even more characters and experiences today.

“We really want to empower users to be as creative as possible with LEGO Super Mario – and today’s expansion sets and new collectible characters have been launched to broaden the horizons of the LEGO Super Mario universe, letting players be as imaginative as possible in the way they have Mario interact with his friends – as well as defeating his enemies.”

LEGO reveals its ‘most detailed’ Ghostbusters ECTO-1 to date ahead of Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Posted on by

The LEGO Group has revealed its largest and ‘most detailed’ recreation of the Ghostbusters ECTO-1 vehicle ever to be realised in brick form, months ahead of the release of the 2021 film Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

The new, buildable version of the classic car is ‘crammed full of authentic details’ from the iconic converted 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance, including a moving ghost sniffer, detailed roof rack, and a host of paranormal detection equipment.

The LEGO Ghostbusters ECTO-1 has been billed as the perfect addition for film fans, featuring printed versions of the Ghostbusters logo adorning the car doors. The vehicle also comes with an extendable rear gunner seat, working steerings wheel and more, to make this launch ‘the most detailed LEGO brick recreation of the car ever produced.’

The car is the latest in a collection of film-based LEGO model building kits for adults who enjoy the LEGO building process. The set features two new LEGO brick elements in the new 6×14 curved windscreen and a new five module steering wheel.

The set’s LEGO designer, Michael Psiaki, said: “I love creating LEGO vehicles, and having previously designed the LEGO James Bond Aston Martin DB5, I loved the challenge of working on the ECTO-1. This is the largest and most detailed version of this car that we have ever created. It is crammed full of authentic features and easter eggs that I’m excited for builders to discover as they put this model together.”

The LEGO Ghostbusters ECTO-1 contains 2,352 pieces and measures over 8-inches (22.5cm) high, 18-inces (47cm) long and 6-inches (16.5cm) wide. The set will be available from November 15th ahead of the release of the latest film in the Ghostbusters Franchise, Ghostbusters: Afterlife that launches in 2021.