Argos launches LEGO Super Brick delivery van as online shopping reaches new heights

Argos has teamed up with Diversity’s Jordan Banjo and Perri Kiely to unveil the first LEGO Super Brick delivery van, a new decorated van created to deliver the LEGO Super Mario range and celebrate the latest stats from the retailer that see more customers turn to online shopping than before.

New research from Argos has found that that almost half (49 per cent) of Brits are now doing the majority of their non-grocery shopping online, a trend that has seen Argos home deliveries increase by a huge 184 per cent in the past year.

According to the report, since the start of 2020, over half (53 per cent) of those surveyed ‘admit to getting overly excited on delivery day when they hear a knock at the door, looking forward to their delivery more than video calls with friends and family (16 per cent) and clocking off work for the day (11 per cent).’

It also found that 82 per cent of Brits now prefer internet shopping, due to its ease and the ability to track spending more closely and 68 per cent of Brits now constantly track the arrival of their new purchase on their smart phone or tablet, with more than one in ten (11 per cent) such regulars that they even know their delivery driver by name.

Following the results, Argos has now created the LEGO Super Brick delivery van, and has teamed with Diversity’s Perri Kiely and Jordan Banjo to launch the new service. On top of this, Argos is giving customers across the UK the chance to win the full range of LEGO Super Mario toys worth over £300, delivered in the unique Super Brick delivery van.

Speaking of the launch, Perri and Jordan commented: “We’re thrilled to have had a hand in bringing this incredible Super Brick van to life – it’s exactly the type of thing that used to live in our imaginations when we’d play with LEGO growing up. Even as adults, we’re still massive fans of LEGO, and we can’t wait for children to be just as amazed as we were when this turns up on their doorstep.”

Juliet Ward, head of toy buying at Argos, added: “With so much time spent inside over the past few months, we are really excited to be able to bring people an extra bit of joy along with their new products. Our customers have been huge fans of both LEGO and Super Mario for years, and we know they have loved getting hands on with this new range.

“As our study has shown, people are choosing online shopping as their preferred experience more than ever before and toys have once again made into the top three most popular categories purchased online.

There are so many benefits of online shopping and home delivery, and we pride ourselves in giving customers an experience, from selecting the product to delivering it at their door. But it’s interesting to see how in this digital age, it’s the doorbell ringing and getting that delivery which really excites the nation.”

World’s most valuable toy brands could lose up to $3bn in brand value to Covid-19, says Brand Finance report

The world’s top 25 most valuable toy brands – a list that includes the likes of LEGO, Barbie, and Bandai – could lose up to $3 billion worth of brand value as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the latest report to emerge from the independent brand valuation consultancy, Brand Finance.

Analysis by the firm shows that the toys sector is a heavily impacted industry globally and could face as much as a 20 per cent loss in brand value. Looking beyond the toys sector, the value of the 500 most valuable brands in the world, ranked in the Brand Finance Global 500 2020 league table, could fall by an estimated $1 trillion as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak.

Brand Finance has assessed the impact of Covid-19 based on the effect of the outbreak on enterprise value, compared to what it was on 1st January 2020. The likely impact on brand value was estimated for each sector. The industries have been classified into three categories – limited impact (minimal brand value loss or potential brand value growth), moderate impact (up to 10 per cent brand value loss), and heavy impact (up to 20 per cent brand value loss.

While according to the analysts, the toys industry is predicted to suffer a heavy impact to its brand value, it has highlighted a few clear leaders in the sector. One such is LEGO, whose strong marketing strategy and customer loyalty may allow Covid-19 to be an opportunity for the brand to reach new customers who are looking for ways to stay busy at home, states the firm.

“However, marketing and brand awareness campaigns will only take the brand so far, as it is most likely to be faced by manufacturing and distribution issues heavily impacting both the toys and retail sectors,” said Richard Haigh, managing director, Brand Finance.

In fact, the report suggests that LEGO remains the world’s most valuable toy brand by a long way, despite its brand value dropping marginally by 3 per cent to $6.6 billion.

Meanwhile, Nerf has been billed as the fastest growing toy brand this year, following an impressive 43 per cent brand value growth to $587 million. Nerf has made strong progress with its new product lines including Nerf Fortnite and Nerf Ultra. New product launches, paired with greater innovation across the brand, are supporting Nerf in rising to the challenge of increased competition in the sector.

In addition to measuring overall brand value, Brand Finance also evaluates the relative strength of brands, based on factors such as marketing investment, customer familiarity, staff satisfaction, and corporate reputation. According to these criteria, My Little Pony is the world’s strongest toy brand with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 89.8 out of 100 and a corresponding elite AAA+ brand strength rating.

My Little Pony has celebrated an impressive 20 per cent brand value increase to $302 million. The brand’s cartoon series hit the headlines last year as it featured the show’s first same-sex couple, with the episode airing on US television in time for Pride Week.

Following delays in the production of the 2021 My Little Pony feature film, due to Coronavirus, animation work has restarted on the movie, which is being created under Hasbro’s global entertainment studio, eOne. The 2017 My Little Pony: The Movie grossed over US$61 billion in the box office globally.

The Top 10 Most Valuable Toy Brands, according to Brand Finance:

LEGO unleashes the LEGO DC Batman 1989 Batwing, inspired by the Tim Burton classic movie

The LEGO Group celebrated Batman Day this month in true style, by partnering with Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC to release the LEGO DC Batman 1989 Batwing, a LEGO brick reconstruction of the vehicle seen in Tim Burton’s iconic 1989 Batman film.

One for the keen-eyed Batman fans to appreciate, the design uses the smooth lines and features from the original model to bring the gothic elegance to the build. Fans of LEGO and DC alike can explore a full interior, removable canopy and poseable aerodynamic wings. The kit is also dotted with Easter eggs to surprise builders, such as a screen featuring The Joker’s gas balloons and a Bat Engine label.

The LEGO DC Batman 1989 Batwing comes in at an impressive 2,363 pieces and measures over 11cm high. The construction set also features a special brick which allows builders to mount and display their model on the wall. The kit joins the previously released LEGO DC Batman 1989 Batmobile as a dramatic addition to any collector’s line up.

LEGO Creative lead Jesper C. Nielsen, said: “The emblematic set truly takes fans on a journey, as they immerse themselves into Gotham city and get hands-on with the set, using Batman, The Joker and Boombox goon minifigures to relive their favourite moments from the film.

“Fans can even create the infamous scene when The Joker barges in on the Dark Knight and utters his classic words “have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?.”

The LEGO 1989 Batwing construction set is the latest example of how the LEGO Group aims to inspire builders of all ages to build, rebuild and get excited by the process of creation. A complex and rewarding build, the LEGO 1989 Batwing construction set allows builders to relax as they escape from the real world and enter the Batman universe.

Designed for those aged 18 and upwards, the new set will also feature the new stylish packaging designed to reflect the sophisticated nature of the creative process.

All new products in the LEGO Group’s ranges that appeal to adults will now feature the sleek, minimalistic new design across related packaging, building instructions, exclusive content and in-store and online store design.

LEGO 1989 Batwing will be available for LEGO VIP members from 21st October and for remaining LEGO fans from 1st November, directly via LEGO.com and LEGO Stores.

 

LEGO commits $400m to accelerating its sustainability pledge in next three years

The LEGO Group is to invest up to $400 million over the next three years in its sustainability and social responsibility initiatives, covering both long-term investments and ongoing costs that includes its ambition to make all of its packaging sustainable by the end of 2025.

The company has made a series of moves over the course of the last 10 years to step up its efforts in the sustainability movement, but has since underlined how ‘increasingly urgent and important’ it now is to prioritise environmental and social activity.

The LEGO Group will, as a next step, begin to phase out single use plastic bags used in LEGO boxes to package the loose bricks. From 2021, Forest Stewardship Council-certified recyclable paper bags will be trialed in boxes.

CEO, Niels B Christiansen, said: “We cannot lose sight of the fundamental challenges facing future generations. It’s critical we take urgent action now to care for the planet and future generations. As a company who looks to children as our role models, we are inspired by the millions of kids who have called for more urgent action on climate change.

“We believe they should have access to opportunities to develop the skills necessary to create a sustainable future. We will step up our efforts to use our resources, networks, expertise and platforms to make a positive difference.

“We have received many letters from children about the environment asking us to remove single-use plastic packaging. We have been exploring alternatives for some time and the passion and ideas from children inspired us to begin to make the change.”

A lengthy process to find the right kind of alternative, several prototypes made from a range of different sustainable materials have so far been tested with hundreds of parents and children. Children liked the paper bags being trialed in 2021 as they were environmentally friendly and easy to open.

In addition to developing and implementing sustainable materials, the $400million investment will also focus on a range of social and environmentally focused actions to inspire children through learning through play, making the business more circular, and achieving carbon neutral operations.

The activity will drive meaningful, long-term change aligned to two United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Number four Quality Education and Number 12 Responsible Consumption and Production.

By 2022, the LEGO Group aims to reach 8 million children around the world annually with learning through play through a range of activities with partners, in collaboration with the LEGO Foundation. It will build on its work with organisations such as UNICEF, Save the Children and local partners to scale up programmes that give children-in-need access to play and opportunities to develop life-long skills such as problem solving, collaboration and communication.

Meanwhile, programmes will be put in place to encourage people to donate their pre-loved bricks to children in need of play. LEGO Replay, which was successfully trialed in the United States in 2019, will be rolled out in two additional countries by the end of 2022. So far, LEGO Replay has donated bricks to over 23,000 children across the United States.

On top of this, work will continue on the company’s Sustainable Materials Programme, which employs more than 150 experts, to create sustainable products and packaging. In 2015, the Group set a target to make its products from sustainable materials by 2030. It will expand its use of bio-bricks, such as those made from sugar cane, which currently account for almost two per cent of its element portfolio.

It will continue research into new, more sustainable plastics from renewable and recycled sources, and join forces with research institutes and other companies especially those developing new recycling and bio-based material production technologies to find materials which are as durable and high quality as those used today.

The planned investments include both costs associated with the development of new sustainable materials and the investments in manufacturing equipment.

The Group has also underlined that its manufacturing operations will be carbon neutral by 2022. To achieve this, additional solar panels will be installed on all its factories and onsite capacity will be supplemented with the procurement of renewable energy. Further investments will be made to improve energy usage, for example by installing new systems that use ambient air in cooling processes during LEGO brick production.

Improved waste handling and reduction in water consumption will further reduce the Group’s operational impact on the environment. No waste will be diverted to landfill by 2025 and water use will drop by 10 per cent by 2022.

LEGO will continue to work with organisations such as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, World Wild Fund for Nature, RE100, UNICEF and Save the Children in order to create the greatest impact.

Christiansen concluded: “At a time when the world is facing numerous challenges, companies must take action to create a lasting positive impact on the environment and society. No one can do it alone. I urge companies, governments, parents, children and NGOs to continue to join forces to create a sustainable future for our children, the builders of tomorrow.”

LEGO and Levi’s build new collection that turns fashion line into “a blank canvas for LEGO play”

The worlds of fashion and toys have discovered an innovative way to combine through a new partnership between The LEGO Group and Levi’s and the introduction of the customisable baseplate, that will turn your pair of jeans “into a new blank canvas for LEGO play.”

Exclusive to the collection, the collaboration features the first flexible LEGO baseplate, a pliable LEGO silicone panel onto which fans can create their own customised designs using the LEGO Dots system, a new concept that was introduced by the LEGO Group earlier this year.

Sewn directly onto the garment, LEGO and Levi’s fans alike can create their own design using the mosaic-like tiles that snap onto the baseplates. The baseplate features as a customisable patch on the vintage stonewash Levi’s Trucker Jacket, a Dad Crop Trucker Jacket, 501 ’93 Straight Jeans, and a line up of hoodies, crewneck sweatshirts, and accessories.

Customisation pieces from the collection will come with a Levi’s and LEGO Group branded bag of 110 LEGO Dots. Graphic t-shirts are also included in the collection, featuring co-branded graphics. LEGO elements also appear in product details across the collection, including shank buttons in yellow, red, green, blue, white, and black. The Levi’s standard leather patch has also been converted to a flexible red LEGO patch.

“This is such a fun collaboration celebrating self-expression, creativity and nostalgia,” said Karyn Hillman, chief product officer for Levi Strauss & Co. “It’s Levi’s and the LEGO Group coming together to co-create something really special and new, but undeniably familiar. With the customizable baseplates, Levi’s is now literally a new blank canvas for LEGO play.”

Lena Dixen, senior vice president and head of product and marketing development at LEGO Group, added: “There’s so much passion and energy in this partnership, working with the creative and iconic Levi’s brand is inspiring, and is pushing the way we innovate the LEGO brand experience.”

LEGO partners with Tongal and turns to fans to build new content through LEGO World Builder

The LEGO Group has partnered with the content creation platform Tongal to launch LEGO World Builder, a new story-development platform that allows the LEGO fan community to develop stories, shows, and more, with direct access to the LEGO creative team itself.

Powered by Tongal’s technology, LEGO World Builder connects a worldwide creator community to the LEGO Group, who can then incubate ideas, collaborate, give feedback, and option or buy the rights to new concepts. The community is open to anyone over the age of 18, who can then pitch their own stories, or team up and collaborate on story worlds with other fans, writers, animators, and designers.

Each year, thousands of creatives send the LEGO Group original ideas for new content and stories. LEGO World Builder is wholly dedicated to empowering this type of creativity. The platform will also include challenges from the LEGO creative teams, where fans can share their own spin on existing LEGO IP.

“The LEGO Group is known for innovation. As early adopters of open platforms, they have shown true leadership in engaging those who love their products throughout the creative process,” said James DeJulio, Tongal co-founder and CEO. “They were one of the first organizations to adopt Tongal and our creative community, finding success developing and producing content on the platform, and now they have a dedicated environment to take it to the next level.”

The LEGO Group has been leveraging Tongal and its virtual production capabilities since 2012, working with their global creative community to produce video content across social and into streaming.

“As our partner for many years, Tongal has provided us a way to engage with our creative community and LEGO World Builder is an extension of that,” said Keith Malone, senior director of content development at the LEGO Group. “We are privileged to be a brand that stands for creativity not only with our incredible products but also with the experiences we create for our fans. We hope the next Ninjago or LEGO Masters could come from this collaboration.”

Creators can go to worldbuilder.tongal.com to join the community, explore worlds and start creating.

Winners of the 2020 Licensing International Excellence Awards revealed in virtual awards ceremony

The winners of the 2020 Licensing International Excellence Awards have been revealed in the industry’s first virtual awards ceremony that brought together nearly 1,000 executives from around the world for the celebrations.

Hosted by Handcraft VP and stand-up comic Marshall Mizrahi, the event saw licensing powerhouse Martha Stewart inducted into the Licensing Hall of Fame.

It also played host to a showcase of this year’s six international Rising Stars in Krystyna Braxton (NFL Players Inc.); Allison Cimino (RockLove); Carolina Garcia Souza (Cinecolor Colombia, representative of The Walt Disney Company); Gao Qiang (Tencent); Hannah Stevens (The Point.1888); and Louis Yenik (Crunchyroll). 

Newly redesigned trophies for both the main Awards and the Hall of Fame were also unveiled at the event, designed by Alternatives and PowerStation Studios, respectively. 

The 23 Awards winners hail from around the globe, including companies from Brazil, France, Germany, Korea, the UK and the US, and were unveiled by 10 leading licensing executives who each brought their own special flair to the event.

The Coca-Cola Company and Sesame Workshop each “took home” multiple trophies – Coca-Cola swept the Food & Beverage categories, winning Best Product for its Coca-Cola-flavoured Tic Tacs in partnership with Ferrero, and picking up the prize for Best Food & Beverage Brand of the Year. Sesame Workshop’s “Sesame Street” was named Best Live-Action Entertainment or Character Brand and also won for its “A Cautionary Tale” promotion with Squarespace. Meanwhile, Wildbrain CPLG was crowned as the first winner in the newly added Best Licensing Agency category. 

A number of companies supported the Licensing International Small Business Global Grants Fund by taking space in the Awards Program, which was made available digitally Monday. Thanks to their contributions, the Grants Fund has raised more than $110,000 to help small businesses in the licensing community impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. 

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the International Licensing Awards, and while we had of course looked forward to celebrating in person, this virtual gathering was an amazing event,” said Maura Regan, president, Licensing International.

Perhaps more than ever it was important to celebrate the incredible creativity and innovation of our industry. Seeing the very best work of this industry on display, alongside some of the dynamic executives who drive it, was a powerful reminder that, in the wake of uncertainty, the power of trusted brands and well-known licenses is more critical than ever before.”

The 23 2020 Licensing International Excellence Awards winners are:

Best Licensed Products

  • Apparel/Footwear/Accessories – Vans for David Bowie Apparel & Footwear Range
  • Appliance/Automotive/Housewares/Electronics – Pro-Ject Audio Systems for The Beatles Turntable
  • Toys/Games/Novelties for ages 0 to 8 – WowWee for Pinkfong Baby Shark Song Puppets
  • Apps/Software/Video games – Story Toys / Touch Press for LEGO Duplo World App
  • Food/Beverage – The Coca-Cola Company / Ferrero for Coca-Cola Tic Tac
  • Health and Beauty Aids – Lipsmacker for Crayola Lip Care Line
  • Home Decor – Dreamtex Ltd for National Geographic Recycled Bedding
  • Publishing/Back-to-School – Party City – Pantone’s 2019 Color of the Year Partygoods & Tableware
  • Toys/Games/Novelties for ages 8+ – LEGO for Stranger Things Lego Set

Best Licensed Brands

  • Art/Designs/Celebrity/Fashion Brand – V&A by Victoria & Albert Museum 
  • Digital/ App/ Video Game Brand – Brown & Friends by LINE Friends
  • Corporate Brand – Cat by Caterpillar  
  • Entertainment/Character Brand: Animated – Peppa Pig by eOne / Hasbro
  • Entertainment/Character Brand: Live Action – Sesame Street by Sesame Workshop
  • Food/Beverage/Restaurant Brand – Coca-Cola by The Coca-Cola Company
  • Sports/Collegiate Brand – Rugby World Cup by World Rugby / IMG

Other Awards

  • Best Licensed Promotion – Squarespace & Sesame Street “A Cautionary Tale”
  • Best Licensed Collaboration – SpongeBob Squarepants x Nike x Kyrie Irving
  • Best Experiential or Location-Based Initiative – The Very Hungry Caterpillar at the Royal Horticultural Society
  • Best Retailer for a Character/Entertainment Initiative – Galeries Lafayette for Batman 
  • Best Retailer for a Corporate/Lifestyle/Sports Initiative – NBA Stores Brazil 
  • Best Licensing Agency – Wildbrain CPLG
  • The Newcomer Award – Harrogate Tipple Ltd for Downton Abbey Gin & Whisky

 

PAW Patrol, Star Wars and LEGO Nintendo among Argos’ top 12 Toys for Christmas 2020 picks

Argos has revealed its top 12 toys for Christmas 2020 in anticipation of the Christmas toy shopping season and a nation that ‘has rekindled its love for toys,’ through more time spent at home throughout lockdown. Among the top toys, PAW Patrol, Star Wars, and LEGO’s Super Mario collection all feature.

With less than 200 days to go until December 25th, the British store predicts LEGO Lamborghini, Baby Yoda and a pooping flamingo to be among its top sellers this Christmas, while this season will see consumers tap into nostalgia-fuelled shopping driven by the lockdown and time spent at home.

According to research carried out by Argos, more than a fifth of parents plan to gift their child something that conjures memories of their own childhood this year. It goes some way to explain why the likes of Star Wars and LEGO’s Nintendo Super Mario range are among the predicted top sellers for 2020.

Juliet Ward, head of toy buying at Argos, said: “With so much time spent inside during lockdown, the nation has rekindled its love for toys, turning to them now more than ever to keep themselves entertained during what has been a difficult time for many.

‘This year’s top toys list offers a huge variety of new products, ranging from toys inspired by the biggest TV and gaming franchises to bizarre – but crucially, fun – pooping animals.

‘When we craft the list of our top toy predictions for the year, we always try to accurately gauge the “toy crazes” that are set to make thousands of wish lists.

‘This year it’s heartening to see so many toys that will encourage families to spend time together, whether that’s putting together a LEGO Lamborghini or reminiscing over the Mario games of the 80s and 90s.”

An animatronic doll of The Child from The Mandalorian – affectionately known as Baby Yoda – is expected to be one of this year’s biggest hits, joined by the LEGO Adventures with Mario Starter Course, enabling fans to recreate the iconic platform game in brick form.

As Argos’ research goes on to suggest that 40 per cent of parents are set to purchase more toys that encourage active and imaginative play this year, the retailer is firmly tapping into the trend with its Little Live Pets Gotta Go Flamingo that tells kids when it has to sit on its potty. Joining it is the Poopsie Dancing Unicorn.

Familiar faces come in the form of new toys from LOL Surprise and PAW Patrol. Spin Master’s PAW Patrol Dino Rescue Dino Patroller is joined by the LOL Surprise OMG Fashion Dolls Series 3.

The £350 LEGO Technic Lamborghini denotes a desire for the high-end toy lines this year, while the £60 KidiZoom Studio reflects the youth’s lean in to the world of TikTok and YouTube. The list is rounded out with the Hatchimals Pixies Crystal Flyers, and Laser Battle Hunters, promoting active play.

LEGO and Nintendo unveil the LEGO NES building kit

It’s official, LEGO and Nintendo have responded to the question we never knew we needed answering, with the official unveiling of the LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System building kit for adults; letting us all relive the nostalgia of yesteryear in brick form.

The new kit is the latest product of the ongoing LEGO Group and Nintendo partnership, offering fans a brick-built NES model that comes with realistic details, including the accompanying 1980s style LEGO television set to encourage (like they need much of it) nostalgic gamers and LEGO fans to recreate their Super Mario Bros childhood moments.

Fans can build a mechanically functional version of the console, while each kit will include a controller with a connecting cable and plug, as well as an opening slot for the Game Pak with a locking feature. The console also comes with a buildable retro TV, featuring a flat 8-bit Mario figure on the scrolling screen.

You can even scan an included action brick with LEGO Mario from the LEGO Super Mario Starter Course, so he reacts to on-screen enemies, obstacles and power-ups just as he would have in the iconic Super Mario Bros. game.

“Super Mario has been a cherished figure in the gaming world for over thirty years now,” said Maarten Simons, creative lead on LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System, the LEGO Group. “Many adults still fondly remember that first time they saw Mario leap across the small screen, even if the graphics were a lot simpler than they are today.

“With the LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System, we’re letting them truly indulge in that nostalgia, recreating one of the most-loved consoles of all time so they can see the Super Mario from their childhoods once again – and even to share the experience of gaming in the 1980s with their own children.”

The LEGO Group and Nintendo announced their partnership earlier this year, bringing a fun-packed LEGO Super Mario universe to life through a Super Mario Starter Course set that exclusively features a LEGO Mario figure who displays a wide variety of instant reactions to movement, colour and various action bricks.

This entry point set was followed up on in May with a series of Power-Up Packs and in June with the announcement of a range of Expansion Sets and collectible Character Packs. All have been designed to build out the world of LEGO Super Mario, letting players unleash their creativity by building exactly the levels and challenges they want to see LEGO Mario and friends compete in.

The NES building set is part of a range of inspirational LEGO models designed for discerning hobbyists, as they look for their next immersive challenge. The LEGO NES will be available exclusively from LEGO Retail Stores and LEGO.com from August 1st 2020. From 2021 it will be available also at other leading retailers around the world.

It will be priced at £209.99, so start collecting those gold coins.

LEGO brings pop culture to the home with LEGO Art launch featuring Marilyn Monroe, the Beatles, Marvel and Star Wars

What have Marilyn Monroe, The Beatles, the Marvel Universe, and the cast of iconic characters from Star Wars all got in common? Answer, they’re all the subject of a new pop-culture focused LEGO Art launch aimed directly at the adult fans.

The LEGO Group has launches a new canvas for creative expression, aimed at adult fans of LEGO and offering them ‘a different way to transform their passion into art,’ in the form of a series of new building sets that once complete become their own LEGO artwork portrait to display.

The LEGO Art sets offer adults a new 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. Each set can be reimagined in a number of different ways to express the personality of each different builder, and to make it easy and simple for pop culture lovers to refresh the LEGO Art piece on display in their house.

All four new sets come with a signature tile unique to the set that is worthy of any true work of art, and a new hanging element to make them easy to hang up and switch around.

The launch comes following research from The LEGO Group that found that 73 per cent of adults often research new ways to help them relax. Each LEGO Art set comes with a bespoke soundtrack to aid the construction, each featuring anecdotes from the creators of Iron Man and Star Wars, or those closest to the stories of Andy Warhol and the Beatles; the soundtracks dive into the inspiration behind each design.

The LEGO Marvel Studios Iron Man set will be available exclusively from LEGO Retail Stores and LEGO.com while the other three sets will be available from retailers from 1st August 2020, or from 1st September in the US.

LEGO Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe set will allow pop art admirers to recreate Andy Warhol’s famous bright pink screenprint of Marilyn Monroe from 1967, or reimagine it in three different colours using LEGO tiles.

With LEGO The Beatles, music lovers can bring Beatle-fandom into the home with a LEGO portrait of their favorite band member, whether it’s John Lennon, Sir Paul McCartney, George Harrison or Sir Ringo Starr. Each set can be used to create four unique portraits or collect four and display the full band side-by-side. Fans can get by with a little help from friends of the Beatles as they switch their headphones over to accompanying soundtrack to listen to music and stories about the band as they build.

LEGO Marvel Studios Iron Man challenges super hero fans to decide between powering their hero up with the Mark III, the Hulkbuster Mark I or the Mark LXXXV with this three-in-one set. After the tough decision is made, builders can recharge by listening to cool details about the set and stories from Marvel Experts as part of the accompanying soundtrack.

Fans who want to channel Tony Stark and ‘run before you walk’ can combine three of the same sets into one to create the ultimate Iron Man artwork.

Finally, LEGO Star Wars The Sith celebrates iconic villains from a galaxy far, far away with this three-in-one portrait set. Choose between portraits that pay tribute to the Sith, with Darth Vader, Darth Maul or Kylo Ren, or take the artwork to the next level by combining three sets into an ultimate Darth Vader wall piece.

The soundtrack means the Force will be with fans as they create their very own piece of wall art while listing to music from the films and fun stories from Star Wars creators.

Louise Elizabeth Bontoft, senior design director at the LEGO Group, commented: “We know adults are always trying to destress after a day at work, and we thought, what better way to help them switch off than by encouraging them to explore their favourite passion in a new creative way?

“With these wider ranging designs, we believe that we can inspire film fans, music lovers and art and design aficionados to immerse themselves in a world of art and creativity linked to their idols. Through this new experience, we believe adults can unwind, engage in a mindful building activity and ultimately create a beautiful piece of wall art that perfectly reflects their personality.”

These new wall art sets are the second 2D tile creative concept to be announced by the LEGO Group this year, following the launch of LEGO DOTS, a new theme that offers children a new way to express themselves inspired by arts and crafts.

The LEGO Art range will be available to pre-order from Zavvi.com and lego.com from 2nd July.