I think it's purely nostalgia. Why is Power Miners considered a raging success for a 2 year run while Nexo Knights is a flop for getting 3 years? I for one never had Power Miners so I don't think of it as this incredible theme.
I believed it is because modern Lego themes are not appealing enough to older children and teenagers. Nowadays there are so many large pieces, bright colors and play features that the sets feel very similar to toys for pre school aged children. Only a few sets have a broader appeal. In the 80s and 90s it was not uncommon for kids up to the age of 15 to enjoy Lego system sets and themes while today that's very rare. At least where I live and I'm only talking about my personal observations. In junior high school I still had friends coming over to my house to build huge pirate and space worlds or train setups but then they lost interest. I don't think that would happen today.
@@eightcoins4401 That is also true but those are mostly licensed sets. The bright pastel colors are usually found in in -house themes. Sets nowadays have either too bright colors or are too gray and depressing. In the 80s and 90s they had balance in regard to colors.
Lego is already wacky making whacky the whole idea is indecisive/a hat on a hat/a cop out. There's nothing wrong with the smaller characters in the dreams line although it is a little tragic that the pink wings are constantly the coolest thing about them. the larger things don't quite mesh well enough to justify add space let alone the price tag.
I think its rather safe with its dream approach. Dreams can be pretty wild and abstract, these are more like generic fantasy realm with occasional tech. Think Time Cruisers/Time Twisters is a better Dreamzzz line than Dreamzzz itself.
@SupersuMC for real all you need is a basic backstory to explain the environment the sets are in and you're good to go -Pirate: Setting: islands, ships, forts. Scenario: Pirates vs colonial soldiers/tribals -space: Setting: Ships, bases, alien planets Scenario: research mission, visiting/fighting aliens, Dealing with peaceful/hostile humanoid Space factions -Castle: Setting: castles, medieval villages, forests, hideouts Scenario: struggle with bandits, generic medieval civilian life, army vs army battles,
@@Gameprojordan I think some people relate to charecters and stories more then what they create on thier owne and some just want things desinged by uthers rather then taking time to create thier owne idias. I play pokemon and I want to train and raise my pokemon while it seams alot of people want pokemon pretrained at max levell so they don't need to put the efort into that. It takes the fun out of things if it's all set up and you don't or can't do it yourselfe in my opinion.
I can't agree with you on this one. I buy themes like Ninjago, Hidden Side, Monkie Kid or Dreamzzz mainly because I like the builds or the looks of the minifigures. I have not seen most of these shows and still like the sets of these themes. To me, knowing the shows is just an added bonus that makes you understand the sets more. I buy lots of these themes without knowing what is going on and I don't have to know, to like a set that looks good to me. I really like the old themes but to me the new themes aren't bad either.
I'm somewhat the opposite: I rarely buy sets nowadays unless there is a specific minifigure or set I'm looking out for. I mostly watch the shows connected to the sets. Say what you want about the sets and shows of different themes, all of them have rich worlds in their own right that you can get invested in that I feel like are being eclipsed by ninjago that got time to really flesh out its world in a way most other LEGO themes couldn't. I loved both Chima and Nexo Knights when they were airing, and I do like LEGO Dreamzzz so far, and I obviously adore Ninjago, and I like them all for their interesting worlds. Something I have noticed about each of the shows is that they all start out terribly before they really find their footing which hits in quite hard and fast once it does, yet ninjago is the only show that does not get bashed for that low quality of its first four pilot episodes, maybe in part since "but these are only the pilots!" is an argument. This plays into what another commentor is claiming about the community considering most of the shows post-ninjago worse than they actually are because they grew up with ninjago and thus don't care for the other shows, which I defenitely consider to be the case for Chima since it came directly after ninjago was cancelled, but not sure how that argument applies for nexo knights and dreamzzz as well as some other lego shows.
I buy sets for figures and parts. I modify everything I make in some way to my liking and I create my owne builds to fit my owne stories. I have lost interest in lego tv programs and movies so I don't care about the stories on the sets I buy.
i like a lot of the newer themes too but there’s barely any compared to back in the day before they had all these IPs. lego has improved a lot but the limitations of older parts forced creativity & made them look a bit more abstract, which lets you fill in the gaps more with imagination.
This. Lego at some point in the mid 2000s got confused. Instead of having simple play sets and model sets be separate, they made all sets capable of both, which abandoned what made Lego… well Lego. Now every set has to be overly detailed, specific, nailed down. But the biggest issue is that themes are no longer compatible with eachother. You can’t really buy a city set and change it around to work just as well with your space or pirate sets. (The other issue being the abandonment of the literally perfect Lego System) Lego has become a model Kit company instead of a toy company.
I think that Ultra Agents was a good theme that managed to have a tie in app. The sets were great and you could easily tell what belonged to what side, with the agents´ main colors being black, trans blue, a bit of white and orange ammo. The villains had their own vehicles and every villain was unique with their weapons, vehicles and character design. You buy a set and you have something for the agents and something for the villain of the set. You could easily make up your own story but if you wanted to see an existing story with the set, the app was there and you could watch the interactive comic.
I never used the app because who cares? I don't buy Lego so I can open an app and "play" mobile crap while my Lego set collects dust. I buy Lego for Lego. And these godawful corporatized art-direction, constantly rebooted, 1-dimensional characters with copy-pasted personalities from every other corporatized, 1-dimensional kids show does not make a proper theme. It makes plastic crap resembling corporatized kids shows. I don't buy Lego for that. Modern Lego is shit. Pure shit.
@@PlazDreamweaver I didn't get anny hidden side sets. I was interested in uther stuff at the time but the digital lrogram was off to me. I get that lego is rying to get into the digital entertainmant that alot of kids are into at this point but lego was made as a physical toy or modal building from the start and pushin digital into it doesn't work too much in my opinion. I play plenty of video games myselfe but computer/electronic games are programmed with spaciffic rules and gameplay and the real world is much more creative. I want to create with physical legos in the real world not build something digital I cant even touch.
One of my favorite things from original Lego themes were the easter eggs and how they crossed together, characters from one theme appearing in another etc. This is true for so many themes: Atlantis, Galaxy squad, ultra agents, monster fighters, alien conquest, Ninjago, chima
I'm kinda sad that nexo knights failed. I really liked the concept and it follows the rules of a good theme you listed. Clear distinction between heroes and villains, not too specific and leaves room for imagination. Unfortunately it was too reliant on the app plus the traditional castle fans clearly didn't like it
Its problem is having two waves of samey villains, the thrid wave Techno Borg Vampires would have been a much better followup to the first wave than the Rock lighting monsters.
This is probadly only a "me" problem, but even tho I liked some of the Nexo Knights idea's, to this day, I still think making all the knights human was a mistake. Mostly because if you gonna do a fantasy with Sci-fi, why not include other fantasy races. Like try imagening sci-fi themed Elfes, Dwarfs, Satyrs, Centaurs, Fey, ect(heck Axel technicly could work as an Sci-fi themed Giant, or Minotaur). And all of classic fantasy idea's in futuristic style.
@@dedalionarts6077 Oh yeah you are totally right, should have had more fantasy races with the high tech twist instead of just humans and the demon monsters that emerged from the book. The Techno Vampires were a good example of a high tech race that could have worked.
My only problem with Nexo is that the villains don't mesh well with the theme, they could have been included in a more classy fantasy castle. They should have tried to make them more technopunk like the knights... That and Castle fans are quite strict...
The argument that "new themes are too specific" is ridiculous. Dreamzzz is easily the LEAST specific line they've ever released. Play with old sets is a lot more limited. Your average Power Miners set was a big drill vehicle and a rock monster which doesn't leave much up to the imagination. The human's are mining for crystals when they're attacked by the monster. With Dreamzzz, every set is wildly different and entirely imaginative (a dream is literally your imagination creating a story). That Rocket could easily be like Mars Mission where a space ship lands on an alien world which likely isn't how it's implemented in the show. The fact that it's not immediately obvious what the story around each set is, is a testament to how imaginative it really is.
If they pre assign names to the minifigures the theme is too specific and if they write complicated backstories or tv shows it's even worse. They had the perfect balance in the late 80s and early 90s.
This is genuinely the worst criticism. You contradict yourself, how is dreams and monkey kid simultaneously all over the place and too specific. Especially since you compare it to power miners which is 20 sets of a drill fighting a rock monster.
You could make the same arguments you're discrediting the new themes with against the older ones. Ninjago - in this first set, it's this fire guy fighting skeletons... but in this next set, it's... lightning guy? What's going on? Why's there an architecturally traditional temple but also tech-based vehicles? Like, come on. Dreamzzz has a very obvious split. The bad guys are black and purple, the good guys are bright colours. You don't need a singular colour scheme for the good guys to recognise them as such. I have two VERY young siblings who understand the dynamic and love the theme - if they can manage, so can you. Thing is, LEGO original themes very rarely last beyond 3 years. The 10+ year runs of Ninjago and Friends are unusual. Think of the themes you touted as great - Power Miners: 2 years. Atlantis: 2 years. That's the lifespan of these things. How's Hidden Side meant to be a failure for lasting... the same amount of time? Or Nexo Knights, which lasted a year longer?
The reason is incredibly simple. They are risk adverse. In the introduction for Dreamz, Lego said that they workshopped the concept for several years. I find that statement very concerning.
I think this issue is a very niche concern. I see what you are saying, but I feel like you are exaggerating a bit. Ninjago has become homogonized too over it's 10+ year run, so did Bionicle, the evolution from line to line makes the entire theme chaotic and dissonant. The issue is there aren't enough compelling themes and combat is a key element in every new theme. Compared to older sets "battle in a box" is now very much the norm.
Yeah, definitely the lack of compelling themes. Why should I care about some story I can't access due to lack of cable and/or streaming service when I can buy the latest LEGO Minecraft wave? BIONICLE was much more accessible story-wise to me despite its multimedia presence because large parts of the story were in novels I could buy from a bookstore or in comics from my LEGO Magazine subscription or from web serials I could print out and monster-clip together. These days you'd best have a Netflix subscription or some other cable or streaming service - what does Cartoon Network show its shows on the web, anyway? - in order to access the story, and, y'know, watch mindlessly instead of engaging with your mind and imagination. Do I think we should go back to books? Not necessarily, but you can't expect me to be interested in a story when I can't access it without a subscription.
could tell u were a 00's kid before even hearing your favorite themes lol. the nostalgiablindness is baked in so hard. the aughts-early 10s' had its fair share of short-lived themes like dino, monster fighters, alien conquest, and galaxy squad, so why not mention them? also dreams is very cohesive, with intentional vivid color hero builds juxtaposed against villain builds with a uniform "nightmare" theme. maybe u should've reconsidered this script when u had to start making excuses for why Monkie kid countered your point
Fair enough. There certainly is a big amount of bias in this video, I'm not going to deny that. When it comes to Monkie Kid proving my points wrong though, I would be interested though in what ways it does? I said that Monkie Kid was so popular due to its popularity in east Asia, which is true. Many American and European stores don't even offer Monkie Kid sets anymore, you can only get them online. If it wasn't as popular as in China and other east Asian countries, the theme would've been retired by now too
@@brickcollectiblesthe video centers around the thesis that lego has not produced a memorable tentpole theme since ninjago (a fair observation), but disregards monkie kid, one that arguably has achieved that status, just because it isn't as prominent in your home region. to say it's not important based on a "what if lego just didn't care about the massive chinese/east asian market" hypothetical is a complete sidestep of the issue. its not even an unreasonable take to say that lego struggled through the mid-10s with new ip and kinda lost the plot a bit with tech integration, but to slam monkie kid and dreams, which both go back to brick-basics with their gimmicks (especially with dreamzzz' emphasis on alternate builds), along with them is reductive of this current era of lego. with the research that went into both of them, i would not be shocked if they stay around for much longer than the video anticipates
Bringing up Ninjago of all things for a theme that is NOT "too specific" is kinda bizarre. Ninjago is the theme that started that trend and is extremely dependent on its show.
I actually liked Nexo Knights and collected all the sets. I think the reason the theme failed, was that Castle fans tend to be purists in terms of historical accuracy, or at least keeping things to a fantasy setting. So the mix of castles and technology offended a lot of them. Another one I really liked was Ultra Agents, but while the agent sets were amazingly cool, the bad guy sets were mediocre and forgettable. The big problem with that theme is it didn't really appeal to most kids.
honestly the "old theme gave you a world and you can make whatever story you want, while with the new themes you can't" is very dumb and illogical "you need to see an episode on why Dreamzzz good guy are fighting the bad guy" is dumb too I mean, that logic can be applied to any theme, ninjago too, why the ninja are fighting the skeletons? watch the show to find out Bionicle too, and many many more
Bionicle fits in the category of you can follow the deep scattered story, or you can just go with the most bare bones info you get and just enjoy the robot figures. Same with Hero Factory.
idk what's your problem, I think Nexo Knight I have great builds, I just had to buy the huge Tank-Castle just like the giant miner drill, without even watching any of the series, and when I saw Nexo Knight minifigs I fell in love in those armors and huge shields, just wish these characters were little more generic but thats a me isssue
Lego should go back to the concept of having four core system themes (town/trains, castle, space and pirates) and a couple of themes that change every two or three years. If any of those themes are very popular they could stick around longer like Ninjago. I wish juniorization never happened, it brought us large ugly pieces and built in "play features" that ruined many sets and took away imagination and real playability. If Lego hadn't experimented with juniorization we wouldn't be stuck with all the licensed themes today. I have zero interest in any sets related to superheroes or movies/tv series and those should be replaced with the original four core Lego themes.
Why are you hating on dreamzzz it's a pretty a good theme, very creative and original also the colourful and weird vehicles, animals and characters suit the theme perfectly, because dreams are chaotic and weird. So i have to disagree with you on that point completely.
I disagree, The fault isn't the themes itself heck i would even say that it's nobody fault, it's just that casuals have been leaning more towards the licensed ips. Also themes having a distinctive colour scheme with a setting in mind is good but it isn't necessary, Even when you used ninjago as an example that is not the whole theme, ninjago isnt just ninjas vs skeletons there's alot of other villains and other places on the theme.
Well I get your point. By the way, I had enough of antagonists being associated with black and dark colours. I was thinking about what about the Lego company just sell separate Lego pieces, so that anyone could make their own custom builds, and even get instruction on certain structures to help out with new ideas! Is this already a thing? Let me know.
I'm thinking nostalgia is a big factor, at least on my side, because I'm older, and find myself making a lot of the same comparisons you do. Except instead of the 2000-2010 era being the good examples, I'm going on with 1980-1990s being the examples I liked and 2000+ being the designs I disliked.
Lasting longer than three years is a very high bar. And probably not even desirable. Even classics like Futuron or Blacktron had only two years. Plus: You got it all wrong about Monkie Kid. It is a huge success not only in China and Asia but in Europe and the US, as well. Even if it isn't available everywhere. And the series is considered to be the best original Lego series ever, better than Ninjago.
Just to answer you on your Monkie Kid comment: Monkie Kid sales especially in Europe have gone back so strongly, that many stores have decided to take down Monkie Kid sets to make space for other themes. And in regard to Monkie Kid being the best original Lego IP, I don't know in which Monkie Kid circle jerk you spend your time in, but especially these days, Monkie Kid is regarded as extremely overprized. Even when the sets look good, they are often so expensive, that most people prefer Ninjago, just because of a much better value.
@@brickcollectibles You got a source for these sales figures? Because in Europe most stores never had the sets in the first place, which makes your point about shrinking sales moot. In terms of prices MK is pretty much at the exact same level as Ninjago or Dreamzzz or any other own brand - and waaay below all the licensed stuff. But since MK isn't in stores there are no reduced prices (like with Ninjago, which is pretty much reduced all the time). As soon as you get the MK sets online you get a pretty decent price. You talk a big game. But you should work at your documentation. Which starts in your video: "Lego themes are so bad these days, that none of them make it to more than three years. Well, apart from MK, but that's just because of all the Chinese..!" Sloppy work.
I think lego knows exacly what they are doing and they were changing the formular because the sets sell better when they aren't as boring as the old themes where everything looks the same.
Personally, I'd say the newer LEGO IPs aren't exactly bad or anything. I grew up with Power Miners, Ninjago, and Space Police, and so obviously I value those sets a lot more. I can recognize that these newer IPs aren't for me because I've just grown up, but that doesn't make them any worse in quality than the older ones. I think the biggest issue here is just the lack of original IPs nowadays. In the 2000s-2010s LEGO had a wide variety of original themes, but now it seems most sets are from licensed themes like Marvel, Star Wars, or Sonic. There's just not a whole lot of original sets anymore, excluding ones that have been going on forever like City or Friends.
I think I like even older themes like pirates and medieval knights because there were factions but not clear who was the bad guys. you had to make this up yourself too.
I definitely agree with your thought on how lego dreamzzz seems too specific to the show though I also think a child wouldn’t have to see the show to enjoy the set. I feel like dreamzzz sets have fun crazy builds that remind me personally of well a dream and that the imagination is endless. I think the bad guys are very distinguishable though I think the smaller little bad guys are honestly lacking. It annoys me how some sets have several obvious good guys then just this 1 very tiny whatever bad guy. Though at least the King nightmare guy and hunter characters are their and if you put them with the smaller guys I think it looks better but yeah I also think a big part of it is nostalgia for a different time period. If you think about it at least for America in the 2000s we had war going on right? And everytime theirs been a war toys get more intense on selling war toys to males and baby/kitchen toys to females. If anyone doesn’t get what saying I literally learned this in socialism class in high school idk what to tell you lol. But anyways my point is remember atlantis and Star Wars commercials. Those and other themes always had the same words “YOU CAN FIRE THE-“ “FIRE THE-“ “WATCH OUT FIRE THE-“. So these toys were always about fighting and thus appealed to a huge male audience myself included. And I think since now that war has past lego has become a lot less into the idea of the simple GOOD GUY FIGHT BAD GUY AND DESTROY STUFF gimmick and are now more focus on giving kids ideas to inspire creativity. Which can be seen in themes like dreamzzz and lego DOTS. I’d say examples of themes that appeal mostly to males and fighting from the 2000s to 2010s would be Atlantis,though a license Star Wars, Power Miners, Chima, Nexo knights, Castle, Aqua raiders, Alpha Team, Dino Attack, Definitely Exo-Force,Pirates, Agents, Hero Factory And kinda Bionicle. And you could say well dreamzzz has good guys and bad guys and so does Monkie kid. Yes but it’s not a intense focus anymore. Trust me just rewatch some older commercials of the themes I listed out more specifically lego Star Wars the clone wars and atlantis n stuff and just notice the focus of attacking. Now find the new dreamzzz, Super Mario, and monkie kid commercials and notice how the battle stuff is still their but not so focus on. So my point is basically kids who grew up in the 2000s and 2010s are nostalgic for Lego themes more focus on fighting that relates to war and are very nostalgic for that kind of stuff. And now that lego has completely changed it I think people from that time are bothered cause it just isn’t the same. And I myself and victims to missing more battle/war lego themes and not really enjoying the new themes like dreamzzz and Monkie kid cause it just doesn’t feel the same. Also I wonder do any of us know actually what the children think? Cause so far I’ve only heard this from adults around my ages in their 20s. What matters really is if the kids like it. I also wonder if a lot of this hating of legos new stuff relates to a lot of people who are autistic or neurodivergent in some way. I say this as a autistic person myself who has known a lot of lego fans who are also autistic and a big thing with autism for us is not liking change and being very against it. But yeah I could go on or what I think socially lol. Thanks for reading and I love to see what other people think please be respectful :)
i disagree with the "lego themes are too specific now a days" when themes like Bionicle, a theme that came out over 2 decades ago pre built with it's own overarchign story, extremely dence lore & world building, and it's own ongoign comic series and novelizations is literally oen of the thigns that saved the company. followed by their reboot of Knights Kingdom, the Exo-force series, Hero Factory which lasted way longer than you'd expect it to, etc. Bionicle didn't even have distinct villain sets (not affordable ones anyway) until a year later when they also updated hte Toa Mata's designs into the Toa Nuva
I actually really like the hidden side sets, but I never got any (don’t know why), I love how the trans green parts can be used to customize the ghosts from possession, but some of my friends told me that hidden side was a knockoff possession so I never got around to watch it
I'm surprised Power miners being a kind of unspoken spiritual sequel to the "rock raiders" theme from a good few years before. The vehicles are aesthetically similar yet easily recognizable as their own theme by the fact the power miners have orange and green with white highlights while the rock raiders have grey and teal with yellow or brown highlights. I remember people claimed the ower miners veehicles were too "toy-ish" in their colors but they honestly just look like actual high visibility vehicles I've seen before IRL color scheme wise save for the orange parts.
We in the space community, especially us BLACKTRON, have long been asking Lego to return to some of its original themes. We’re the older crowd but arguably some of the most dedicated. Revisiting past themes makes old new again and gives the new generation and older generation something to share in.
the only set i like from dreamzzz is the shark ship. and the ONLY reason i bought it, is so i can use it without the big engines as a ghost ship in an animation. everything else i agree, it feels completely slapped together and nonsensical, which i guess is the point since it's dreams, but even most dreams have cohesion unless it's really wacky. the other biggest thing with lego, is they seem to be really focusing on vehicles in their new themes, unless it's the $200 base for the good or bad guys, which i know they did before. but these ones feel very cramped and honestly not even big enough for smaller hands to use any of the features. even the big dreamzzz pirate ship has so much slapped onto it it's hard to use any of it
TL, DR: Monkie kid is a huge success in the west and it has nothing to do with china pandering while china was the first to get the monkie kid Cartoon, it spread liek wildfire online and gained an international audience immediately. the only thing that had been holding back the theme commercially is outside of china, Monkie Kid sets were exclusive to the lego store for a full 2 years beforethe sets and the show were finally picked up by Amazon (and even then it's only the first two season of the now 4, all english dubbed). and that's not even getting into how expensive all of those sets are
Monkie Kid isn't performing all that well in the west. It's fair to say it's commercial success was held back by it being a store exclusive theme, but these days most European and American Lego stores don't even offer Monkie Kid sets in stores anymore and you have to order them online. And also, Lego is absolutly pandering to China. Not that that is a bad thing per se, but having Monkie Kid be a theme based around Chinese folk lore, producing a show that for a long time was only available in east asia and mass opening new stores in China, it's hard to deny that they don't.
I sort of think you've got the TV show thing backwards there. The existence of the Tv shows isn't hurting these themes, It's the opposite, and there's no greater proof than Ninjago and Monkey Kid. Ninjago is over ten years old, and is already in the midst of a sequel series/spin off in dragons rising. And I would say with absolute certainty that the show is to thank for that. Ninjago continues to exist for the same reason Transformers and Ninja Turtles continue to exist, the Fiction. Ninjago has a dedicated fanbase who have been brought up on the show for over a decade. Unlike the Power miners or the characters in Atlantis, the Ninja are individually defined characters with ten years of backstory. If the show didn't matter, the sets would not have started conforming to the show. The tenth anniversary Ninjago Legacy line, was not simply a line of remade sets, its was a line of sets remade to be more accurate to the show. Show exclusive characters started popping up in the sets with more and more frequency. Cyrus Borg having a show accurate figure is a huge selling point of the latest Ninjago city set. Clutch Powers of all characters appeared in the show and then got a figure in the line. And this is also why Chima and Nexo Knights failed. The shows were bad, or at least not as good as Ninjago. I watched all those shows when they came out, when I was a kid, and even as a kid I thought none of them were as good as Ninjago was. Monkey Kid meanwhile has clip compilations that have millions of views. Its the fiction thats selling these themes. kids and adults aren't just buying what ever looks good, they're buying the sets from the show they like. Dreams's success will live and die on if kids attach to the show or not, and kids have incentivized to watch dreams because Ninjago just crossed over with dreams.
iT'S so strange to talk about Lego being creatively dead and use Monkie Kid or Dreamzzz as an example - ones of the most creative and original looking sets. And to shame them with Miners? Themes like miners came and went in droves. Some enemies, some theme for large vehicles, color scheme - its so repetitive and uncreative. And these themes also died like flies. Do you really think you can prolong smth like miners for 20 years? 200 sets of same colored mining vehicles? How can you look at Dreamzz, pinnacle of imagination, and say "no, gimme some miners fighting rock monsters in samey mechs"?
Another reason I think original themes have been on decline is because of the oversaturation of licensed themes in today’s market. Back when themes like Power Miners and Atlantis were being released, there were far more original themes as opposed to licensed themes. Nowadays it’s completely the opposite. Licensed themes take up the majority of Lego’s current portfolio, and I think that they’re in direct competition with original IP’s. Why would kids (or even adults, for that matter) buy a weird, confusing, hyper-colorful set from a brand new theme when they could instead just buy a product that they are comfortable and familiar with, such as Star Wars or Harry Potter or Avengers?
From this video I can tell 2 things. You didn't understand what is Dreamzzz about and that you like simplicity which I understand. I personally fell in love with dreamzzz and I think LEGO did a good job with it.
I love how it says “legos sexist range” when it really hasn’t been sexist since 2017, even THEN it wasn’t really bad. Personally friends is one of legos BEST themes, 2021-2023 have been amazing for the theme and much more neutral for the colour pallet. Personally my issue with dreamzzz is the show sucks and some of the sets prices feel ATROCIOUS!, but I really like the theme.
I think Friends is everything City was supposed to be. The builds are great and much less outlandish than City's. The headline was just one of the first I could find on Google and is more than a decade old I think.
Lego knows a good chunk of their audience is adults. They should make a throwback line that rotates each year, mimicking classic lines like castle, mars mission, power mines etc. City KINDA does this with space stuff and exploration stuff from time time time, but I'd really like a full line specifically for the older gen that stuck around or even wants to show those themes to their kids. And also on the topic of castle, I hate the only way to get a castle set now is either paying $100 or more for either a token creator/ideas set or having to spend over $250 just for a VIP wizard tower gift with purchase. If army building and large scale world building for adults is okay with star wars, why not themes like castle, especially with the rise in popular medieval themes in media like GOT, HOTD, and LOTR as of late. Just saying.
I think this misses the point, especially when using ninjago as somewhat of a baseline for a good theme, because I think the issue is now most new themes are too similar to ninjago. In that they all seem to be action themed and they all seem to have an abundance of big mechs. They are also way too specific, what else can you really make out of all the very strange pieces that come with ninjago? In general I think a lot of the issue comes from as you said being connected to other media like tv shows, toys should let you have your own fun, not be told what the story is.
I think Hidden Side was one of the best Lego themes ever. The sets were amazing and the minifigures were great as well. I wish Lego continued this theme. Some if the Dreamzzz sets are exciting too and the minifigures are just incredible. Not a big fan of Ninjago though - i personally think this theme is a bit boring and repetitive.
Hey, I really like the turtle bus! 😦 But yeah, I agree that the theme is all over the place. I mean, it's by design. It's dreams. They are not coherent by their very nature. But as a result, there may only be one or two sets that actually speak to you. (I mean, the turtle bus was the only set that I wanted to buy.) And they're not gonna look very fitting next to each other.
This is the Lego equivalent of “Minecraft isn’t fun anymore” nostalgia bias. Dreams isn’t that bad and Monkie kid is absolutely fire, you just mad that power miners died.
I think some themes try to be so complex, but that makes the sets more separated, and not just from one line or season, but as a theme. For example as u said, the 1st Ninjago wave had simple colors and shapes for each side to understand the story, even if you haven't watched the show
Dreamzzz sets are ok, they have good parts.. thats all I gotta say everythinf else is mid. Its really lacking. At least Monkey Kid has good sets, good story, good characters, it's not bad. We need another Bionicle, something new, dark, edgy and not afraid to kill or be messed up, alot of people want something like that these days. And they have to have good marketing for the theme too, and make it interesting.
Dreamzzz is an especially egregious case of a bad Lego theme. The show and the sets are heavily disconnected from one another, and the show itself is lacking in quality. The dream world is treated like a magical realm instead of actually acting like dreams do. There is no reflection of what people encounter in the waking world, and they completely fumble their own statements they put in a press release that it would help teach kids how to better fall asleep. There is a part where the kids in the show are excited about going to sleep, something that, in reality, would make it impossible to go to sleep. And yet, it works. So that press release is bull. That, and the theme was also put through 6 years of focus groups, another factor in the lack of cohesion. For anyone making the excuse that dreams aren’t supposed to make sense, that is completely ignorant of how dreams function and what you see in them. It may seem random, but there is an underlying element of what troubles you in there.
Dreamzzz is a revolutionary theme, the way all the sets are built is really amazing, try to make everything consistent just keeps lego apart from the imagination side of the theme, also Ninjago was an awesome TV show and for me that was my biggest reason to want to buy it.
I think Nexo Nights and Hidden Side were both better then Atlantis and co. Maybe its just for me that I dont like the older style of sets but I just think the color palettes of the never Themes (except Dreamzz or whatever the hell its called) are much more distinct
If this is the case then obviously the solution is to stop making new themes and start rereleasing old retired sets. When power miners was a thing I was barely born and I missed out on it. I barely got to enjoy ninjago and that’s mostly because it’s gone on for so damn long
Lego is way too over confident in the selling powere of cyan, magenta, gold and black. Seriously everything with a thick black boarder around the base seams to have a 200% mark up compared to similar sets. And the coolest thing about dreams is those magenta wings.
Interesting points,. yeah LEGO is putting out some weak themes and they should look into the reasons why and correct. For their business and our enjoyment.
Dreamzzz sucks because most of the builds and the mini figs are to specific. The space bus garden van and tree house and boat are is fine builds. But most the mini figs are almost unusable for customs. Dreamzzz should be quirky thematic ideas and that act as a good sub for a theme you might not have. Like the lego movie stuff I think fit the idea/design language better. Blue bunny is so specific the mini fig is also specific. But not that thematically linked to the bunny. Or is a figure thematically linked to rabbits. Like if she was magic themed the bunny thing would be thematically linked.
I was thinking the same. Like a pirate themed dream with a treasure island and a ship, a medieval themed dream with castles and dragons, a space themed dream with space ships and aliens. I also think it's more like what a child would dream of than a van with turtle's head. The space bus is already going roughly in this direction, but why not have aliens as enemies instead of the same generic bad guys that are in every other set.
@@thiccluigi6906 my only issue with the nightmares is that they need more then two full mini figs but their ok. Personally I think the space bus is fine. It works as a mentors vehicle. Like the space monkey joke is perfect for a line like this. A good idea for play set. Is making a yellow medieval castle that’s not also the school.
Imagine thinking that a poorly diluted Rock Raiders ripoff with a color scheme that straight up burns your eyes is "one of the greats". Hard to take the video seriously after that statement.
I honestly think you left your brain at home for this one. The point of the dreamzzz sets are to be wacky and inconsistent because they are supposed to be things you would see in a childs dream. People don't just dream of people with consistent colour schemes and theming fighting other people with consistent colour schemes. You just don't understand the theme very well and I personally love the strange dreamzzz sets like the turtle caravan.
I disagree with you on this one pal. Dreamzzz is my second favorite Lego theme (only to Ninjago). I think it’s unique and I find it relatable. The sets for the most part are between decent and amazing.
If you want my updated take on this topic, around two or three months ago I uploaded a video called "Why New LEGO Themes DON'T Suck ...". Go check that out
Why do you think that modern Lego themes are on such a decline? Is it related to my point here or is it something completely different?
I think it's purely nostalgia. Why is Power Miners considered a raging success for a 2 year run while Nexo Knights is a flop for getting 3 years? I for one never had Power Miners so I don't think of it as this incredible theme.
I believed it is because modern Lego themes are not appealing enough to older children and teenagers. Nowadays there are so many large pieces, bright colors and play features that the sets feel very similar to toys for pre school aged children. Only a few sets have a broader appeal. In the 80s and 90s it was not uncommon for kids up to the age of 15 to enjoy Lego system sets and themes while today that's very rare. At least where I live and I'm only talking about my personal observations. In junior high school I still had friends coming over to my house to build huge pirate and space worlds or train setups but then they lost interest. I don't think that would happen today.
Subjective, mate. Your very specific demographic is not the only market for LEGO, despite what you obviously believe.
@@joeywelander1833 Yet others used to complain modern Lego has too much grey compared to the brighter colors of the 80s and 90s.
@@eightcoins4401 That is also true but those are mostly licensed sets. The bright pastel colors are usually found in in
-house themes. Sets nowadays have either too bright colors or are too gray and depressing. In the 80s and 90s they had balance in regard to colors.
I understand where you’re coming from, but when you look at Dreamzzz, it’s supposed to be inconsistent. Dreams are weird, wacky, and out of place.
Nah it just suck quit coping
@@hashedpenguy9222I think you’re allowed to have a difference of opinion.. especially on a toy lmao
@@lukasp5892 nah is just sucks quit coping
Lego is already wacky making whacky the whole idea is indecisive/a hat on a hat/a cop out.
There's nothing wrong with the smaller characters in the dreams line although it is a little tragic that the pink wings are constantly the coolest thing about them. the larger things don't quite mesh well enough to justify add space let alone the price tag.
I think its rather safe with its dream approach. Dreams can be pretty wild and abstract, these are more like generic fantasy realm with occasional tech. Think Time Cruisers/Time Twisters is a better Dreamzzz line than Dreamzzz itself.
i just want lego pirates, lego knights simple stuff
Seriously. Why does everything need a story?
@SupersuMC for real all you need is a basic backstory to explain the environment the sets are in and you're good to go
-Pirate:
Setting: islands, ships, forts.
Scenario: Pirates vs colonial soldiers/tribals
-space:
Setting: Ships, bases, alien planets
Scenario: research mission, visiting/fighting aliens, Dealing with peaceful/hostile humanoid Space factions
-Castle:
Setting: castles, medieval villages, forests, hideouts
Scenario: struggle with bandits, generic medieval civilian life, army vs army battles,
Pirates and castle yes. My favorites.
@Gameprojordan it's that easy
@@Gameprojordan I think some people relate to charecters and stories more then what they create on thier owne and some just want things desinged by uthers rather then taking time to create thier owne idias. I play pokemon and I want to train and raise my pokemon while it seams alot of people want pokemon pretrained at max levell so they don't need to put the efort into that. It takes the fun out of things if it's all set up and you don't or can't do it yourselfe in my opinion.
I can't agree with you on this one. I buy themes like Ninjago, Hidden Side, Monkie Kid or Dreamzzz mainly because I like the builds or the looks of the minifigures. I have not seen most of these shows and still like the sets of these themes. To me, knowing the shows is just an added bonus that makes you understand the sets more. I buy lots of these themes without knowing what is going on and I don't have to know, to like a set that looks good to me. I really like the old themes but to me the new themes aren't bad either.
I'm somewhat the opposite: I rarely buy sets nowadays unless there is a specific minifigure or set I'm looking out for. I mostly watch the shows connected to the sets. Say what you want about the sets and shows of different themes, all of them have rich worlds in their own right that you can get invested in that I feel like are being eclipsed by ninjago that got time to really flesh out its world in a way most other LEGO themes couldn't. I loved both Chima and Nexo Knights when they were airing, and I do like LEGO Dreamzzz so far, and I obviously adore Ninjago, and I like them all for their interesting worlds. Something I have noticed about each of the shows is that they all start out terribly before they really find their footing which hits in quite hard and fast once it does, yet ninjago is the only show that does not get bashed for that low quality of its first four pilot episodes, maybe in part since "but these are only the pilots!" is an argument. This plays into what another commentor is claiming about the community considering most of the shows post-ninjago worse than they actually are because they grew up with ninjago and thus don't care for the other shows, which I defenitely consider to be the case for Chima since it came directly after ninjago was cancelled, but not sure how that argument applies for nexo knights and dreamzzz as well as some other lego shows.
I buy sets for figures and parts. I modify everything I make in some way to my liking and I create my owne builds to fit my owne stories. I have lost interest in lego tv programs and movies so I don't care about the stories on the sets I buy.
It doesn't feel like I am playing with a toy anymore it feels like I am playing with a collectable that is more stable an investment then gold
i like a lot of the newer themes too but there’s barely any compared to back in the day before they had all these IPs. lego has improved a lot but the limitations of older parts forced creativity & made them look a bit more abstract, which lets you fill in the gaps more with imagination.
This. Lego at some point in the mid 2000s got confused. Instead of having simple play sets and model sets be separate, they made all sets capable of both, which abandoned what made Lego… well Lego. Now every set has to be overly detailed, specific, nailed down. But the biggest issue is that themes are no longer compatible with eachother. You can’t really buy a city set and change it around to work just as well with your space or pirate sets. (The other issue being the abandonment of the literally perfect Lego System) Lego has become a model Kit company instead of a toy company.
Lego has no identity anymore, it's just *Insert Brand Here* sets, while the fact they're Lego is secondary.
I think that Ultra Agents was a good theme that managed to have a tie in app. The sets were great and you could easily tell what belonged to what side, with the agents´ main colors being black, trans blue, a bit of white and orange ammo. The villains had their own vehicles and every villain was unique with their weapons, vehicles and character design. You buy a set and you have something for the agents and something for the villain of the set. You could easily make up your own story but if you wanted to see an existing story with the set, the app was there and you could watch the interactive comic.
I never used the app because who cares? I don't buy Lego so I can open an app and "play" mobile crap while my Lego set collects dust. I buy Lego for Lego. And these godawful corporatized art-direction, constantly rebooted, 1-dimensional characters with copy-pasted personalities from every other corporatized, 1-dimensional kids show does not make a proper theme. It makes plastic crap resembling corporatized kids shows. I don't buy Lego for that. Modern Lego is shit. Pure shit.
@@PlazDreamweaver I didn't get anny hidden side sets. I was interested in uther stuff at the time but the digital lrogram was off to me. I get that lego is rying to get into the digital entertainmant that alot of kids are into at this point but lego was made as a physical toy or modal building from the start and pushin digital into it doesn't work too much in my opinion. I play plenty of video games myselfe but computer/electronic games are programmed with spaciffic rules and gameplay and the real world is much more creative. I want to create with physical legos in the real world not build something digital I cant even touch.
One of my favorite things from original Lego themes were the easter eggs and how they crossed together, characters from one theme appearing in another etc. This is true for so many themes: Atlantis, Galaxy squad, ultra agents, monster fighters, alien conquest, Ninjago, chima
I'm kinda sad that nexo knights failed. I really liked the concept and it follows the rules of a good theme you listed. Clear distinction between heroes and villains, not too specific and leaves room for imagination. Unfortunately it was too reliant on the app plus the traditional castle fans clearly didn't like it
Yeah I think it was too futuristic for most Castle fans the Monsters were cool tho
Its problem is having two waves of samey villains, the thrid wave Techno Borg Vampires would have been a much better followup to the first wave than the Rock lighting monsters.
This is probadly only a "me" problem, but even tho I liked some of the Nexo Knights idea's, to this day, I still think making all the knights human was a mistake.
Mostly because if you gonna do a fantasy with Sci-fi, why not include other fantasy races. Like try imagening sci-fi themed Elfes, Dwarfs, Satyrs, Centaurs, Fey, ect(heck Axel technicly could work as an Sci-fi themed Giant, or Minotaur). And all of classic fantasy idea's in futuristic style.
@@dedalionarts6077 Oh yeah you are totally right, should have had more fantasy races with the high tech twist instead of just humans and the demon monsters that emerged from the book. The Techno Vampires were a good example of a high tech race that could have worked.
My only problem with Nexo is that the villains don't mesh well with the theme, they could have been included in a more classy fantasy castle. They should have tried to make them more technopunk like the knights...
That and Castle fans are quite strict...
The argument that "new themes are too specific" is ridiculous. Dreamzzz is easily the LEAST specific line they've ever released. Play with old sets is a lot more limited. Your average Power Miners set was a big drill vehicle and a rock monster which doesn't leave much up to the imagination. The human's are mining for crystals when they're attacked by the monster. With Dreamzzz, every set is wildly different and entirely imaginative (a dream is literally your imagination creating a story). That Rocket could easily be like Mars Mission where a space ship lands on an alien world which likely isn't how it's implemented in the show. The fact that it's not immediately obvious what the story around each set is, is a testament to how imaginative it really is.
If they pre assign names to the minifigures the theme is too specific and if they write complicated backstories or tv shows it's even worse. They had the perfect balance in the late 80s and early 90s.
Lego Chima is so easily forgotten that's why its not even mentioned in this video either
This is genuinely the worst criticism. You contradict yourself, how is dreams and monkey kid simultaneously all over the place and too specific. Especially since you compare it to power miners which is 20 sets of a drill fighting a rock monster.
LEGO DREAMZZZ DOESN'T SUCKS it's amazing 🤨😡
To each their own 🤷♂️
The common denominator in Dreamz is easy to spot and highly original. I love it. Easily one of the best themes of the decade.
You could make the same arguments you're discrediting the new themes with against the older ones. Ninjago - in this first set, it's this fire guy fighting skeletons... but in this next set, it's... lightning guy? What's going on? Why's there an architecturally traditional temple but also tech-based vehicles? Like, come on. Dreamzzz has a very obvious split. The bad guys are black and purple, the good guys are bright colours. You don't need a singular colour scheme for the good guys to recognise them as such. I have two VERY young siblings who understand the dynamic and love the theme - if they can manage, so can you. Thing is, LEGO original themes very rarely last beyond 3 years. The 10+ year runs of Ninjago and Friends are unusual. Think of the themes you touted as great - Power Miners: 2 years. Atlantis: 2 years. That's the lifespan of these things. How's Hidden Side meant to be a failure for lasting... the same amount of time? Or Nexo Knights, which lasted a year longer?
The reason is incredibly simple. They are risk adverse. In the introduction for Dreamz, Lego said that they workshopped the concept for several years. I find that statement very concerning.
I think this issue is a very niche concern. I see what you are saying, but I feel like you are exaggerating a bit.
Ninjago has become homogonized too over it's 10+ year run, so did Bionicle, the evolution from line to line makes the entire theme chaotic and dissonant.
The issue is there aren't enough compelling themes and combat is a key element in every new theme. Compared to older sets "battle in a box" is now very much the norm.
Yeah, definitely the lack of compelling themes. Why should I care about some story I can't access due to lack of cable and/or streaming service when I can buy the latest LEGO Minecraft wave? BIONICLE was much more accessible story-wise to me despite its multimedia presence because large parts of the story were in novels I could buy from a bookstore or in comics from my LEGO Magazine subscription or from web serials I could print out and monster-clip together. These days you'd best have a Netflix subscription or some other cable or streaming service - what does Cartoon Network show its shows on the web, anyway? - in order to access the story, and, y'know, watch mindlessly instead of engaging with your mind and imagination.
Do I think we should go back to books? Not necessarily, but you can't expect me to be interested in a story when I can't access it without a subscription.
could tell u were a 00's kid before even hearing your favorite themes lol. the nostalgiablindness is baked in so hard. the aughts-early 10s' had its fair share of short-lived themes like dino, monster fighters, alien conquest, and galaxy squad, so why not mention them? also dreams is very cohesive, with intentional vivid color hero builds juxtaposed against villain builds with a uniform "nightmare" theme. maybe u should've reconsidered this script when u had to start making excuses for why Monkie kid countered your point
Fair enough. There certainly is a big amount of bias in this video, I'm not going to deny that. When it comes to Monkie Kid proving my points wrong though, I would be interested though in what ways it does? I said that Monkie Kid was so popular due to its popularity in east Asia, which is true. Many American and European stores don't even offer Monkie Kid sets anymore, you can only get them online. If it wasn't as popular as in China and other east Asian countries, the theme would've been retired by now too
@@brickcollectiblesthe video centers around the thesis that lego has not produced a memorable tentpole theme since ninjago (a fair observation), but disregards monkie kid, one that arguably has achieved that status, just because it isn't as prominent in your home region. to say it's not important based on a "what if lego just didn't care about the massive chinese/east asian market" hypothetical is a complete sidestep of the issue.
its not even an unreasonable take to say that lego struggled through the mid-10s with new ip and kinda lost the plot a bit with tech integration, but to slam monkie kid and dreams, which both go back to brick-basics with their gimmicks (especially with dreamzzz' emphasis on alternate builds), along with them is reductive of this current era of lego. with the research that went into both of them, i would not be shocked if they stay around for much longer than the video anticipates
It all started once they doubled down on licensed products.
why is he hating on dreamzzzz its a great theme
was supprised when i saw how underrated you were. You should have like 100k subs
Bringing up Ninjago of all things for a theme that is NOT "too specific" is kinda bizarre. Ninjago is the theme that started that trend and is extremely dependent on its show.
I actually liked Nexo Knights and collected all the sets.
I think the reason the theme failed, was that Castle fans tend to be purists in terms of historical accuracy, or at least keeping things to a fantasy setting. So the mix of castles and technology offended a lot of them.
Another one I really liked was Ultra Agents, but while the agent sets were amazingly cool, the bad guy sets were mediocre and forgettable. The big problem with that theme is it didn't really appeal to most kids.
honestly the "old theme gave you a world and you can make whatever story you want, while with the new themes you can't" is very dumb and illogical
"you need to see an episode on why Dreamzzz good guy are fighting the bad guy" is dumb too
I mean, that logic can be applied to any theme, ninjago too, why the ninja are fighting the skeletons? watch the show to find out
Bionicle too, and many many more
Bionicle fits in the category of you can follow the deep scattered story, or you can just go with the most bare bones info you get and just enjoy the robot figures. Same with Hero Factory.
idk what's your problem, I think Nexo Knight I have great builds, I just had to buy the huge Tank-Castle just like the giant miner drill, without even watching any of the series, and when I saw Nexo Knight minifigs I fell in love in those armors and huge shields, just wish these characters were little more generic but thats a me isssue
Everytime i look at a modern lego theme that i think is terrible, i remind myself that i own and loved my Time Cruisers castle set from the 90s
LEGO creator, LEGO classic, and mixels are underrated
Lego should go back to the concept of having four core system themes (town/trains, castle, space and pirates) and a couple of themes that change every two or three years. If any of those themes are very popular they could stick around longer like Ninjago. I wish juniorization never happened, it brought us large ugly pieces and built in "play features" that ruined many sets and took away imagination and real playability. If Lego hadn't experimented with juniorization we wouldn't be stuck with all the licensed themes today. I have zero interest in any sets related to superheroes or movies/tv series and those should be replaced with the original four core Lego themes.
I totally agree. Lego needs to do more original themes and less licensed themes. I want them to make an Ancient Greece theme.
Its literally the "This is the worst thing ever" *points at the best thing ever*
When you said classiv themes I was thinking about Pirates, Castle and Western :D
Why are you hating on dreamzzz it's a pretty a good theme, very creative and original also the colourful and weird vehicles, animals and characters suit the theme perfectly, because dreams are chaotic and weird. So i have to disagree with you on that point completely.
I'm not saying this will solve everything, I but I really want Lego to bring their old Castle themes back.
dreams as a theme is suppose to have a lack of direction if its any way related to regular dreams since dreams can be anything and everything
I disagree, The fault isn't the themes itself heck i would even say that it's nobody fault, it's just that casuals have been leaning more towards the licensed ips. Also themes having a distinctive colour scheme with a setting in mind is good but it isn't necessary, Even when you used ninjago as an example that is not the whole theme, ninjago isnt just ninjas vs skeletons there's alot of other villains and other places on the theme.
Ninjago hasn't been about ninja vs skeletons since 2012
@@burner555 that's what i said?
only hidden side sets i bought and cared about were the shrimp shack and boat
Well I get your point. By the way, I had enough of antagonists being associated with black and dark colours.
I was thinking about what about the Lego company just sell separate Lego pieces, so that anyone could make their own custom builds, and even get instruction on certain structures to help out with new ideas!
Is this already a thing? Let me know.
We need Space Police IV
I'm thinking nostalgia is a big factor, at least on my side, because I'm older, and find myself making a lot of the same comparisons you do. Except instead of the 2000-2010 era being the good examples, I'm going on with 1980-1990s being the examples I liked and 2000+ being the designs I disliked.
Lasting longer than three years is a very high bar. And probably not even desirable. Even classics like Futuron or Blacktron had only two years. Plus: You got it all wrong about Monkie Kid. It is a huge success not only in China and Asia but in Europe and the US, as well. Even if it isn't available everywhere. And the series is considered to be the best original Lego series ever, better than Ninjago.
Just to answer you on your Monkie Kid comment: Monkie Kid sales especially in Europe have gone back so strongly, that many stores have decided to take down Monkie Kid sets to make space for other themes. And in regard to Monkie Kid being the best original Lego IP, I don't know in which Monkie Kid circle jerk you spend your time in, but especially these days, Monkie Kid is regarded as extremely overprized. Even when the sets look good, they are often so expensive, that most people prefer Ninjago, just because of a much better value.
@@brickcollectibles You got a source for these sales figures? Because in Europe most stores never had the sets in the first place, which makes your point about shrinking sales moot. In terms of prices MK is pretty much at the exact same level as Ninjago or Dreamzzz or any other own brand - and waaay below all the licensed stuff. But since MK isn't in stores there are no reduced prices (like with Ninjago, which is pretty much reduced all the time). As soon as you get the MK sets online you get a pretty decent price. You talk a big game. But you should work at your documentation. Which starts in your video: "Lego themes are so bad these days, that none of them make it to more than three years. Well, apart from MK, but that's just because of all the Chinese..!" Sloppy work.
The way people act over a toy, and insulting people because they like something you don’t 🙄🙄 fan bases ruin most hobbies
I think lego knows exacly what they are doing and they were changing the formular because the sets sell better when they aren't as boring as the old themes where everything looks the same.
Personally, I'd say the newer LEGO IPs aren't exactly bad or anything. I grew up with Power Miners, Ninjago, and Space Police, and so obviously I value those sets a lot more. I can recognize that these newer IPs aren't for me because I've just grown up, but that doesn't make them any worse in quality than the older ones.
I think the biggest issue here is just the lack of original IPs nowadays. In the 2000s-2010s LEGO had a wide variety of original themes, but now it seems most sets are from licensed themes like Marvel, Star Wars, or Sonic. There's just not a whole lot of original sets anymore, excluding ones that have been going on forever like City or Friends.
I think I like even older themes like pirates and medieval knights because there were factions but not clear who was the bad guys. you had to make this up yourself too.
God i miss Atlantis and Powerminers
I definitely agree with your thought on how lego dreamzzz seems too specific to the show though I also think a child wouldn’t have to see the show to enjoy the set. I feel like dreamzzz sets have fun crazy builds that remind me personally of well a dream and that the imagination is endless. I think the bad guys are very distinguishable though I think the smaller little bad guys are honestly lacking. It annoys me how some sets have several obvious good guys then just this 1 very tiny whatever bad guy. Though at least the King nightmare guy and hunter characters are their and if you put them with the smaller guys I think it looks better but yeah I also think a big part of it is nostalgia for a different time period. If you think about it at least for America in the 2000s we had war going on right? And everytime theirs been a war toys get more intense on selling war toys to males and baby/kitchen toys to females. If anyone doesn’t get what saying I literally learned this in socialism class in high school idk what to tell you lol. But anyways my point is remember atlantis and Star Wars commercials. Those and other themes always had the same words “YOU CAN FIRE THE-“ “FIRE THE-“ “WATCH OUT FIRE THE-“. So these toys were always about fighting and thus appealed to a huge male audience myself included. And I think since now that war has past lego has become a lot less into the idea of the simple GOOD GUY FIGHT BAD GUY AND DESTROY STUFF gimmick and are now more focus on giving kids ideas to inspire creativity. Which can be seen in themes like dreamzzz and lego DOTS. I’d say examples of themes that appeal mostly to males and fighting from the 2000s to 2010s would be Atlantis,though a license Star Wars, Power Miners, Chima, Nexo knights, Castle, Aqua raiders, Alpha Team, Dino Attack, Definitely Exo-Force,Pirates, Agents, Hero Factory And kinda Bionicle. And you could say well dreamzzz has good guys and bad guys and so does Monkie kid. Yes but it’s not a intense focus anymore. Trust me just rewatch some older commercials of the themes I listed out more specifically lego Star Wars the clone wars and atlantis n stuff and just notice the focus of attacking. Now find the new dreamzzz, Super Mario, and monkie kid commercials and notice how the battle stuff is still their but not so focus on. So my point is basically kids who grew up in the 2000s and 2010s are nostalgic for Lego themes more focus on fighting that relates to war and are very nostalgic for that kind of stuff. And now that lego has completely changed it I think people from that time are bothered cause it just isn’t the same. And I myself and victims to missing more battle/war lego themes and not really enjoying the new themes like dreamzzz and Monkie kid cause it just doesn’t feel the same. Also I wonder do any of us know actually what the children think? Cause so far I’ve only heard this from adults around my ages in their 20s. What matters really is if the kids like it. I also wonder if a lot of this hating of legos new stuff relates to a lot of people who are autistic or neurodivergent in some way. I say this as a autistic person myself who has known a lot of lego fans who are also autistic and a big thing with autism for us is not liking change and being very against it. But yeah I could go on or what I think socially lol. Thanks for reading and I love to see what other people think please be respectful :)
i disagree with the "lego themes are too specific now a days" when themes like Bionicle, a theme that came out over 2 decades ago pre built with it's own overarchign story, extremely dence lore & world building, and it's own ongoign comic series and novelizations is literally oen of the thigns that saved the company. followed by their reboot of Knights Kingdom, the Exo-force series, Hero Factory which lasted way longer than you'd expect it to, etc.
Bionicle didn't even have distinct villain sets (not affordable ones anyway) until a year later when they also updated hte Toa Mata's designs into the Toa Nuva
Bro dreamzzz is good, monkie kid sets is good, ninjago good,
I actually really like the hidden side sets, but I never got any (don’t know why), I love how the trans green parts can be used to customize the ghosts from possession, but some of my friends told me that hidden side was a knockoff possession so I never got around to watch it
Put yourself in the mind of a kid... DREAMzzz would be so cool, sets and the show.
no
I'm surprised Power miners being a kind of unspoken spiritual sequel to the "rock raiders" theme from a good few years before. The vehicles are aesthetically similar yet easily recognizable as their own theme by the fact the power miners have orange and green with white highlights while the rock raiders have grey and teal with yellow or brown highlights. I remember people claimed the ower miners veehicles were too "toy-ish" in their colors but they honestly just look like actual high visibility vehicles I've seen before IRL color scheme wise save for the orange parts.
We in the space community, especially us BLACKTRON, have long been asking Lego to return to some of its original themes. We’re the older crowd but arguably some of the most dedicated. Revisiting past themes makes old new again and gives the new generation and older generation something to share in.
I know most people didn’t like Nexo Knights, but there were some sets I’m a big fan of, like the Tech Wizard Showdown from the final wave.
the only set i like from dreamzzz is the shark ship. and the ONLY reason i bought it, is so i can use it without the big engines as a ghost ship in an animation.
everything else i agree, it feels completely slapped together and nonsensical, which i guess is the point since it's dreams, but even most dreams have cohesion unless it's really wacky.
the other biggest thing with lego, is they seem to be really focusing on vehicles in their new themes, unless it's the $200 base for the good or bad guys, which i know they did before. but these ones feel very cramped and honestly not even big enough for smaller hands to use any of the features. even the big dreamzzz pirate ship has so much slapped onto it it's hard to use any of it
TL, DR: Monkie kid is a huge success in the west and it has nothing to do with china pandering
while china was the first to get the monkie kid Cartoon, it spread liek wildfire online and gained an international audience immediately. the only thing that had been holding back the theme commercially is outside of china, Monkie Kid sets were exclusive to the lego store for a full 2 years beforethe sets and the show were finally picked up by Amazon (and even then it's only the first two season of the now 4, all english dubbed). and that's not even getting into how expensive all of those sets are
Monkie Kid isn't performing all that well in the west. It's fair to say it's commercial success was held back by it being a store exclusive theme, but these days most European and American Lego stores don't even offer Monkie Kid sets in stores anymore and you have to order them online. And also, Lego is absolutly pandering to China. Not that that is a bad thing per se, but having Monkie Kid be a theme based around Chinese folk lore, producing a show that for a long time was only available in east asia and mass opening new stores in China, it's hard to deny that they don't.
johnny thunder
I sort of think you've got the TV show thing backwards there. The existence of the Tv shows isn't hurting these themes, It's the opposite, and there's no greater proof than Ninjago and Monkey Kid. Ninjago is over ten years old, and is already in the midst of a sequel series/spin off in dragons rising. And I would say with absolute certainty that the show is to thank for that. Ninjago continues to exist for the same reason Transformers and Ninja Turtles continue to exist, the Fiction.
Ninjago has a dedicated fanbase who have been brought up on the show for over a decade. Unlike the Power miners or the characters in Atlantis, the Ninja are individually defined characters with ten years of backstory. If the show didn't matter, the sets would not have started conforming to the show. The tenth anniversary Ninjago Legacy line, was not simply a line of remade sets, its was a line of sets remade to be more accurate to the show. Show exclusive characters started popping up in the sets with more and more frequency. Cyrus Borg having a show accurate figure is a huge selling point of the latest Ninjago city set. Clutch Powers of all characters appeared in the show and then got a figure in the line.
And this is also why Chima and Nexo Knights failed. The shows were bad, or at least not as good as Ninjago. I watched all those shows when they came out, when I was a kid, and even as a kid I thought none of them were as good as Ninjago was. Monkey Kid meanwhile has clip compilations that have millions of views. Its the fiction thats selling these themes. kids and adults aren't just buying what ever looks good, they're buying the sets from the show they like. Dreams's success will live and die on if kids attach to the show or not, and kids have incentivized to watch dreams because Ninjago just crossed over with dreams.
iT'S so strange to talk about Lego being creatively dead and use Monkie Kid or Dreamzzz as an example - ones of the most creative and original looking sets. And to shame them with Miners? Themes like miners came and went in droves. Some enemies, some theme for large vehicles, color scheme - its so repetitive and uncreative. And these themes also died like flies.
Do you really think you can prolong smth like miners for 20 years? 200 sets of same colored mining vehicles?
How can you look at Dreamzz, pinnacle of imagination, and say "no, gimme some miners fighting rock monsters in samey mechs"?
Another reason I think original themes have been on decline is because of the oversaturation of licensed themes in today’s market. Back when themes like Power Miners and Atlantis were being released, there were far more original themes as opposed to licensed themes. Nowadays it’s completely the opposite. Licensed themes take up the majority of Lego’s current portfolio, and I think that they’re in direct competition with original IP’s. Why would kids (or even adults, for that matter) buy a weird, confusing, hyper-colorful set from a brand new theme when they could instead just buy a product that they are comfortable and familiar with, such as Star Wars or Harry Potter or Avengers?
From this video I can tell 2 things. You didn't understand what is Dreamzzz about and that you like simplicity which I understand. I personally fell in love with dreamzzz and I think LEGO did a good job with it.
I love how it says “legos sexist range” when it really hasn’t been sexist since 2017, even THEN it wasn’t really bad.
Personally friends is one of legos BEST themes, 2021-2023 have been amazing for the theme and much more neutral for the colour pallet.
Personally my issue with dreamzzz is the show sucks and some of the sets prices feel ATROCIOUS!, but I really like the theme.
I think Friends is everything City was supposed to be. The builds are great and much less outlandish than City's. The headline was just one of the first I could find on Google and is more than a decade old I think.
I don't like dreamzz, maybe kids do? but for me Monkie kid is a success, if it weren't for pricing the designs are able to be enjoyed by all ages
Lego knows a good chunk of their audience is adults. They should make a throwback line that rotates each year, mimicking classic lines like castle, mars mission, power mines etc. City KINDA does this with space stuff and exploration stuff from time time time, but I'd really like a full line specifically for the older gen that stuck around or even wants to show those themes to their kids.
And also on the topic of castle, I hate the only way to get a castle set now is either paying $100 or more for either a token creator/ideas set or having to spend over $250 just for a VIP wizard tower gift with purchase. If army building and large scale world building for adults is okay with star wars, why not themes like castle, especially with the rise in popular medieval themes in media like GOT, HOTD, and LOTR as of late. Just saying.
I think this misses the point, especially when using ninjago as somewhat of a baseline for a good theme, because I think the issue is now most new themes are too similar to ninjago. In that they all seem to be action themed and they all seem to have an abundance of big mechs. They are also way too specific, what else can you really make out of all the very strange pieces that come with ninjago? In general I think a lot of the issue comes from as you said being connected to other media like tv shows, toys should let you have your own fun, not be told what the story is.
I think Hidden Side was one of the best Lego themes ever. The sets were amazing and the minifigures were great as well. I wish Lego continued this theme. Some if the Dreamzzz sets are exciting too and the minifigures are just incredible. Not a big fan of Ninjago though - i personally think this theme is a bit boring and repetitive.
I like hidden side.
But the app sucked. But the sets were still good.
Throughout the 2010s was the best time for Lego in my opinion. I still have my Agents sets on my dresser.
Hey, I really like the turtle bus! 😦
But yeah, I agree that the theme is all over the place. I mean, it's by design. It's dreams. They are not coherent by their very nature. But as a result, there may only be one or two sets that actually speak to you. (I mean, the turtle bus was the only set that I wanted to buy.)
And they're not gonna look very fitting next to each other.
Ninjago and Powerminers are not Old. Lego System Ninjas and Rockraider are.
This is the Lego equivalent of “Minecraft isn’t fun anymore” nostalgia bias.
Dreams isn’t that bad and Monkie kid is absolutely fire, you just mad that power miners died.
Dreamzzz slander will not be tolerated
I think some themes try to be so complex, but that makes the sets more separated, and not just from one line or season, but as a theme. For example as u said, the 1st Ninjago wave had simple colors and shapes for each side to understand the story, even if you haven't watched the show
i liked nexo knights.
Dreamzzz sets are ok, they have good parts.. thats all I gotta say everythinf else is mid.
Its really lacking.
At least Monkey Kid has good sets, good story, good characters, it's not bad.
We need another Bionicle, something new, dark, edgy and not afraid to kill or be messed up, alot of people want something like that these days. And they have to have good marketing for the theme too, and make it interesting.
the nexo knight sets were pretty cool.... but the show was awful
Me dreamzzz
Your conplaints are very biased. Most of what you say is bad on the newer ones can apply to old sets.
Dreamzzz is an especially egregious case of a bad Lego theme. The show and the sets are heavily disconnected from one another, and the show itself is lacking in quality. The dream world is treated like a magical realm instead of actually acting like dreams do. There is no reflection of what people encounter in the waking world, and they completely fumble their own statements they put in a press release that it would help teach kids how to better fall asleep. There is a part where the kids in the show are excited about going to sleep, something that, in reality, would make it impossible to go to sleep. And yet, it works. So that press release is bull. That, and the theme was also put through 6 years of focus groups, another factor in the lack of cohesion. For anyone making the excuse that dreams aren’t supposed to make sense, that is completely ignorant of how dreams function and what you see in them. It may seem random, but there is an underlying element of what troubles you in there.
It's hidden side 2.0
Mixls was good tho
Dreamzzz is a revolutionary theme, the way all the sets are built is really amazing, try to make everything consistent just keeps lego apart from the imagination side of the theme, also Ninjago was an awesome TV show and for me that was my biggest reason to want to buy it.
Many are just for you to get a new iphone such as hidden side and the music one
I think Nexo Nights and Hidden Side were both better then Atlantis and co. Maybe its just for me that I dont like the older style of sets but I just think the color palettes of the never Themes (except Dreamzz or whatever the hell its called) are much more distinct
I really like the new lego themes solely because of the hair pieces.
I know you forgot the best theme “Fortnite”
If this is the case then obviously the solution is to stop making new themes and start rereleasing old retired sets. When power miners was a thing I was barely born and I missed out on it. I barely got to enjoy ninjago and that’s mostly because it’s gone on for so damn long
Lego is way too over confident in the selling powere of cyan, magenta, gold and black.
Seriously everything with a thick black boarder around the base seams to have a 200% mark up compared to similar sets.
And the coolest thing about dreams is those magenta wings.
HOW DARE YOU CALL NEXO KNIGHTS A BAD THEME
Interesting points,. yeah LEGO is putting out some weak themes and they should look into the reasons why and correct. For their business and our enjoyment.
Lego making original IP back in the day be like:
“Four monochromatic good guys team up to fight evil black guy.”
Dreamzzz ironically is the closest to what Lego used to be about. Alot of the builds themselves are really ceative.
Dreamzzz sucks because most of the builds and the mini figs are to specific. The space bus garden van and tree house and boat are is fine builds. But most the mini figs are almost unusable for customs.
Dreamzzz should be quirky thematic ideas and that act as a good sub for a theme you might not have.
Like the lego movie stuff I think fit the idea/design language better.
Blue bunny is so specific the mini fig is also specific. But not that thematically linked to the bunny. Or is a figure thematically linked to rabbits.
Like if she was magic themed the bunny thing would be thematically linked.
I was thinking the same. Like a pirate themed dream with a treasure island and a ship, a medieval themed dream with castles and dragons, a space themed dream with space ships and aliens. I also think it's more like what a child would dream of than a van with turtle's head. The space bus is already going roughly in this direction, but why not have aliens as enemies instead of the same generic bad guys that are in every other set.
@@thiccluigi6906 my only issue with the nightmares is that they need more then two full mini figs but their ok.
Personally I think the space bus is fine. It works as a mentors vehicle. Like the space monkey joke is perfect for a line like this.
A good idea for play set. Is making a yellow medieval castle that’s not also the school.
I think most of them are interesting concepts but executed poorly, I'm only talking about the sets and not the shows made
You clearly have a biaist opinion, and I could not disagree with you more.
Imagine thinking that a poorly diluted Rock Raiders ripoff with a color scheme that straight up burns your eyes is "one of the greats". Hard to take the video seriously after that statement.
4:32 потомучто у тебя фонтазии не хватает
dreams and ninjago is garbage
I honestly think you left your brain at home for this one. The point of the dreamzzz sets are to be wacky and inconsistent because they are supposed to be things you would see in a childs dream. People don't just dream of people with consistent colour schemes and theming fighting other people with consistent colour schemes. You just don't understand the theme very well and I personally love the strange dreamzzz sets like the turtle caravan.
You'rr not wrong on that. I adressed most of that in this video: czcams.com/video/QwmfLgcazP4/video.htmlsi=c9hjkHLKS0ysHw6e
Oh I didn't even realise. Sorry if I was a bit harsh btw, wasn't trying to be mean
@@BigDuckTheDuck Well, you weren't wrong, so we good
I disagree with you on this one pal. Dreamzzz is my second favorite Lego theme (only to Ninjago). I think it’s unique and I find it relatable. The sets for the most part are between decent and amazing.
If you want my updated take on this topic, around two or three months ago I uploaded a video called "Why New LEGO Themes DON'T Suck ...". Go check that out