Nina

I don't think that's accurate here, although very insightful with regards to sets like the clocktower and astronomy tower. But if they made major design choices in a £350 set in order to appeal to little girls then they must think that their average customer is Veruca Salt. Very true! I did some research a while ago on the history of the colour pink and it wasn't perceived as a female colour until about 70 years ago, because some female celebrities of the 1950s made it their signature colour. More recently, a great deal has been made about "millennial pink", which is popular with both genders. The psychology of colour works less with individual colours but with colour combinations -- red and green evokes Christmas, blue and white make us think of sailors etc. In this context, pink becomes a very girlish colour when combined with purple (as it is in Lego Friends). Pink and yellow (like QQS and the ice cream parlour) meanwhile is a colour combination that we subconsciously associate with the morning sky and therefore they evoke a hopeful and optimistic feeling (which echoes how Harry feels when he first sees Diagon Alley).

It's a beautiful set and I agree that it's very reminiscent of actual streets in the UK (I get a Brighton vibe from it somehow). My hunch is that the set was intended by the designers to be a bit of a compromise between an ideal Diagon Alley and a street that appeals to people way beyond the HP fanbase and that the selection of shops and characters was also linked to that. To make it a more perfect DA I feel buildings should be a bit more crooked, more magical creatures and owls should be about, more pedestrians in wizards hats etc. -- but then again these things shouldn't be too hard to change ourselves. A few practical questions: - which figures do you expect to remain exclusive to this set? - when buying figures or even individual shops on eBay etc, what is usually a good time in terms of price--right after a release or a year or so later? Grimmauld Place as a compromise between Book 5 and Book 7. I really want Kreacher and OOTP Sirius.

That's a beautiful way to look at it, totally agree :) Definitely agree that it depends on the execution. If the Daily Prophet comes with Rita Skeeter and Sribulus comes with Percy for instance, the figures would almost compensate for the absence of more owls, similarly nice architecture and colours (sand blue?) could compensate for a lot. I have kind of reconciled myself to the idea of building a MOC Owl Emporium, having said that this probably means spending another £100 for pieces on top of buying DA, which feels a bit insane (particularly right now).

Did they ever release modular buildings in January that are linked to another theme? Do you think it possible that they're planning that for Gringotts?

I agree, but I suppose there must be some reasons behind the choices in terms of variety in architecture, colour etc. Scribulus for instance seems to be the only shop with a blue storefront I think? A while ago someone on this forum (sorry don't remember the name) described the Lego design process as creating a perfect set and then removing one element after another until it fits the budget. If they did this with DA, then maybe they started out by building all the shops and then removed different ones to see which configuration is the most visually pleasing overall. In terms of the layout I believe there have been some inconsistencies over time, not sure if any of the buildings other than Gringotts and the Leaky Cauldron are always in the same place so I don't see why they wouldn't take creative licence. I was looking at DA on Google Streetview and it looks quite moody without Gringotts https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.6931741,-0.4196477,3a,75y,191.32h,91.52t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sAF1QipMY1ytV163NRWZj2IzxgLb6RiLFwqz1gbib3WdB!2e10!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en I wonder if a slightly dark vibe will be also what they're going for, or if it's more of the whimsical atmosphere of the real life inspiration : https://theculturetrip.com/europe/united-kingdom/scotland/articles/7-reasons-to-visit-edinburghs-historical-victoria-street/ (scroll down for the better pictures)

So exciting! I think the stickers once again show the love and care put into these sets--I really feel that fans are designing them for fans :) In terms of Gringotts--the 2011 set included a sticker with the name of the bank, but also two portraits of wizards. Given the amount of detail in the stickers for other shops (including some arguably unnecessary inclusions like "Feel free to fly any of our brooms") I find it hard to imagine that they would include Gringotts without some reference to their motto (If you seek beneath our floors etc). Whether included in this set or sold separately I'm sure the building would be treated with great care so I personally don't worry about this. Slightly sad though that no references to owls and other animals are included--if the emporium is missing it would be nice if there were at least some cages and signs coming with DA (the way they handled this in 2011). If that's not the case hopefully they include some animals in the street life.

I felt initially a bit disappointed at the lineup but looking more closely I find the design of the figures and accessories super charming--the theme is treated with such love and care :) I think the absences of some of the most desired characters makes it quite likely that there are plans to save them for future sets. I didn't think before that Grimmauld Place or Hogsmeade Village sets would be likely but the absences of Kreacher, Tonks, Mundungus, Rosmerta and Aberforth suggest otherwise don't you think?

Lovely news! I feel that the inclusion of Florean Fortescue means that, though mainly following the films, they do want to reference book story lines as well--looking forward what other surprises there will be. I agree with those of you that would prefer a higher number of shops rather than fewer larger ones. It would be lovely to have variations with different facade styles and colours that evoke the slightly chaotic and whimsical vibe of the street. I was looking at pictures of real life inspirations for DA earlier, Cecil Court in London https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/5087978/cecil-court/ and Victoria Street in Edinburgh https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/394597067640356/victoria-street/ and I think part of their charm is the smallness of these buildings :) #legoleaks on instagram

How exciting that a reveal might be so soon! I would really love Kreacher. A merperson would be wonderful too. And Ron with his patronus. A version of Harry Potter as a baby (similar to the Voldemort one they've already made). Probably not very realistic once again :)

Thanks so much for replying to me :) That's good to hear; excluding Flourish & Blotts would be a shame given the potential for a nice interior and great figures. Thanks, that's kind of you to say :) I agree with both of you that large buildings wouldn't be ideal. I only mentioned the modular because I'm curious which of the shops in Diagon Alley could appeal to AFOLs that aren't fans of this theme. Most Harry Potter fans are millennials or younger and we don't tend to have tons of disposable income; my hunch is that most AFOLs that could afford the set are Gen X and are perhaps less interested in buildings that only make sense in a magical world (but I might be totally wrong!) Haha, yes definitely Team Owl :) There could never be too many owls anyway, but if there are new prints (like sleeping owls), colours (all shades of brown, grey, tan), or even moulds (like baby owls) I'm sure everyone would be over the moon. Not that I think that any of these wishes are realistic...

Hi, I'm always reading along but never post because I don't really know much about Lego (just love the Harry Potter licence). Just a few thoughts--the 2011 included two goblins in Gringotts, I can't imagine there would be fewer this time. 2 goblins + Ollivander + the trio + Fred & George are already 8 figures, so by the different calculations here there might only be another 4 or 7 or 12 spots left. In terms of the buildings some of you mentioned that the set is supposed to appeal to fans of the modular buildings. I wonder--do you think the release of the bookshop makes it less likely that Flourish & Blotts is included? Also, if the set is supposed to appeal to collectors of other themes I think an inclusion of the Leaky Cauldron would make sense no? I personally would really love if the Owl Emporium was included because it would be so nice to get many new owls, maybe even in a greater variety of colours.

I'm based in London too :) You're right, the craze for the minifigures here is amazing. In my lunch breaks I often witness hedge-fund managers and other seemingly soulless individuals as they rummage through minifigure boxes, desperately searching for Dobby or Luna... Restores my faith in humanity ;) Probably not so many sets? But the ideas sound quite likely. I expect there will be another knight bus too, as lego seems to think that no one buys sets without vehicles... In terms of recognising HP's potential--quite a few of the current lego designers are my generation I think, so they grew up with Potter. That makes me hopeful that they will do more than just revisit old sets and hopefully also make sets that are more whimsical. Fingers crossed! :) I think the set is gorgeous, the reasons why it doesn't sell as well as other sets are probably that it's too expensive and that it features characters that no one cares about. I expect the Quidditch set and Aragog set are less popular than the rest among the Potter sets. Generally I think Fantastic Beasts has a lot of potential. Anyone who watches the new trailer will come up with at least ten set ideas :) But of course the characters will never have the same appeal as in Potter, even though their clothes are nicer!

I think it's safe to be optimistic with regard to current sales figures--at least where I live (UK) these sets are flying off the shelves :) That said I believe the future of the theme depends on the choice of sets in the next wave. The HP and FB films have the most beautiful sets and countless locations that could appeal to fans of other Lego themes. While the first wave had crossover appeal it seemed to mainly target Potter fans and focus on the most iconic sets in the films. If they continue to release similar sets, will people continue to buy them with unending enthusiasm? I do hope that the next wave will include a set with major crossover appeal like Diagon Alley, and that future waves will also consider less iconic locations--my instinct tells me that something like a Hogsmeade set, or, even more far-fetched, Shell Cottage, would sell better than triwizard sets or more quidditch stuff and so make it more likely for the theme to continue.

While Friends might recreate old-fashioned gender roles, Heartlake City also doesn't seem like a very contemporary place (except for the laptops etc). Many of the sets have a vintage look; if there were more boys, HC could totally work as a setting for Grease or, even better, The Graduate. However, that doesn't mean Lego is reactionary, the line just reflects a retrosexual trend in society. People buy vintage clothes, products with a retro look, and watch shows like Mad Men. A less negative attitude towards old-fashioned / traditional gender roles is linked to this trend.

Does anyone else think that the Mirkwood Elf Chief looks a bit like Stephen Colbert (especially the smiling face)? He is supposed to appear in one of the films though the role has not been revealed. I love the idea to have him as a minifigure. (Apologies if this is the wrong thread.)