Ideas for new Lego themes! (Non-licensed)

[Darnok]

A return of pirates and castle please. And if all else fails: space pirates!

[Gomek]

On 6/28/2019 at 8:37 AM, MAB said:

How would a non-licensed superheroes theme work? You really need a back story for any superhero, and if LEGO need to develop these and then have them compete for shelf space with the (mainly) Marvel and DC brands, they might as well put that effort into something a little more unique - like they did with Ninjago, Chima, Monster Fighters, Nexo Knights, etc.

Agents and Ultra agents themes were essentially Super Villain sets. While I don't know if super heroes would work as well, I very much liked collecting the Super Villains. No backstory needed.

On 9/5/2019 at 8:44 AM, Darnok said:

A return of pirates and castle please. And if all else fails: space pirates!

Unless we're talking Captain Harlock, I'd rather steer clear of mash-ups.

[Digger of Bricks]

Having seen that BBC has finally released a trailer for their time period-faithful miniseries adaptation of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds, I was pondering how cool it'd be if Lego had revisited Alien Conquest's extraterrestrial invasion premise once again for a new playtheme inspired after such. Rather than just being outright named War of the Worlds, perhaps it could instead go by the moniker Earth Vs. Mars, with a Victorian/Edwardian Era-inspired setting and a premise built around "Royal Astronautical Marines" pushing back against the Martians' invading forces...

 

[Sucram]

Steampunk sets would be soooo coool. Not sure if there are already steampunk sets but if not, we need them

[Aanchir]

22 hours ago, LEGODrongo01 said:

Steampunk sets would be soooo coool. Not sure if there are already steampunk sets but if not, we need them

A lot of the closest sets we've seen to a Steampunk design philosophy or aesthetic have been in themes that cover a wide range of genres:

• 9446, 70738, 70601, 70603, 70605, 70623, 70677, and 70618 from LEGO Ninjago/The LEGO Ninjago Movie all iterate on the concept of a flying ship, a popular steampunk concept. However, many also incorporate technologies that fall outside of a strict definition of "steampunk" like computers, solar panels, or rockets, as well as magical fantasy elements.
• 70807, 70810, 30528, 70834, 70836, and 70848 from The LEGO Movie/The LEGO Movie 2 feature different versions of Metalbeard, whose body and vehicles are generally steampunk inspired. But again, the V8 engine on his motor trike would be too modern to qualify as steampunk under a strict definition.
• 20215 from LEGO Master Builder Academy came perhaps the closest of any set to "true" steampunk.
• 41536, 41537, and 41538 from LEGO Mixels depict the Klinkers, a Steampunk-inspired tribe of Mixels. As with all Mixel tribes, the three can be combined into a larger "Max" model with a similar theme and aesthetic.
• 41071, 41184, 41193, and 30375 from LEGO Elves depict airships which avoid any post-19th century tech. But because elemental magic is the main power source in Elvendale, these sets lack anything resembling actual steam engines or boilers, and thus are arguably too low-tech to count as steampunk.
• Of licensed themes, Avatar: The Last Airbender falls most neatly under the definition steampunk, despite taking place in a fantasy world rather than an alternate-history version of Earth. The Fire Nation boats, ships, and tanks are powered using coal-powered steam engines.

As for why LEGO hasn't had a full Steampunk theme, LEGO designer Mark Stafford (@Nabii) has spoken to that a few times, including here on Eurobricks.

On 6/19/2017 at 8:11 AM, Nabii said:

Concepts and new themes at LEGO are not created by marketing, they are created by Designers. We draw and build and test extensively, and you are right, hybrid concepts often fail, (for example so far steampunk performs terribly). But NEXO Knights outperformed all other concepts including tradition Space and Castle ideas.

On 6/19/2017 at 10:28 AM, Nabii said:

The main problem with Steampunk - and many hybrids is that for it to work you need to know the conventions/history that are being twisted. To kids it can be confusing and "stupid". Why would a spaceship have a propeller? Or a sports car have a chimney?! If you are not yet aware of actual history and the timeline of technological breakthroughs then alternative histories can be too weird. Nexo Knights made sense to kids because in a castle setting 'magic' made these things possible. In a world with magic books and spells then of course it would make sense to move your castle around!

On 7/7/2017 at 4:15 AM, Nabii said:

As others have pointed out (thanks guys) just because we haven't found a way for the theme to work it doesn't mean we haven't used the aesthetic of Steampunk in various places, so it seemed safe for me to use as an example. As for what tests well and what has failed, of course I can't go into details, and even if I did the landscape of what works for kids imaginations changes over time as popular culture; TV shows, movies, games all introduce new ideas to each new generation.

Some of his comments from this Reddit thread (caution; some foul language in some of the comments he's replying to) go into perhaps a little more detail about what he means by "the conventions/history that are being twisted":

Quote

Steampunk, Tech-West and Dieselpunk/Crimson Skies are hybrid themes, for them to make sense to someone you need to be familiar with the tropes of the two mashed together ideas. Victorian and Cyberpunk, Sci-fi and Western and WW2 and fighter jets/starfighters.

Kids are generally only starting to learn the basics of the singular settings, so when you put in a flying steam engine or a 'spacehip' with a propeller it doesn't make sense to them and they reject it as being wrong. Believe me, I'll keep trying, but so far we just can't crack it.

Quote

I didn't mean to imply kids can't mash themes together themselves, and The LEGO Movie definitely helped foster that kind of thinking! I'm just saying what we (The LEGO Group) have found in our testing. (I'm a LEGO Designer; Mark Stafford.) Generally speaking kids just don't get Steampunk. Which is a real shame as I have so many ideas I'd love to get out there!

You're completely right though that one of the problems is no successful Steampunk movie or TV show has ever made it 'big time', I think the closest was 'Wild Wild West' 15 years ago. Let's hope that one day one does and either TLG get the license or it triggers a home grown steampunk theme instead! Although it's always possible we'll find our own way to use Steampunk, to be honest Ninjago has come very close on several occasions... the Samurai Mech was my attempt to get some of it into the theme and other sets have had a similar design style.

Regardless, I'd love to see a more dedicated steampunk theme as well! Granted, I'm not too picky about whether it obeys a strict definition of the term — a lot of the steampunk works I've enjoyed skew perhaps closer to the genre sometimes called "gaslamp fantasy", which combines more traditional "steampunk" technologies with fantasy and sci-fi tropes common in 19th century fiction. Some of the "gaslamp fantasy" works I follow include the webcomics Girl Genius and The Glass Scientists.

Sometimes I wonder whether steampunk would be a good fit for a girl-oriented sci-fi line using mini-dolls, since they might be better equipped than minifigures to depict some of the ostentatious pseudo-Victorian fashions often associated with the Steampunk genre.

Edited October 20, 2019 by Aanchir

[Sucram]

@Aanchir Hey thanks for the really comprehensive response! I can definitely see why Steampunk wouldnt sell that well. I guess it will forever remain a MOC only thing. I definitely need to get Metal Beard's sea cow though

[Digger of Bricks]

4 hours ago, Aanchir said:

Some of his comments from this Reddit thread (caution; some foul language in some of the comments he's replying to) go into perhaps a little more detail about what he means by "the conventions/history that are being twisted":

Quote

Steampunk, Tech-West and Dieselpunk/Crimson Skies are hybrid themes, for them to make sense to someone you need to be familiar with the tropes of the two mashed together ideas. Victorian and Cyberpunk, Sci-fi and Western and WW2 and fighter jets/starfighters.

Wow, I had never previously read these Reddit comments of @Nabii's before, as I don't believe I've ever seen the Dieselpunk & Sky-Fi genres officially acknowledged so directly by a TLG representative!  

Hmmm, now I have to wonder if he'd confirmed there that Dieselpunk had been toyed with in the past as a playtheme concept; or, could it be that TLG may have unjustly jumped to the conclusion that all other Retrofuturistic "punk" genres would perform as poorly as Steampunk had, thereby never giving Dieselpunk an upfront chance? 

[badboytje88]

Revamp JOHNY THUNDER!

[Aanchir]

On 10/20/2019 at 11:40 PM, Digger of Bricks said:

Wow, I had never previously read these Reddit comments of @Nabii's before, as I don't believe I've ever seen the Dieselpunk & Sky-Fi genres officially acknowledged so directly by a TLG representative!  

Hmmm, now I have to wonder if he'd confirmed there that Dieselpunk had been toyed with in the past as a playtheme concept; or, could it be that TLG may have unjustly jumped to the conclusion that all other Retrofuturistic "punk" genres would perform as poorly as Steampunk had, thereby never giving Dieselpunk an upfront chance? 

Well, like Steampunk, there are a lot of varying definitions of Dieselpunk depending on how strictly you want to stick to the original "alternate history where technology evolved differently" premise. So just as with Steampunk, some Ninjago sets like 70747, 70650, 70654, 70669, and 70677 could be considered Dieselpunk or at least Dieselpunk-adjacent. As could some Monster Fighters vehicle and character designs, which for some reason I tend to see more often described as Steampunk.

The same applies to Batman/DC Super Heroes/The LEGO Batman Movie sets, considering that Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film and Batman: The Animated Series are both sometimes considered Dieselpunk due to their extensive referencing of 1940s tech, fashion, and societal developments. Even in more modernized, high-tech incarnations, Batman franchise portrayals of stuff like organized crime, mental health treatment, policing, industrial settings, the lives and tastes of the mega-wealthy, etc. are often very plainly influenced by elements of the early comics of the 30s to 50s which would be far less believable in a modern-day, real-world setting.

I have no doubt that designers have proposed and tested numerous ways of using dieselpunk aesthetics in sets, whether it's as the basis of a theme or as the basis of particular subthemes, factions, and sets within a larger theme. And Mark Stafford's awareness of genres like Dieselpunk, Sky-Fi, etc. is hardly a fluke, considering that he and a lot of other current designers like Marcos Bessa, Adrian Florea, Nicolaas Vas, and so on were hired from the same community of AFOL MOCists who first exposed many of us to these concepts.

[Digger of Bricks]

15 hours ago, Aanchir said:

I have no doubt that designers have proposed and tested numerous ways of using dieselpunk aesthetics in sets, whether it's as the basis of a theme or as the basis of particular subthemes, factions, and sets within a larger theme. And Mark Stafford's awareness of genres like Dieselpunk, Sky-Fi, etc. is hardly a fluke, considering that he and a lot of other current designers like Marcos Bessa, Adrian Florea, Nicolaas Vas, and so on were hired from the same community of AFOL MOCists who first exposed many of us to these concepts.

Well, one advantage I'd suggest Dieselpunk might have over Steampunk is just a bit more representation in popular/culturally-relevant media (something @Nabii highlighted there on Reddit as lacking for Steampunk); so, a fantastical WWI/WWII-era playtheme on par with Ninjago's scale and approach could more easily evoke films such as Raiders of the Lost Ark, Captain America: The First Avenger, and The Rocketeer. I mean, if Lego were to give a spiritual successor to Adventurers the "big bang" revamp treatment, I definitely think the end result would easily manifest as an outright Dieselpunk/Diesel-Pulp playtheme worthy of the label. 

[Lego David]

So, Pirates as we know with may never come back in it's authentic form, except maybe in D2C sets like the Pirates of Baracuda Bay set. But here is my idea about how to make a new Pirates theme that could potentially appeal to both the older and the younger audience:

What if there was a Fantasy Pirates theme? Similar to Pirates of the Caribbean, except it would be an original LEGO theme. It would be about a group of pirates who go on adventures on the sea, facing all sorts of mythical creatures, like the Krakken, Leviathan, Hydra, Sirens and all sorts of sea monsters like that. In that regard, you could have it be similar to the LEGO Vikings theme, where there is conflict in a box comprised of the minifigures VS a brick-built monster. 

The sets could feature more fantasy-looking minifigures as opposed to the more realistic ones we got from the original Pirates lines, with Ghost Pirates, Zombie Pirates, or Minifigures resembling Sea Creatures, like the ones we got with the Atlantis line. 

The potential with a concept like this is endless, and I think this might be a good way to make LEGO Pirates appeal to both older fans and few fans alike. 

What do you all think about this idea? 

[TeriXeri]

45 minutes ago, Lego David said:

What if there was a Fantasy Pirates theme? Similar to Pirates of the Caribbean, except it would be an original LEGO theme. It would be about a group of pirates who go on adventures on the sea, facing all sorts of mythical creatures, like the Krakken, Leviathan, Hydra, Sirens and all sorts of sea monsters like that. In that regard, you could have it be similar to the LEGO Vikings theme, where there is conflict in a box comprised of the minifigures VS a brick-built monster. 

The sets could feature more fantasy-looking minifigures as opposed to the more realistic ones we got from the original Pirates lines, with Ghost Pirates, Zombie Pirates, or Minifigures resembling Sea Creatures, like the ones we got with the Atlantis line. 

The potential with a concept like this is endless, and I think this might be a good way to make LEGO Pirates appeal to both older fans and few fans alike. 

What do you all think about this idea? 

I agree, it could be nice, a bit like the Nexo Knight sea monster concept, but without the high-tech vehicles. 

https://nexoknights.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Sea_Monsters

Could also have them visit islands and such and see other mythical figures there.

https://nexoknights.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Forest_Monsters

 

Edited August 1, 2020 by TeriXeri

[MAB]

On 8/1/2020 at 4:08 PM, Lego David said:

So, Pirates as we know with may never come back in it's authentic form, except maybe in D2C sets like the Pirates of Baracuda Bay set. But here is my idea about how to make a new Pirates theme that could potentially appeal to both the older and the younger audience:

What if there was a Fantasy Pirates theme? Similar to Pirates of the Caribbean, except it would be an original LEGO theme. It would be about a group of pirates who go on adventures on the sea, facing all sorts of mythical creatures, like the Krakken, Leviathan, Hydra, Sirens and all sorts of sea monsters like that. In that regard, you could have it be similar to the LEGO Vikings theme, where there is conflict in a box comprised of the minifigures VS a brick-built monster. 

The sets could feature more fantasy-looking minifigures as opposed to the more realistic ones we got from the original Pirates lines, with Ghost Pirates, Zombie Pirates, or Minifigures resembling Sea Creatures, like the ones we got with the Atlantis line. 

The potential with a concept like this is endless, and I think this might be a good way to make LEGO Pirates appeal to both older fans and few fans alike. 

What do you all think about this idea? 

Why the need for pirates here? Why not just a fantasy theme against mythical creatures? Or pirates in a conventional setting?

Fantasy builders wouldn't want it if the minifigures were pirate based. Pirate builders wouldn't want it as the minifigures are fantasy based ghosts and zombies. To me, it wouldn't be of much interest to either fan base, much like complaints of Nexo Knights from Castle fans and Space fans. After all, join Castle and Space and you please two fan groups, right? When in reality, you end up appealing to neither.

[The Island Chronicles]

I know it'll never happen, but......Lego Neighborhood! This would basically teach kids about the different types of houses that are out there. Of course, we get the occasional house from Friends and Creator. Only twice in City during its long time period. I miss the days when Creator used to be INFESTED with house sets. Sadly, those days are gone. We do have the Home Alone house, however, which is pretty pricey. This theme would be a cheap way to get house sets for children who wish to begin a table town. Most of these sets could be nods to the houses from the old classic town sets - which btw are going on eBay for almost 1k. 

[charlesmox1]

Steam punk. Some sort of new locomotive, foundry/workshop, zeppelin, clock tower, maybe some Nautilus type vehicle instead of a frigate or clipper. Accessories: Top hats, watch pieces, goggles, bigger revolvers, canes.

[Wolfpackfan99]

Okay here’s my idea (feel free to challenge or criticize my idea):

three friends travel across different realms (basically themes) in a flying pirate ship that’s powered by lightning (they have to travel through storm clouds for the ship to perform inter dimensional travel), and also fight off the evil forces of Lord Doom-claw, a power hungry warlord who wants to combine all the realms to create a new dark realm, the three friends meet all sorts of weird and whacky characters in their quest to stop Lord Doom-claw.

I call it: Realm Runners

On 1/22/2022 at 8:56 PM, Poodabricks said:

I know it'll never happen, but......Lego Neighborhood! This would basically teach kids about the different types of houses that are out there. Of course, we get the occasional house from Friends and Creator. Only twice in City during its long time period. I miss the days when Creator used to be INFESTED with house sets. Sadly, those days are gone. We do have the Home Alone house, however, which is pretty pricey. This theme would be a cheap way to get house sets for children who wish to begin a table town. Most of these sets could be nods to the houses from the old classic town sets - which btw are going on eBay for almost 1k. 

Poodabricks we meet again haha, anyways yeah I rarely see a house in city, but I assume that if city started doing more houses, they’d probably be the same cookie cutter type of build pattern like they do for every single car (literally I can build one from scratch without any instructions, and it’ll be the same thing as a car from a set), also those creator houses were totally awesome

Edited February 12, 2022 by Wolfpackfan99

[The Island Chronicles]

2 hours ago, Wolfpackfan99 said:

Poodabricks we meet again haha, anyways yeah I rarely see a house in city, but I assume that if city started doing more houses, they’d probably be the same cookie cutter type of build pattern like they do for every single car (literally I can build one from scratch without any instructions, and it’ll be the same thing as a car from a set), also those creator houses were totally awesome

LOL! You'll be seeing plenty of me around here. 

[Wolfpackfan99]

34 minutes ago, Poodabricks said:

LOL! You'll be seeing plenty of me around here. 

Me: reads this 

Also me: sees the notification that Poodabricks followed me 

Me (flashbacks to Toy Story): “us toys are always watching”

[The Island Chronicles]

Just now, Wolfpackfan99 said:

Me: reads this 

Also me: sees the notification that Poodabricks followed me 

Me (flashbacks to Toy Story): “us toys are always watching”

Yeah! Thought I'd give you a follow. You seem like a cool guy to talk to. 

[Wolfpackfan99]

2 minutes ago, Poodabricks said:

Yeah! Thought I'd give you a follow. You seem like a cool guy to talk to. 

Sure so what do you think about my theme idea?

[Karalora]

2 minutes ago, Wolfpackfan99 said:

Sure so what do you think about my theme idea?

I can't speak for anyone else, but I like it! It could be pure fantasy or have more of a steampunk aesthetic like many people are hoping for. I suspect LEGO would veer away from putting "death" in a main character's name, though. Maybe Lord Doom-claw instead?

[Wolfpackfan99]

2 minutes ago, Karalora said:

I can't speak for anyone else, but I like it! It could be pure fantasy or have more of a steampunk aesthetic like many people are hoping for. I suspect LEGO would veer away from putting "death" in a main character's name, though. Maybe Lord Doom-claw instead?

Yeah I forgot about a name change, I was thinking he would look like Ogel but without all that bulky armour, also he would have that “create the world in my image” mindset/catchphrase that Lord Garmadon had in the first few seasons of ninjago

[The Island Chronicles]

16 minutes ago, Wolfpackfan99 said:

Sure so what do you think about my theme idea?

Is the shadow realm one of those realms they travel to? Sorry but I can't get that Thomas and Friends meme out of my head. 

[Wolfpackfan99]

Actually Doom-claw is based on some concept minifigures I was making for a project some four years ago, these are older parts but I assume TLG could make new adaptations/variations of them

so Lord Doom-claw is made up this:

just the original 1979 hair piece in black 

the head piece from Gilbert the Bad (stitched on eyepatch, scowl, grey eye, frown, stubble) from the 2000 knight’s kingdom theme 

A blue torso with silver stud details (unfortunately there is a number one on the back) from Lego soccer/football 

and just plain black pants 

 

4 minutes ago, Poodabricks said:

Is the shadow realm one of those realms they travel to? Sorry but I can't get that Thomas and Friends meme out of my head. 

No. This is what Doom-claw wants, it’s his motivation, his endgame (no not that endgame), basically he’s going to use a powerful weapon to merge all the realms together so that they are all now his shadow realm 

3 hours ago, Wolfpackfan99 said:

Okay here’s my idea (feel free to challenge or criticize my idea):

three friends travel across different realms (basically themes) in a flying pirate ship that’s powered by lightning (they have to travel through storm clouds for the ship to perform inter dimensional travel), and also fight off the evil forces of Lord Doom-claw, a power hungry warlord who wants to combine all the realms to create a new dark realm, the three friends meet all sorts of weird and whacky characters in their quest to stop Lord Doom-claw.

I call it: Realm Runners

Poodabricks we meet again haha, anyways yeah I rarely see a house in city, but I assume that if city started doing more houses, they’d probably be the same cookie cutter type of build pattern like they do for every single car (literally I can build one from scratch without any instructions, and it’ll be the same thing as a car from a set), also those creator houses were totally awesome

Haha now he’s Doom-claw forever!!! The ability to destroy an entire planet is insignificant next to the power of editing 

[Wolfpackfan99]

Honestly I think the whole idea broke the system (and I don’t mean the Lego system of play), remember how Nabii was saying how TLG could never crack the code so that steampunk could appeal to children? I personally don’t really know a lot about steampunk (from my understanding it basically has to do with steam powered vehicles but in a historical fantasy setting), but I think it could work, I mean kids know lightning is powerful, so therefore they must have some understanding that using lightning as a power source makes sense, also it could be a nice homage to older themes with little Easter eggs and references