LEGO Collectable Minifigures Future Series Rumours

[lego_guyon02]

52 minutes ago, MatthewRC said:

But I thought Hasbro renewed their Star Wars action figure deal as non-exclusive, or did that only apply to Marvel?

Only Marvel, Hasbro still owns those exclusive rights for Star Wars

[MatthewRC]

23 minutes ago, Guyon2002 said:

Only Marvel, Hasbro still owns those exclusive rights for Star Wars

Oh, okay. Thank you for the clarification. Looks like we won’t be getting a Star Wars CMF until Hasbro’s exclusive deal becomes non-exclusive.

[gedren_y]

1 hour ago, Guyon2002 said:

Only Marvel, Hasbro still owns those exclusive rights for Star Wars

I thought Disney renegotiated both of them to be non-exclusive. It would explain why the Star Wars battle packs are ending.

[lego_guyon02]

3 minutes ago, gedren_y said:

I thought Disney renegotiated both of them to be non-exclusive. It would explain why the Star Wars battle packs are ending.

As far as I'm aware Star Wars is still a no-go for LEGO

[sylin]

4 hours ago, Guyon2002 said:

We can cross off SW because LEGO simply can't make one which leaves us with: 
- Jurassic World
- Super Mario
- Marvel
- Minecraft

So with these 4 left I'd say Marvel is the most likely. Jurassic has the issue of dinosaurs and on top of that it wouldn't make much sense to release a CMF a good 3 months after the release of Jurassic World: Dominion. Super Mario could work but I think LEGO will want to stick with their current system for a while before comitting to minifigures. Minecraft could work but I find it unlikely. So my conclusion would be Marvel. 

I have to agree with you. I think the most likely choice is Marvel, and it's also what I'd want most from these options.

[BigGuy4U]

7 hours ago, Guyon2002 said:

Just in case anyone's interested I did some digging. 

Current licenses LEGO has: 
- DC
- Disney
- Harry Potter
- Jurassic World
- Super Mario
- Marvel
- Minecraft
- Minions
- Overwatch
- Star Wars
- Stranger Things
- Trolls
- Toy Story

First we can cross off all the licenses that already have 1 or more CMFs, which leaves us with: 
- Jurassic World
- Super Mario
- Marvel
- Minecraft
- Minions
- Overwatch
- Star Wars
- Stranger Things
- Trolls
- Toy Story

Then we can cross off themes that haven't had new stuff in ages or performed poorly, leaving us with: 
- Jurassic World
- Super Mario
- Marvel
- Minecraft
- Star Wars

We can cross off SW because LEGO simply can't make one which leaves us with: 
- Jurassic World
- Super Mario
- Marvel
- Minecraft

So with these 4 left I'd say Marvel is the most likely. Jurassic has the issue of dinosaurs and on top of that it wouldn't make much sense to release a CMF a good 3 months after the release of Jurassic World: Dominion. Super Mario could work but I think LEGO will want to stick with their current system for a while before comitting to minifigures. Minecraft could work but I find it unlikely. So my conclusion would be Marvel. 

As I said in the Marvel thread, Universal Monsters is missing from this list which could be a good fit for a September CMF.

[1980-Something-Space-Guy]

7 hours ago, Guyon2002 said:

Only Marvel, Hasbro still owns those exclusive rights for Star Wars

Would you happen to have a source for this? I keep hearing this but I never see an actual source, so I am a bit concerned it might just be an unfounded rumor (which I hope is not the case). So far I have not been able to find anything confirming that the Marvel rights are now non-exclusive.

[Lion King]

10 hours ago, Guyon2002 said:

Just in case anyone's interested I did some digging. 

Current licenses LEGO has: 
- DC
- Disney
- Harry Potter
- Jurassic World
- Super Mario
- Marvel
- Minecraft
- Minions
- Overwatch
- Star Wars
- Stranger Things
- Trolls
- Toy Story

First we can cross off all the licenses that already have 1 or more CMFs, which leaves us with: 
- Jurassic World
- Super Mario
- Marvel
- Minecraft
- Minions
- Overwatch
- Star Wars
- Stranger Things
- Trolls
- Toy Story

Then we can cross off themes that haven't had new stuff in ages or performed poorly, leaving us with: 
- Jurassic World
- Super Mario
- Marvel
- Minecraft
- Star Wars

We can cross off SW because LEGO simply can't make one which leaves us with: 
- Jurassic World
- Super Mario
- Marvel
- Minecraft

So with these 4 left I'd say Marvel is the most likely. Jurassic has the issue of dinosaurs and on top of that it wouldn't make much sense to release a CMF a good 3 months after the release of Jurassic World: Dominion. Super Mario could work but I think LEGO will want to stick with their current system for a while before comitting to minifigures. Minecraft could work but I find it unlikely. So my conclusion would be Marvel. 

I have to say - I 100% agree with you that it could be Marvel. I’m a huge fan of Jurassic Park franchise but you get a point there. 

[Anonknee Muss]

I am sceptical of Marvel becoming CMF.

[Lion King]

On 9/30/2020 at 12:55 PM, Anonknee Muss said:

I am sceptical of Marvel becoming CMF.

Why that? I mean of course it’s just rumors yet to be confirmed (or not). 

[Anonknee Muss]

14 hours ago, DBlegonerd7 said:

Why that? I mean of course it’s just rumors yet to be confirmed (or not). 

The rumours make no sense.

[Itaria No Shintaku]

Regardless of the fact they will deliver them in jan or later, the italian retailer catalog has 

SERIES 21 - IN GREEN

BOXES of 36 minifigures.

And that's all, no more info.

Perhaps they switched with Looney Tunes.

[Terrasher]

Apparently TLG has made prototypes to change the CMF packaging from plastic bags to little cardboard boxes.

It's a punch in the gut for people who want to feel the bags, but I guess it was inevitable considering TLG is looking for environmentally-friendly packaging.

If it's hard cardboard, I'll probably just buy the figures I want from eBay. I hope they find a softer cardboard, like the one they'll use for the pieces inside sets. That way we'll still be able to feel for the figures. However, I doubt softer cardboard would be strong enough to resist tearing from feeling with our fingers.

[mscott71]

53 minutes ago, Terrasher said:

Apparently TLG has made prototypes to change the CMF packaging from plastic bags to little cardboard boxes.

It's a punch in the gut for people who want to feel the bags, but I guess it was inevitable considering TLG is looking for environmentally-friendly packaging.

If it's hard cardboard, I'll probably just buy the figures I want from eBay. I hope they find a softer cardboard, like the one they'll use for the pieces inside sets. That way we'll still be able to feel for the figures. However, I doubt softer cardboard would be strong enough to resist tearing from feeling with our fingers.

Having bought the last two series from someone online because feeling the bags hasn't really been an option, this change to the packaging means that I'll either keep buying that way or start to question whether I really need to keep collecting CMFs. Hunting for a complete set used to be fun but if the effort to find the ones I want is outweighed by the probability of just getting random doubles or the cost of trying to get a set then there are other things (probably still Lego...) that I can spend my money on.

[Gorilla94]

Well, then I am out. For 4€ I demand to get exactly what I want. The thought of ending up with multible creepy carebears is a bad joke i don't want to be part of.

I don't believe it a second that saving nature is a relevant point for that decision. At best it is greenwashing for marketing reasons. They could have stopped using plastic bags in boxes years ago but did not care. Instead Lego often used even 2 plastic bags per cmf-figure since TLM2 now. The plastic from plants is only used for Lego plants and part of a big marketing campain. This is only an attempt to squeeze the money even more from customers.

[gedren_y]

Bioplastics, and other biodegradable materials, for packaging are relatively easy these days. Reproducing the quality of TLG's established ABS, and its color palette, is another thing altogether. Add to that the trans colors plastic, and the various softer/rubber parts, as well as the locations of the manufacturing plants around the world, and switching to renewables is a larger undertaking than many might think.

As for price: My local Walmart finally started carrying CMFs with the DC line. They priced them at $3.49, and subsequent series have rung up the same price. Stores with their own distribution networks are likely able to get these at barely above wholesale, and be able to undercut Shop@Home prices.

[1980-Something-Space-Guy]

I am just a tad skeptic because the shown prototype is a box for S19, which by this point is quite old. However, assuming this is true, my hope would be for Lego to put the unique barcodes again. Barring that, they can probably expect less sales, because I don't think many people are able to afford buying $5 blind bags until they find the figure they want, and not everyone is savvy about the secondary market.

[Anonknee Muss]

4 minutes ago, BrickHat said:

I am just a tad skeptic because the shown prototype is a box for S19, which by this point is quite old. However, assuming this is true, my hope would be for Lego to put the unique barcodes again. Barring that, they can probably expect less sales, because I don't think many people are able to afford buying $5 blind bags until they find the figure they want, and not everyone is savvy about the secondary market.

I just came here about to say the same regarding your first point. This concept art was made for series 19, we've seen 3 series released since then without using this new concept packaging. I think it's safe to say this won't be used.

[brickgeneral]

1 hour ago, Anonknee Muss said:

I just came here about to say the same regarding your first point. This concept art was made for series 19, we've seen 3 series released since then without using this new concept packaging. I think it's safe to say this won't be used.

I hope very fervently that you are right. LEGO has used old imagery as concept art placeholders in the past so the s19 graphic doesn't rule this out. This would be a catastrophic change, ruining CMFs permanently, as the ability to identify exactly which figure you were getting was critical to justifying the price. 

[BigGuy4U]

Oh boy... I had a feeling this would happen eventually. Lego has to know that most people feel the bags to try to get what they want, though they may feel that's "cheating" anyway and just not care. If they do go with this, they better either add some sort of new indicator that allows us to differentiate what's inside, or decrease the price.

[Anonknee Muss]

2 hours ago, brickgeneral said:

I hope very fervently that you are right. LEGO has used old imagery as concept art placeholders in the past so the s19 graphic doesn't rule this out. This would be a catastrophic change, ruining CMFs permanently, as the ability to identify exactly which figure you were getting was critical to justifying the price. 

Oh I had no idea they used old imagery for new concepts 

1 hour ago, BigGuy4U said:

Oh boy... I had a feeling this would happen eventually. Lego has to know that most people feel the bags to try to get what they want, though they may feel that's "cheating" anyway and just not care. If they do go with this, they better either add some sort of new indicator that allows us to differentiate what's inside, or decrease the price.

Its bad enough they changed the packaging once (I prefer the older packaging) but this hypothetical new packaging I. Do. Not. Like.

[Vindicare]

Yikes. If this is what’s happening going forward, I’m out. For $5 & not knowing which minifig I’m getting...no thanks. I’d rather spend that on sets. If they do make thus change they’ll need to cut the price by a couple bucks to keep me as a frequent buyer. 

 

[BigGuy4U]

11 hours ago, Vindicare said:

Yikes. If this is what’s happening going forward, I’m out. For $5 & not knowing which minifig I’m getting...no thanks. I’d rather spend that on sets. If they do make thus change they’ll need to cut the price by a couple bucks to keep me as a frequent buyer. 

 

Count me in - I wonder if CMF sales will drop because of this, or if they'll just increase from the people who still want them now buying more because they have no way to determine what they're getting.

[jonwil]

Do we actually have 100% confirmation about the change in packaging or is it still just rumors and speculation? (and some things based on older images and prototypes)

 

Edited October 21, 2020 by jonwil

[Anonknee Muss]

13 hours ago, jonwil said:

Do we actually have 100% confirmation about the change in packaging or is it still just rumors and speculation? (and some things based on older images and prototypes)

Apparently the CMF coming in boxes is not a final concept it was part of a closed survey. No idea how true this is. Also apparently the guy this screenshot originated from will be kicked from the closed survey. Can anyone else confirm this? I saw this info posted by a reliable leaker on an IG story.