The Simpsons 2014 Rumors & Discussion

[CorneliusMurdock]

There is no way LEGO will make a nuclear power plant after the events of Japan. It's that simple. Germany is planning on closing their nuclear power plants within 15-20 years, and Germany is a top country or LEGO.

A lot of factors went into what became the tragedy that occurred in Japan. I don't think if TLG made the power plant, it would really offend anyone any more than a nuclear power plant in the actual cartoon would. I've never heard of anyone boycotting the Simpsons since then. Just producing a power plant, in my opinion, would not be disrespectful to the people affected by the events in Japan. Now if a play feature had it destroyed by a tsunami, yeah, that would cross a line. But I trust LEGO enough that they wouldn't do that.

The Simpsons have been poking fun at nuclear power for years. They obviously don't advocate it's use and they highlight how unsafe it can be in negligent hands.

[Sam892]

There is no way LEGO will make a nuclear power plant after the events of Japan. It's that simple. Germany is planning on closing their nuclear power plants within 15-20 years, and Germany is a top country or LEGO.

Why would LEGO take a license for The Simpsons and not make iconic locations? Because they have so many characters, LEGO cares more about the minifigure than the sets. And it's not like there aren't so many locations to make.

Plus they have figured out how to make

I still don't think that the horrible events at Japan would justify never making a nuclear power plant set. LEGO didn't stop producing Planes, or Trains whenever there has been a terrible accident. While what happened in Japan is aweful it still doesn't mean that companies should shy away from nuclear power. Especially when applied to the context of The Simpsons where the plant is a very exaggerated and unrealistic parody.

[Haltiamieli]

I don't think if TLG made the power plant, it would really offend anyone any more than a nuclear power plant in the actual cartoon would. I've never heard of anyone boycotting the Simpsons since then. Just producing a power plant, in my opinion, would not be disrespectful to the people affected by the events in Japan.

But the cartoon can provide more context and more nuanced portrayal than a toy box on the store shelf can. It's not just the Japan disaster, the perceived popular opinion in many countries have for long been turning more vary of nuclear power. But of course, if the given set list is correct, we do get a nuclear plant set, just in a small size that doesn't include those iconic and humongous cooling towers. That I suppose is a good way to go around the problem. Who would object to a simple tech-y control panel? And a funnily radiating rod...

[Faefrost]

There is no way LEGO will make a nuclear power plant after the events of Japan. It's that simple. Germany is planning on closing their nuclear power plants within 15-20 years, and Germany is a top country or LEGO.

Why would LEGO take a license for The Simpsons and not make iconic locations? Because they have so many characters, LEGO cares more about the minifigure than the sets. And it's not like there aren't so many locations to make.

Plus they have figured out how to make

That might stop them from making a City theme "real world" type Nuclear Power plant. (Although even with that I am not sure that Fukushima would interfere anymore than the BP gulf spill stopped them from releasing an Octan truck this year.) but in a satiric theme appropriate way, I can't see them avoiding it. Isn't one of the rumored sets Homers Nuclear Plant Console?

The real reason we will not see such a set is one of scale. While Lego are masters of selectively compressing the scale of things, Nuclear cooling towers just don't compress well at all. No matter how you try. One of the Model Railroad model makers had a Nuclear Plant set in HO and N scale. And no matter how hard they tried, the cooling towers just could not be made big enough to fool the eyes. To even begin you would need a model as tall as Orthanc sitting on a 48 by 48 baseplate. And it would still look not right. (Plus lets be honest? Have you ever seen an actual cooling tower? There is literally nothing inside. Zip! Nada! All they are are the round walls that you see from the outside. Nothing goes in, nothing comes out except air and the occasional pigeon.)

[Bricknblue]

But the cartoon can provide more context and more nuanced portrayal than a toy box on the store shelf can. It's not just the Japan disaster, the perceived popular opinion in many countries have for long been turning more vary of nuclear power. But of course, if the given set list is correct, we do get a nuclear plant set, just in a small size that doesn't include those iconic and humongous cooling towers. That I suppose is a good way to go around the problem. Who would object to a simple tech-y control panel? And a funnily radiating rod...

Yeah I think making the console is really smart, LEGO makes a well know set without needing to call it nuclear power, and no cooling towers. LEGO will never make a cooling tower, even though Japan didn't have the tower which was the problem. Also if you make nuclear power you can make bombs with enrichment and that's a slippery slope.

And LEGO didn't make an oil rig after the Gulf spill. Also the Japan mess s still leaking radiation. The oil is not, and oil doesn't make bombs.

[Clone OPatra]

And LEGO didn't make an oil rig after the Gulf spill.

Well....

This conversation just seems to be going in circles. Cooling towers aren't going to happen because they're too big and pointless. Scenes within the plant can happen and are happening. If something is tied to a cartoon - it's cartoony, even if it has 'real world' consequences. That's why LEGO doesn't make bomb squads in the City line or even give the police officers guns, but there sure are plenty of guns in Licensed themes and plenty of bombs, missiles, and other couriers of death in everything besides City. Though The Simpsons might seem like it's a 'City' theme, it's not - it's brightly colored with silly looking minifigs from a cartoon TV show.

[CorneliusMurdock]

Also if you make nuclear power you can make bombs with enrichment and that's a slippery slope.

I'm sorry, are you saying that the set would come with actual plutonium? Or that a child is more likely to construct a fake nuclear bomb out of LEGO if they have a Nuclear Plant set first? I'll assume your saying LEGO would be more likely to make a Bomb set if they had previously made a Power Plant. To which I say: Huh?

Cloney is right, though, this discussion leads nowhere. It's unlikely that a cooling tower will ever be made for practical reasons. And we'll have Homer's workspace, at least, if the set list is to be believed.

[Tom Jurassic]

Very excited for these. If the Workspace has some nice bits and bobs, might get a few for Clone Base parts. :D

[Legoman123]

I am very much looking forward to picking most of these sets up. I will be taking two of them straight away...those being the Simpsons house and the springfield shops sets.

Now regarding Moe's Tavern, there is no problem with them bringing this out. Like someone said earlier on POTC have a tavern, and the hobbit line has a wine cellar, so whats wrong with the simpsons having a tavern.

[Another Brick In The Wall]

I am very much looking forward to picking most of these sets up. I will be taking two of them straight away...those being the Simpsons house and the springfield shops sets.

Now regarding Moe's Tavern, there is no problem with them bringing this out. Like someone said earlier on POTC have a tavern, and the hobbit line has a wine cellar, so whats wrong with the simpsons having a tavern.

Well, TLG's policy is that alcohol in a historic context is ok. That said, "cartoon alcohol" probably falls under a similar exception to why green army men are allowed whereas modern warfare soldiers are not.

[LiamM32]

Well, TLG's policy is that alcohol in a historic context is ok. That said, "cartoon alcohol" probably falls under a similar exception to why green army men are allowed whereas modern warfare soldiers are not.

That is right. I think that I read it on the Lego Cuusoo blog. No alcohol in a modern setting. Also no warfare after WW2. I wouldn't call LotR

"historic" though, but fantasy. But the collectible minifigure waiter included a wine bottle piece with grapes printed on, but that one is just implicit.

Interesting about the Toy Story soldiers. So Lego sets can not include toy soldiers, but they can include toy toy soldiers. Probably just getting past their own rules to give just one set to the people who have wanted military Lego.

[lightningtiger]

That is right. I think that I read it on the Lego Cuusoo blog. No alcohol in a modern setting. Also no warfare after WW2. I wouldn't call LotR

"historic" though, but fantasy. But the collectible minifigure waiter included a wine bottle piece with grapes printed on, but that one is just implicit.

Interesting about the Toy Story soldiers. So Lego sets can not include toy soldiers, but they can include toy toy soldiers. Probably just getting past their own rules to give just one set to the people who have wanted military Lego.

We have had a few medieval taverns and modern-ish warfare.....gee, Man Of Steel and of course.....Indiana Jones !

Licensed products seem to get away with more for the fact it is licensed and some of Lego's deciding process is taken away from them.

It all depends on how the first wave goes, and then we'll see if we get any more sets.

[kermit]

Do you all think that we will her a full four sided walled house for the simpsons home or will it be juat one or two walls.

[lightningtiger]

Do you all think that we will her a full four sided walled house for the simpsons home or will it be juat one or two walls.

I would say open backed, but including Bart's bedroom and living room plus maybe the kitchen.....but that's just my guess.

[Sam892]

I would say open backed, but including Bart's bedroom and living room plus maybe the kitchen.....but that's just my guess.

My guess is the Living room, Kitchen and maybe Bart's and Homer/Marge's bedroom. Realistically I can't see a set that costs £70 including anymore. Although the garage would be awesom to have.

[Clone OPatra]

I'd think it would have to at least include a facade of the garage to get down the iconic look of the house (if you can call a plain orange-pink house iconic, but I guess it is). perhaps it will look like a garage from the outside, but be used for interior rooms on the inside? Could work.

[dyntar]

This is just my guess but I think the power plant set will just involve Homers office/console with a glassed radioactive room to the side. Homer in Radiation suit with green rod, Smithers and Mr Burns.

The cooling towers might just be shown as stickers on the wall appearing as a window. That way you wouldn't have to worry about building the cooling towers but can see exactly where the set is supposed to be.

[gifinim]

Has anyone seen the World of Springfield playsets from 2000? They were sets depicting classic Simpsons scenes like the Simpsons living room and the Kwik-E-Mart and were simple back wall + one side wall sets with fairly detailed walls and furniture. I wouldn't be surprised if the LEGO sets are similar as it would maximize play space and keep the brick cost down - you don't need four walls and a roof on a playset after all.

For example: http://figures.nohomers.net/WoS_Figures_Playsets_Assortment_A.html

Now if they can get the sets to talk when you put minifigures on them like these sets did... :-)

[just2good]

Has anyone seen the World of Springfield playsets from 2000? They were sets depicting classic Simpsons scenes like the Simpsons living room and the Kwik-E-Mart and were simple back wall + one side wall sets with fairly detailed walls and furniture. I wouldn't be surprised if the LEGO sets are similar as it would maximize play space and keep the brick cost down - you don't need four walls and a roof on a playset after all.

For example: http://figures.nohom...sortment_A.html

Now if they can get the sets to talk when you put minifigures on them like these sets did... :-)

That's what I think they'll do if it's not the sets from the list or it's not character blind bags. They kinda did it with the "Blocko" toys.

[Faefrost]

I think at least initially we will just see interior scenes, and not standing buildings. Things like the Living Room with couch or Homers Console. If we do get a free sanding structure it might be something that scales easily, like Bart's Treehouse (and wouldn't THAT be a nice Halloween set?)

[kermit]

Lego knows that kids like cars and they have a habit of putting some sort of vehicle in sets so I think it is possible that we might get homer`s car in the house set.

[Another Brick In The Wall]

We have had a few medieval taverns and modern-ish warfare.....gee, Man Of Steel and of course.....Indiana Jones !

Licensed products seem to get away with more for the fact it is licensed and some of Lego's deciding process is taken away from them.

I think the problem with Moe's Tavern is that alcoholism is a recurring theme in the Simpsons. In all the cases you cite alcohol and warfare is incidental to the setting. Whereas in the Simpsons alcohol abuse is a running gag directed exclusively to the adult demographic, mostly centered around Moe's.

Barney's character was seen at Moe's only sipping lattes in later seasons, which i guess is how he would be portrayed in a Lego set. However, the bigger issue is if and how they would portray Duff beer, which unlike wine is more prone to abuse by adolescents.

Edited August 29, 2013 by Another Brick In The Wall

[Kez]

http://allaboutbricks.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/lego-collectable-minifigures-2014.html

I have absolutely no idea how reliable this is but it does mention that Series 13 will be a series based on The Simpsons, as part of a drive to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of that series

[Legoman123]

Well I really don't know about that, the reason I say this is because there was a member on hear that confirmed some sets and I don't see why he would lie. I do think we are going to see sets as we have been informed about them.

[Clone OPatra]

Also it says 'for the forseeable future Collectible Minifigures will be Licensed.' However, we have real confirmation that Series 14 will be tied into the Collectible Minifigures MMO, a collaborative effort between the MMO designers and minfig designers. That's hardly Licensed, though, since they're just characters that 'work well' within the game's three lands and aesthetic.

On the other hand, the original Danish article about The Simpsons had strange wording that only mentioned the figures, so I've been suspicious that they'd only make the figures. We'll just have to see.