LEGO Ideas Discussion

[JGW3000]

I suppose I can make a Phoebe sings "Smelly Cat" MOC now 

[TeriXeri]

1 minute ago, JGW3000 said:

I suppose I can make a Phoebe sings "Smelly Cat" MOC now 

Or a "Joey works at Central Perk" scene 

[parsom]

Or "you stupid woman" scene... Oh, wait - it's from some really funny series.

[Aanchir]

On 2/11/2019 at 6:11 PM, Blondie-Wan said:

I might be in error (it would hardly be the first time!), but I think The Flintstones might represent a new first for Ideas - the first Ideas set to introduce a completely new part (specifically, the fabric element for the car top).

When the Detective's Office set came out a lot of people were similarly surprised about the mirror in that set. At some point the designer explained that they were able to do this because the mirror in that set (made from a reflective surface applied to one side of a foam sheet) is technically counted as a textile element, so it doesn't have quite the same costs or restrictions as new molds do. Textile-based LEGO elements like this are shaped using a digital die cutting machine, same as the way LEGO cuts custom-shaped stickers in sticker sheets. So I'm not surprised Ideas sets have access to new textile elements via the same loophole.

12 hours ago, BenderBrau said:

I think it's because while all previous Lego Mickeys have the licence for his character only, Steamboat Willie licence is for the entire short so it was treated as a separate IP.

Yeah, in general licenses are IP-specific, even for IPs that are related to the same brand or character. LEGO having a license to produce Mickey Mouse figures doesn't mean they already had a license for sets based on the Steamboat Willie short. In fact, even different Marvel movies are covered by separate licensing contracts — after all, Marvel doesn't want to give up the merchandising rights for any more of their portfolio than toy companies are willing to pay for, and toy companies don't want to pay for the merchandising rights to any more of Marvel's portfolio than they actually plan to use.

[AFOLguy1970]

I like the simplicity and timeless aspect of Steamboat Willie.  We have a relative who collects all things Mickey and will be over the moon about this.  Looks like we will have to buy two of these:  one for him and one for us.  

I am going to assume then that any future Disney collectible minifig series will not include this manifestion of Mickey for fear that it could potentially cannibalize sales of the approved Ideas product.  

[Blondie-Wan]

1 hour ago, Aanchir said:

When the Detective's Office set came out a lot of people were similarly surprised about the mirror in that set. At some point the designer explained that they were able to do this because the mirror in that set (made from a reflective surface applied to one side of a foam sheet) is technically counted as a textile element, so it doesn't have quite the same costs or restrictions as new molds do. Textile-based LEGO elements like this are shaped using a digital die cutting machine, same as the way LEGO cuts custom-shaped stickers in sticker sheets. So I'm not surprised Ideas sets have access to new textile elements via the same loophole.

Indeed, but it’s still surprising, given that the actual Ideas rules and guidelines stipulating that ideas don’t require new parts (found here under “How this works”, in the section marked “We accept ideas for LEGO construction toys using currently available LEGO bricks”) specifically include fabric parts along with conventional bricks:

Quote

We cannot produce new LEGO parts molds, new cloth or other non-brick elements within the scope of LEGO Ideas, and therefore we don’t accept product ideas that include these items. Existing parts in different colors are okay, as well as new stickers or printed parts.

(emphasis added)

That wording suggests to me that not only are submissions not allowed to call for new elements, even mere fabric ones, but that there isn’t even a possibility LEGO itself might opt after the fact to produce one for any Ideas set, though clearly The Flintstones establishes that possibility does exist after all.

The terms here do specifically note, though, that new stickers are within the realm of possibility. If this textile element is indeed produced using a digital die cutter the same way stickers are, perhaps what the language here really means is that the won’t accept submissions calling for new textile elements requiring production processes specific to fabric and not shared by stickers (i.e., not just cutting for shape like a sticker, but actual sewing, gluing, etc. as has been on rare occasion for things like certain Belville dresses, the Technic Darth Vader cape, etc). Could that be it? The section I quoted from the guidelines doesn’t clearly say that, but perhaps that’s the intent...

Quote

Yeah, in general licenses are IP-specific, even for IPs that are related to the same brand or character. LEGO having a license to produce Mickey Mouse figures doesn't mean they already had a license for sets based on the Steamboat Willie short. In fact, even different Marvel movies are covered by separate licensing contracts — after all, Marvel doesn't want to give up the merchandising rights for any more of their portfolio than toy companies are willing to pay for, and toy companies don't want to pay for the merchandising rights to any more of Marvel's portfolio than they actually plan to use.

This would explain the oddity noted a while back of Jurassic Park and Jurassic World being treated as separate properties as far as Ideas is concerned.

Edited February 19, 2019 by Blondie-Wan

[Robert8]

Maybe Ideas has a bigger budget now?

Because it seems The Flintstones is hitting the streets a lot faster than other Ideas sets like Voltron

[Faefrost]

19 hours ago, jonwil said:

Wasn't expecting Steamboat Willie given the usual "no sets from existing licenses" rule and the existence of any number of Mickey Mouse products (the BrickHeadz, the Duplo stuff etc) but then again its different to all that stuff since that stuff is modern. Regardless, I like it and will grab one if the actual set looks any good (especially if they can get the goat in there)

Central Perk on the other hand makes no sense. The demographic for Friends has a lot less overlap with LEGO fans than the demographic for Big Bang did and Big Bang didn't exactly fly off the shelves. I have zero interest in Friends (the TV show, not the LEGO theme) and will likely pass on this one.

Of the other items, the SpaceX rockets make no sense since the Saturn V is still on shelves. The ISS makes no sense due to the difficulty of finding a way to support all that weight. The M&Ms machine was never going to happen (things that go in a child's mouth and LEGO don't really mix). The jet engine is too big and not popular enough to be viable (a complete airplane at the right scale might be viable). I suspect LEGO isn't likely to do any car projects as Ideas sets unless they are special or unique like the Caterham. They already have Speed Champions and their own large car line (and a good relationship with many major car companies like Fiat Chrysler, GM, Ford, VAG and BMW) and would likely produce any Fiat or Peugeot cars themselves via those lines. And the Mexico skyline is too close to the Architecture line (plus are the buildings in Mexico City as iconic as those in cities like Paris and New York and Sydney where they did do skyline sets? Probably not)

 

The existing license rules are likely not quite as all encompassing as we think. Otherwise the NASA stuff is all existing license. There is some subtlety there. I think the main determinant is "Is it something that we already have a license contract that lists this as possible production. I like to use Star Wars as a good example. Nothing that has appeared on screen will ever make it past review... But some EU stuff described in books or comics might. Something as weird as Chewbacca's Tree House from the Holiday Special is likely not covered by the existing license (save perhaps a clause written in orphans blood that says "NO NEVER!!!"} Steamboat WIllie was likely far enough from the licences they held to need a separate agreement. 

Friends...? Leaves me puzzled. But it has a huge multi generational audience. (no idea why. I feel the desire to kill myself whenever the wife puts it on, which is all too often.) It doesn't make sense to me, but it could make a glorious parts pack. Plus just think how many truly evil and depraved scenes you can make with those friends minifigs. I mean have the cast eaten by Velociraptors? There ya go! Suffer horrible accidents and fires? Lego has what you need! 

[7982Brick]

1 hour ago, Faefrost said:

Plus just think how many truly evil and depraved scenes you can make with those friends minifigs. I mean have the cast eaten by Velociraptors? There ya go! Suffer horrible accidents and fires? Lego has what you need! 

Sir this is a lot of feelings for a TV show. 

Edited February 19, 2019 by 7982Brick

[Roebuck]

Was not expecting any of these would make it, so surprised that 2 did

We most likely will see a huge number of TV show submissions now since 2 have made it, happy not any of the space stuff made it since ideas have plenty of that already
Most people do not seem to understand that the truly original ideas have the biggest chance of making it

Congratulations to the winners! I enjoyed "friends" back in the day and Mickey is a classic, but must prioritize so probably will not buy either

[Blondie-Wan]

2 hours ago, Roebuck said:

Was not expecting any of these would make it, so surprised that 2 did

They do approve things most of the time. In fact, they approve multiple things more often than they approve no things - I think there have been only two reviews in which they’ve approved no projects, but this is now the seventh time they’ve approved two at once.

2 hours ago, Roebuck said:

We most likely will see a huge number of TV show submissions now since 2 have made it

Six, actually:

The Big Bang Theory

Doctor Who

Adventure Time

Voltron

The Flintstones

Friends

And that's just counting entertainment franchises that originated as TV series, not ones that originated with movies but also got TV series, like Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, and TRON.

[Robert8]

I think he meant sitcoms

I hope there will be one from The Nanny lol loved that one

[Blondie-Wan]

2 hours ago, Robert8 said:

I think he meant sitcoms

Then The Big Bang Theory, The Flintstones, and Friends make three, which is still more than two.

2 hours ago, Robert8 said:

I hope there will be one from The Nanny lol loved that one

Hey, if we’re going down this path, I’d dearly love one from Frasier. I certainly wouldn’t expect one, though (but then again, I didn’t expect either The Big Bang Theory or Friends to happen, so what do I know...).

[Roebuck]

What I was trying to say was that The Big Bang Theory and Friends is more or less the same set, so now a lot of people will make something similar since two have made it. It is the same with different ideas, like modular buildings.. There are so many excellent submissions of modular buildings on ideas, but even if they all get 10 000 votes they probably never pass the review. Lego want new unique ideas like Ship in a Bottle and Pop-Up Book if they can't have that (like this round more or less) they probably will pick what they think are the best sellers

That is at least my impression on why they pick some sets and not others If I am right, talented builders should try and make something unique instead off better editions of existing sets

Edited February 19, 2019 by Roebuck

[TeriXeri]

1 hour ago, Roebuck said:

What I was trying to say was that The Big Bang Theory and Friends is more or less the same set, so now a lot of people will make something similar since two have made it.

And some still get rejected despite being the same sort of idea.

- Gilmore Girls Luke's Diner 

- Golden Girls Living Room and Kitchen

 

I don't expect any new TV show set approved anytime soon.

 

Personally I also think something like a Soyuz Rocket would make more sense to be selected compared to a Space X. 

Soyuz has been in service for over 50 years, and has been vital in moving humans between Earth and ISS, especially after the Space Shuttle's retirement. 

Edited February 19, 2019 by TeriXeri

[AFOLguy1970]

5 hours ago, Robert8 said:

I think he meant sitcoms

I hope there will be one from The Nanny lol loved that one

If Sitcoms is in right now, I can think of two I would love to see:

Cheers.  Yeah, I know.  The fact it is a bar would kill it.  But if Friends can make it, Cheers certainly could hold its own.  Who would not want Sam, Cliff, Norm, Diane, Coach, and Carla in minifig form.  

Good Times.  The living room and kitchen smack in the middle of the projects.  JJ, Thelma, Florida, James, and Michael get in for sure.  Possible outside chance of seeing Willona or Bookman.  

[Artanis I]

1. The Flintstones is a sitcom?!?

2. To be pedantic, Ghostbusters was also a TV show first, but they changed a LOT when they made the movie. Remember the 2 cartoons? One was heavily based on the movies, the other was based more on the original show.

[Blondie-Wan]

3 minutes ago, Artanis I said:

1. The Flintstones is a sitcom?!?

Indeed it is.

3 minutes ago, Artanis I said:

2. To be pedantic, Ghostbusters was also a TV show first, but they changed a LOT when they made the movie. Remember the 2 cartoons? One was heavily based on the movies, the other was based more on the original show.

The Ghost Busters franchise consisting of the 1970s live-action TV show and its 1980s animated followup (the one in which one of the central characters is a gorilla named Tracy) is actually a completely different franchise from the more well-known Ghostbusters franchise launched with the 1984 movie; they share essentially the same title, but are otherwise unrelated.

[Faefrost]

17 hours ago, 7982Brick said:

Sir this is a lot of feelings for a TV show. 

Put it this way. I find that the best and perhaps only way to enjoy the movie Cloverfield is to mentally map the cast of Friends onto the equally annoying NY hipster Cloverfield cast. 

3 hours ago, Artanis I said:

1. The Flintstones is a sitcom?!?

2. To be pedantic, Ghostbusters was also a TV show first, but they changed a LOT when they made the movie. Remember the 2 cartoons? One was heavily based on the movies, the other was based more on the original show.

The original Filmation Ghostbusters Saturday morning TV show had nothing to do with the movie, beyond the movie people paid a few bucks to avoid a naming conflict. Filmation then got snippy when the movie hit it big, and made a new animated TV show based on their old show, to compete with the movie based cartoon, now having to be renamed "The Real Ghostbusters". 

[Blondie-Wan]

Oh, I’d just like to correct something I noted (incorrectly!) a while back:

On 10/4/2018 at 8:30 AM, Blondie-Wan said:

It seems everyone is in agreement there’s no hope for the Acclamator Class Assault Ship. As it represents the last chance a Star Wars project (or any other project based on a current, ongoing license like Marvel or DC) has to become an Ideas set, it will be the end of an era for CUUSOO / Ideas. It would be pretty cool if they went ahead and capped that era by actually approving it, were it not for risking giving so many fans heart attacks with the shock.  

 

On 10/4/2018 at 11:29 AM, Blondie-Wan said:

• Barring a future rules change, this review should close off once and for all the possibility of any sets based on extant active licenses (Star Wars, Marvel, DC, etc.), as the Acclamator Class Assault Ship was I believe the last remaining project based on such properties to make it to review - no new ones have been accepted since June 21st 2016, and all the others that were submitted before then have by now either expired before getting 10,000 supports, been declined in review, or in a couple rare instances been archived (when it was clear before reaching review that a project couldn’t be produced for some reason).

As has been pointed out, the vagaries and nuances of licensing might break down different parts of a license differently, and it’s possible the existing Disney licenses just didn’t preclude a”Steamboat Willie”-specific set in the way the extant Star Wars license (for one example) has presumably complicated or outright negated any possibility of a Star Wars thing getting through Ideas. Nevertheless, it’s still notable as the first (and likely only) Ideas project to be approved that’s based on an existing license. When I was speaking earlier of the Acclamator Class Assault Ship as the last chance for such a project to get approved (not a Star Wars thing specifically, but any Ideas idea based on an outside property for which LEGO already has a publicly-known active license at the time of review), I was looking at certain big major franchises (Star Wars, Marvel, DC, the Wizarding World, etc.), but somehow overlooked or forgot about this Mickey Mouse idea, despite having supported it.

Interestingly, while “Steamboat Willie” is the first Ideas project approved based on an already-active licensed theme, it won’t be the first one released; the Doctor Who set was, as that set was officially released shortly after the Doctor Who Level Pack for LEGO Dimensions was released. But that set wasn’t the first one approved from a known active license, since it was approved and announced months before it was even known LEGO Dimensions was happening, never mind Doctor Who being a part of it.

Doctor Who is therefore the first LEGO Ideas set released from an active licensed property (and Adventure Time is the second), while “Steamboat Willie” is the first set approved from one.

[MAB]

On 2/19/2019 at 8:58 AM, Faefrost said:

Friends...? Leaves me puzzled. But it has a huge multi generational audience. (no idea why. I feel the desire to kill myself whenever the wife puts it on, which is all too often.) It doesn't make sense to me, but it could make a glorious parts pack.

1

Think also of the demographic. 20, 30, 40 year old women watch Friends. That demographic have not been so well served by Ghostbusters, BTTF, TBBT, etc.

[Robert8]

I think the license rule was a way to say "stop posting Star Wars and Marvel/DC sets." because those just wont happen. Everything else was just dragged into the rule because they didnt want to make it so obvious. 

But I do think Disney projects can pass as LEGO doesnt produce Disney sets on a regular basis. The only "evergreen" brand is Disney Princesses, but other than that, I dont see why not. If they dont have anything Disney planned for the upcoming months, a Disney project can pass. 

[TeriXeri]

26 minutes ago, Robert8 said:

But I do think Disney projects can pass as LEGO doesnt produce Disney sets on a regular basis. The only "evergreen" brand is Disney Princesses, but other than that, I dont see why not. If they dont have anything Disney planned for the upcoming months, a Disney project can pass. 

Toy Story 4 sets are coming in Summer (Disney/Pixar). Movie in June 2019

Then there's a whole bunch of movies on the way this year.

Dumbo - March 2019

Aladdin - May 2019

The Lion King - July 2019

Frozen 2 - November 2019

 

As far as IDEAS projects, the highest Disney related set is a Gravity Falls Shack at 7600,  I never seen the show so I can't comment on that.

Edited February 20, 2019 by TeriXeri

[Robert8]

The fact that they approved that set this year even when there are a D2C, CMF series and Toy Story 4 wave coming says they are willing to produce sets based on licenses they already have only when there is no interference with what they have planned. 

As I said, the rule was pretty much for Star Wars and DC-Marvel.

[Exetrius]

My non-FOL sister (a young adult like me) was very enthusiastic when I showed her the FRIENDS fan submission that got approved. I've been following a bit of the show along with her, and I must say I enjoy it myself, too. I'm convinced FRIENDS has a growing audience of young adults here in the Netherlands, thanks to Netflix. I am excited to see it translated to an official set. 

Steamboat Willie doesn't do much for me.

SpaceX - The Ultimate Collection and the Peugeot 205 Turbo were both really neat designs, but I understandable that they didn't make it. And the Fiat 500 screams to be produced as a set, but then probably in the Creator Expert line, however upsetting that is for the creators of the project.  

By the way, I'm underwhelmed by the Flintstones set. The fan submission looked a lot more striking, colourful and 'contentful' than the final set.