I feel this is quite peculiar and too early on for the LEGO Ideas race. After reporting on the recent 10K achievers on the LEGO Product Ideas platform, the LEGO Ideas Team gave a rather puzzling comment to two of the projects that qualified for the Second 2019 Review Stage.
The next LEGO Ideas Review stage for this year will commence next month and as of this posting, there are supposedly 12 entries that gathered the necessary votes from LEGO fans making it qualified to enter the Review Stage. However just last Thursday, LEGO has already put an end to the possibility of seeing two of these product ideas become an official LEGO set. Specifically, these are the Japanese Tea Garden by Coosey Goosey, and Gravity Falls Mystery Shack by Figura.
LEGO’s official statement can be found on each of the project’s page, with the term “chosen to archive your project” as a more friendly way of saying that they will no longer consider these entries for production, even if they haven’t officially begun the Second 2018 Review Stage yet. Here’s what LEGO has to say to the respective product idea creators.
Decision on Our Ability to Produce this Project
Aug. 15, 2019
Dear Figura (Coosey Goosey),
First, thank you for building and submitting your very well done Gravity Falls Mystery Shack (Japanese Tea Garden).
Regretfully, we have chosen to archive your project and no longer consider it for production for reasons communicated to you privately. Your project will remain visible on LEGO Ideas, but in a status where it can no longer be supported or commented on. This way fans can still admire your creation.
We’re sorry to be the bearers of this disappointing news!
Frankly, as far as I can remember, this is quite unusual coming from the LEGO Ideas Team. I’m sure that they have a reasonable explanation for their decision, and that it was already privately communicated to the creators. However, I still find it difficult to think why LEGO would do such a move given the fact that they could have waited until the Second 2019 Review Stage to be concluded and simply select from any of the other 10 proposed sets. The 20,000+ LEGO fan supporters who voted for these product ideas are also somewhat kept in the dark considering that the Comments thread/section of the product ideas’ respective pages are now locked preventing any further queries about the matter. The only consolation that supporters have is that the images of these entries will not be removed from the platform.
I’m sure that builders Coosey Goosey and Figura are the only ones who can clearly explain the reasons behind this decision if ever LEGO will be mum about it, with questions still floating in the air. Does this mean that LEGO is on a tight schedule to release sets that might be based on a similar set or concept? The Japanese Tea Garden may likewise be a good candidate to be the next LEGO Architecture set, while the Gravity Falls Mystery Shack, as far I know was at some point at the center of LEGO set rumors. These are just my own speculations though.
I have to say also that this move from the LEGO Ideas Team is not something that I am happy about because it opens the possibility that other 10K LEGO product idea achievers may also experience the same. In the final analysis, other than the creators themselves, it is the fans who trusted the LEGO Ideas platform who will be the ones left feeling disappointed and disillusioned. I just hope that LEGO will shed more light into this, particularly when the Second 2019 Review Stage kicks off.
