Miscellaneous Archives | Page 8 of 117

Now Available: LEGO Minifigure Ceramic Cup (853910), Great for Drinking at Table or While Building

When a toy brand becomes such a multinational behemoth like LEGO, they can extensively diversify their product offerings. They can range from printed, TV and cinematic media; clothing and costumes; to more material stuff like themed accessories such as backpacks and wristwatches. And then we have this new household item.

The LEGO Minifigure Ceramic Mug (853910) is but another development of the manufacture of assorted LEGO goods that carry the distinctive design of the brand’s toys. In this case, the mug is colored and shaped into a standard minifigure head, but drinking-sized. The minifig face is custom painted into a knowing smirk, evoking “Emoji” imagery.

As taken from its name, this is no throwaway plastic mug. The minifigure shape is made out of ceramic, therefore good for hot beverages like milk, coffee and coco. And at 300 ml capacity, you can fill it with a good amount of drink too.

LEGO collectors can get this Minifigure Ceramic Mug (853910) for $14.99. From its 6+ age rating it’s a great gift for children and might give just a little motivational push with its great design to get them to drink their milk. AFOLs in turn might enjoy the theming and smiley-face, topping it up with their drink of choice while they’re busy set-assembling or MOC-building.

Seeing as the product blurb’s quite short, we’ll include it:

Enjoy your favorite beverages from this LEGO® Iconic 853910 Ceramic Mug. Shaped like an iconic minifigure head and printed with a fun smiley face, this 300ml yellow mug is perfect for when you need to take a break from building your LEGO creations.

Yellow ceramic 300ml mug in the form of an iconic minifigure head, printed with a fun facial expression.

Measures over 3” (9cm) high.

LEGO Bounces Back from Dull 2017 with Positive Growths in 2018 Annual Results

It’s around this time of the (relatively) new year that major corporations around the world begin to publicize their annual financial reports from the year before. The LEGO Group is no exception, and interested parties have been looking forward to learning what their status is into the new fiscal year.

After all, despite the continuing release of new products and a healthy amount of activity back in 2017, there have been noted shortfalls in their results when The LEGO Group made its annual report then in early 2018. Thankfully, the following financial year seems to have been very good for the company, if their reported revenue growth is any indication.

In a press statement they released after making their annual report for 2018 last Wednesday, February 27, The LEGO Group was proud to announce good growth in revenue, sales and profits; in addition, these positive gains are uniform across three major regional markets: the Americas; Europe, Africa and the Middle East; and the Asia Pacific.

Speaking of the latter, LEGO was also proud to report that their growth in China, one of their most recent marketing frontiers, has reached “double digits,” better than the already-good increases in other well-established locales.

Translated into hard figures, from the 2017 to 2018 reports, The LEGO Group achieved: 4% revenue growth (DKK 36.4 billion), 3% global consumer sales, a strong cash flow (DKK 9.8 billion), and a 4% increase in profit (DKK 10.4 billion).

Niels Christiansen, CEO of The LEGO Group, noted that the company was determined to improve their financial situation for 2018 after reeling from the figures of year 2017. “We are pleased to have achieved this, and to have delivered modest top and bottom-line growth,” he said. “We’d like to thank our talented colleagues who did an outstanding job executing plans during the peak holiday season.”

For a full accounting of the annual financial report from The LEGO Group, you may check out their official press release about the event here.

LEGOLAND Windsor Season Reopening to Feature “LEGO Movie 2” Experience with Apocalypseburg Replica Display

LEGOLAND Windsor Resort in the UK has been closed to guests for its seasonal break over the past several weeks. However, it will soon be opening its doors again in the middle of March. The staff is looking forward to a surge of visitors who may have been inspired to drop by because of the recently released “LEGO Movie 2.”

And what a treat LEGOLAND Windsor will have in store for them at the start of the new season! On their official website they have announced that they will be offering a “LEGO Movie 2” experience in line with their special “LEGO Movie Days” event during the latter half of March after their post-break reopening.

One major attraction during this period will be a brick-perfect recreation of the locations from “LEGO Movie 2.” As spoiled in the first film, the 3D-animated setting of Bricksburg/Apocalypseburg is actually a real-world LEGO diorama worked on by a family portrayed by several real actors. Therefore, LEGOLAND Windsor guests will be treated to accurate replicas of Apocalypseburg and its environs, done in the same exact scale as how the real-world movie characters might view it.

The Apocalypseburg diorama was realized by LEGOLAND Windsor model-makers with input from Warner Bros. Consumer Products and “LEGO Movie 2” set designers to get every detail right. The whole setup boasts being made up of 62,254 individual LEGO pieces in 31 colors and 628 shapes.

While guests ooh and ah at the display, LEGOLAND Windsor will also have minifigure mascots of Emmet, Wyldstyle and Sweet Mayhem ready for meet and greets. The Miniland area will host a scavenger hunt event; a “LEGO Movie” mosaic build will also be open for participant builders to help complete the project. It’s shaping up to be plenty of fun weekends at LEGOLAND Windsor Resort.

The LEGO Movie 2 experience, which has already opened in other LEGOLAND resorts such as California, will be around throughout this new season in Windsor. LEGO Movie Days in the meantime will take place across the third, fourth and fifth weekends of March (16-17, 23-24 and 30-31) in LEGOLAND Windsor.

LEGO fans in the UK and tourists travelling there by next month can book their theme park tickets and hotel stays at their official website here.

New LEGO Survey for AFOLs Wants to Know their Leisure Pastimes, Hobbies and Interests

It seemed like out of the blue late last week when LEGO suddenly put out a survey for its customers. And the target market for the questionnaire was a surprise too, as it asked adults about their LEGO shopping experience. The said survey is still on, lasting until March 22.

But The LEGO Group appears to be in a surveying mood lately. Once again, they need input from AFOLs regarding their personal habits. This time however, their new survey is going to be quite substantial in terms of queries, and answering them truthfully (by reading the items carefully) could take about 30 minutes on average.

The general theme of this survey also touches closer to home than the previous one with its inquiries on shopping habits. Now The LEGO Group is asking stuff about AFOLs’ personal habits: what they do to spend leisure time, what subjects interest them and what hobbies they like to pursue.

Interestingly, this survey has several restrictions. For one thing it has a short shelf life, closing on Sunday, March 3. Next, only survey takers from three countries – the US, Germany, and China – will be accommodated by it. Results of the inquiry will apparently be shared by the LEGO Ambassador Network in April. Meanwhile, here are the links for the survey if you’re interested and live in the three aforementioned markets.

US / Germany / China

New LEGO Greeting Card (853906): Bricks and Minifigure Ensure this Correspondence Will See More Use and Play

From a certain point of view, when one thinks of a greeting card, especially in the US, the mental image of the card will likely carry “Hallmark” as its brand. LEGO probably won’t supplant established greeting card labels like Hallmark with this quirky new product they’ll introduce soon, but brick-buildings fans will surely love it.

Newly revealed by LEGO this week according to German news source Promo Bricks, the LEGO Greeting Card (853906) is exactly what its name entails, and more. Being a LEGO product it has bricks and a minifigure, all part of an interactive greeting that goes beyond mere written words from you.

The set’s package viewed from the front is half box and half card. You can write your dedications on the left-hand side then unfold it to reveal a background for the LEGO pieces stored at right. These 40 elements assemble to form a stud launcher platform, to shoot the scoring balloons on the provided background.

LEGO Greeting Card (853906) also includes a minifigure with alternate head and hair-pieces to change between male or female characters, and roller skate elements that can attach to the feet. For the most part the carnival theme of the card and set can make it all-purpose for most general occasions.

If you fancy sending a greeting to a LEGO fan later this year, then you can wait for the LEGO Greeting Card set (853906), priced at $4.99 on Shop@Home to arrive with many other new LEGO products on March 1.

LEGOLAND Resorts Expect Greater Ticket Sales Due to “LEGO Movie 2” and Opening of LEGO Movie World in Florida

For LEGO fans, the various LEGOLAND Resort theme parks are already places where everything is great. But in LEGOLAND Florida in particular, it’ll soon be getting an expansion section where, like the movies it is based on, “Everything is Awesome.”

Just to remind everyone, the LEGO Movie World area in LEGOLAND Florida is opening next month on March 27, as revealed by their sneak peek announcement last January. Fans will get to explore and have fun on this park section, based on the “LEGO Movie” city of Bricksburg, where they can go on new rides and eat at new restaurants.

While the expansion is only for the Florida resort, all LEGOLAND theme parks are expecting to be making awesome business at this part of the year. As Merlin Entertainments puts it, they certainly have “The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part” helping to drive ticket sales for all their resorts.

For instance, while LEGOLAND Windsor in the UK has no LEGO Movie World yet, they’ve still got a grand event planned that ties in to the “LEGO Movie” sequel that premiered early this February. LEGO Movie Days will run for two-day periods over three weeks of March in LEGOLAND Windsor.

Back to LEGOLAND Florida, aside from the aforementioned LEGO Movie World itself, the Resort Hotel will also have several of its rooms re-themed after the films, with decorated walls and amenities like a Unikitty shower.

All in all, Merlin Entertainments looks to report strong profits of £271 million (before taxation) when the theme park company makes its latest full-year financial report this Thursday, February 28. And part of it is thanks to the ticket sale boost from “LEGO Movie 2.”

Promotional Item (Decorative Keychain) Also Coming for LEGO Creator Ford Mustang (10265) this March 1-10

Anybody claiming that the newly-revealed LEGO Creator Ford Mustang set (10265) sucks is either lying through his teeth, making an ill joke, or is a troll. Just looking at the official images would fire up any LEGO and automotive fan, and proves the Creator line is just as great as LEGO Technic in rendering detailed car models using LEGO pieces.

LEGO is also pretty sure that the Creator Mustang (10265) will be lapped up by collectors come March 1. So they’ve decided to spice up the fans’ anticipation frenzy with a new tie-in promotion. Like so many others, this is a “gift with purchase” thing.

The first LEGO market to make this promotional item known is the LEGO branded store in Shanghai, China. As can be seen in their promo image above, the special item is appropriately a keychain. The ornamentations are a spinner-disk fob with the Ford Mustang Logo on one side and the LEGO logo on the other.

A smaller rectangular fob is also included, it being a small metallic depiction of the LEGO VIP program membership card, with the reverse side showing where the keychain was manufactured (Zhongshan, China) plus date (December 2018). The key ring itself is a basic “circle cotter.”

While the promo item was first shown in China, it’ll be available in all markets, both LEGO stores and Shop@Home, starting March 1 to 10. All one needs to do is buy the LEGO Creator Ford Mustang (10265); that’s all. Keychain supplies will certainly sell out fast, so avid collectors will have to come early.

“Adult LEGO Shopper Insights” Being Asked by LEGO Retail Design Team Via Survey

News flash: The LEGO Group needs an adult…LEGO shopper. In fact, they need a lot of grown-up LEGO shoppers and their collective recollection of experiences purchasing LEGO products in stores. The company expressed their needs well with a lengthy message on the LEGO Ambassador Network. Best we read it verbatim:

The LEGO Retail Design team is very excited to hear from adults about their shopping experiences and expectations and how we can make the experience even better! Around the world there are different types of LEGO Stores (LBR and LCS) with the goal of providing an inspiring, interactive, creative and fun experience for kids and adults alike.

Whether you visit a LEGO Store every day or have never even seen one, it is important to know what adults expect and desire from a visit. Your feedback will be considered when designing the future LEGO Store experience.

Working with adult fans of LEGO, the LEGO Retail Design team has created a short survey and with the hope that you can take a few minutes to share your thoughts. Your insights will help to make visiting a LEGO Store a truly memorable event!

Just like a LEGO creation, each person offers a different and unique perspective so, the survey is open to anyone and everyone with the hope that thousands of adults from around the world share their ideas.

Well, that said, you can access LEGO’s adult shopper survey via THIS LINK. No personal data is requested so survey-takers will remain anonymous, and for the benefit of the bourgeoning LEGO market in China, the survey also has a version in simplified Chinese. Interested takers have about a month to answer LEGO’s survey, and it’ll close March 22.

“Brick Fanatics Magazine” Issue 3 Now Available

You know as source of LEGO news online has graduated to a higher level of providing information and entertainment when they go into print magazine format. Brick Fanatics became such when it launched its very own 80-page magazine. They have already successfully released two issues at an average price of €8.25 each, with options for multiple-month subscriptions at lower issue-prices.

Well, Issue 3 of Brick Fanatics Magazine is out available now, and their central subject of interest is the new and extremely popular LEGO Overwatch product line. Readers and subscribers can tell that much from the front image, with LEGO-minifigure D.Va serving as cover model.

Said cover feature on LEGO Overwatch is an interview by Brick Fanatics with two members of the LEGO development team that translated the hit Blizzard Entertainment multiplayer hero FPS into the fun LEGO sets that have enamored collectors since late-2018.

Other components of the magazine include two pieces for their “Review+” with articles on LEGO Overwatch Bastion (75974) and LEGO Harry Potter Quidditch Match (75956). The “How To” segment offers tips and advice on multiple LEGO building/collecting topics, even including cross-news source collaboration with a contribution from Brickset, for example.

“On Topic” meanwhile features interviews with some of the participants of the LEGO AFOL Designer program announced last year, also including some sobering discussion on how BREXIT might affect the UK LEGO market and community, both Brick Fanatics‘ primary readerships. Finally, “Retro” offers a new custom build for the oldie LEGO space theme that gave rise to Lenny and friends in “LEGO Movie” and “LM2.”

Brick Fanatics Magazine issue 3 can be ordered from Brick Fanatics as either a single issue, or the first of a subscription plan in two variants, 12-month and 24-month. For now, stocks also remain of this magazine’s predecessor issues, both also available for back orders.

Munich Trade Show Features Massive 1:1 LEGO Volkswagen T2 Van Made by Certified Professional

Full-scale LEGO reproductions are a dime a dozen these days, particularly when it comes to automobiles. We’ve seen brick-built Formula One racing cars and camper trailers, and for the umpteenth time we’ll mention the storied 1:1 scale LEGO Bugatti Chiron that drives like a real car, powered by LEGO-set generators.

Now, a trade show in Munich, Germany will serve as a venue for the showcase of another life-sized LEGO vehicle construct. The project was built by LEGO Certified Professional Rene Hoffmeister with help from Pascal Lenhard, and their replicated vehicle, as befits the German setting, is the Volkswagen T2 camper.

Originating from a digital schematic of a real Type 2 van that was converted into a LEGO brick diagram, Hoffmeister and Lenhard led a building team to realize the plan, constructing some 400,000 different LEGO pieces over and around a supporting metal framework for strength.

One hiccup in the project occurred when the delivery of 20,000 transparent LEGO blocks to be formed into the Volkswagen’s windshield and windows was delayed. By having his team do overtime and weekend shifts, Hoffmeister managed to keep their construction timetable to within the six weeks allotted before the f.re.e. outdoor trade show officially opened this Wednesday on February 20.

For trivia purposes, the physical stats of this LEGO 1:1 Volkswagen Type 2 van are: 700 kilos (1,543 lbs.) 400,000 blocks (20,000 transparent), 5 meters (16.4 ft.) long, 3 meters (9.8 ft.) tall, with functional sliding door and Westfalia roof.

This incredible LEGO Volkswagen T2 will be a star attraction at the f.re.e. trade show in Munich, which runs for four days from February 20 to 24. It’ll be located in hall C5, booth 103, along with the actual T2 that it was modeled from.