The American International aka New York Toy Fair 2019 ends on Tuesday, February 19. Until then, the world’s biggest toy manufacturers and brands are showing off their best and latest products at the Javits Center. LEGO of course is among them, and from the time the fair started last Saturday they have already shown much.
For the benefit of our readers here at The Brick Show, we’re going to do a recap of all the stuff that LEGO promoted at their booth and elsewhere at the NYTF over the weekend. These are all links to articles of ours that touched on the items in question, whether they were early reveals or from the event itself
There’s a wide variety of LEGO sets that have been shown before the public during the New York Toy Fair this weekend. Plenty of them are sprawling complex builds while others are more simplified, particularly the Duplo line celebrating its 20th year. But they have things in common: specialized pieces, contours, elements and so on.
Such developments came from decades of evolution in LEGO, but sometimes it can be interesting to revisit the roots of this brand. One might recall the special 60th anniversary commemorative sets from early 2018 that sold out quickly. Well, LEGO is dabbling in nostalgia again by introducing new Classic sets.
A number of additions to the retro-styled LEGO Classics line became available in the first month of this year. They were included among the numerous sets put by the company on display at the NYTF, to make sure more people know about them. We here at The Brick Show can help with that as well.
Bricks and Ideas (11001) – enough colorful bricks, studs and other elements to build a classic house front, T-Rex, piano and train; 123 pieces for US$9.99 or $13.99 Canadian
Basic Brick Set (11002) – more LEGO bricks of classic configurations, enough to build one each of a flower, birdhouse, knight on horseback, seaplane, dog with bone, monster truck and stegosaurus; 300 pieces for US$19.99 or 24.99 Canadian
These LEGO Classic sets are just right for early LEGO builders of age 4 and up. As said, they’ve already been available along with several other sets of the Classic line since January, and can also be found on LEGO Shop@Home. In a time of elaborate themed sets, it’s great to return to old times.
There’s a lot of New York Toy fair reveals done by LEGO over the weekend, both of their own original theme lines and of the major licenses they have going. While Disney-Pixar just got some of their tie-ins for this year’s “Toy Story 4” shown, Universal wasn’t far behind either.
While plans for the next “Jurassic World” film are still beyond the horizon, Universal had inked a deal with LEGO last year to do a LEGO animated spinoff “prequel” called “LEGO Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit.” Shown on NBC last November before going to DVD last month, it proved awesome enough to warrant a whole new LEGO miniseries: “LEGO Jurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar.”
This LEGO animation will take place in 2012, after “The Secret Exhibit” but before the events of the first “Jurassic World,” and will show more of Owen Grady’s early days as a raptor trainer with his still-young raptors, against the backdrop of day-to-day operations in the titular Jurassic World park.
And with the new miniseries announced, came reveals of the promised new sets in the LEGO Jurassic World line. This appears to tie in to the animated LEGO Jurassic World universe, which while taking plot points from the films, has its own stories to tell.
Dilophosaurus on the Loose (75934) – one of those nasty venom-spitting dinos has escaped to the park premises, and it’s up to Owen Grady to track it down before it munches on park guest Hudson Harper; set features dinosaur-head concession stand and quad-copter drone model with net launcher; includes Owen, Hudson and store attendant minifigures plus dilophosaurus figure; 168 pieces for age 6+ ($19.99)
Baryonyx Face-Off: The Treasure Hunt (75935) – original Jurassic Park saboteur Dennis Nedry’s nephew Danny Nedermeyer from “The Secret Exhibit” is back with his associate Sinjin Prescott to search for buried treasure on Isla Nublar from before the days of InGen presence; instead they run afoul of a cranky Baryonyx, needing Owen and Claire to save their bacon; set features model jeep with trailer and forest riverside terrain; includes minifigs of Owen, Claire, Nedermeyer and Sinjin, plus dog and baryonyx figures and lots of neat props; 434 pieces for age 7+ ($59.99)
Triceratops Rampage (75937) – Jurassic World boss Simon Masrani is checking out the new park attractions with lab tech Allison Miles and another tourist; but when a triceratops escapes its paddock, Owen must distract it with a carrot on his ATV; set features area gate, signpost, Egg Spinner ride and electrified fences plus model ATV; minifigures of Owen, Masrani, Allison and female tourist goes with triceratops figure; 447 pieces for age 7+ ($59.99)
T-Rex vs Dino-Mech Battle (75938) – Nedermeyer has pinpointed the Isla Nublar treasure to its volcano and is moving to secure it with his dino-mech; luckily the venerable old T-Rex takes offense at him; unluckily Claire, Vic Hoskins and Owen with his raptor babies are caught in the middle on a rubber raft; set features Isla Nublar volcano terrain, dino-mech and model inflatable raft; minifigs include Owen, Claire, Hoskins and Nedermeyer, plus T-Rex figure, prop figures of baby raptors and bats, plus tranquilizer guns; 716 pieces for age 8+ ($89.99)
All four LEGO Jurassic World sets featured here will become available in August. Meanwhile, the “LEGO Jurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar” miniseries will run 13 episodes and premiere later this year.
Around November of last year, Disney fans were surprised to learn from a teaser released that time, that the thought-to-be finished “Toy Story” film trilogy from Pixar was getting a fourth installment. It was no surprise that LEGO would be quick to announce tie-ins for the movie that is set for release this coming June.
Following a few months of speculation, fans can finally take a gander at the first official images of the LEGO Toy Story 4 sets. These items are among the many products that the legendary toy brand introduced for the first time in the New York Toy Fair this past weekend.
Here’s a quick look at four of the expected tie-ins for Disney-Pixar’s “Toy Story 4”. These sets are all of the 4+ age designation that has since replaced LEGO Junior.
Woody RC (10766) – something of a throwback to the original film way back in 1995; features Woody minifig, RC model racecar with remote, boxes, road cones and army men props; 69 pieces (US$9.99/$13.99 Canadian)
“Toy Story 4” RV Vacation (10769) – apparently a road trip is a major part of this film; features Jessie and LGM minifigures, Rexy mini-doll figure and Forky prop; also includes models for RV, Grand Basin toll gate and wilderness cabin front; assorted other props include skateboard, apple, hotdog, mug, plate and lamp; 178 pieces (US$34.99/$49.99 Canadian)
Buzz & Woody’s Carnival Mania! (10770) – we also know from later teasers that part of “Toy Story 4” takes place in a carnival, with some new characters; includes minifigs of Woody, Buzz, Bo-Peep and Bunny, plus Ducky prop; set features models of ice cream parlor, shooting gallery, octopus ride and two bumper cars; 230 pieces (US$49.99/$69.99 Canadian)
Carnival Thrill Coaster (10771) – another major fixture of the carnival that our heroes will have their adventures in during the movie; features three-section roller coaster with oblong track plus pizza cart; includes Buzz and LGM minifigure; 98 pieces (US$19.99/$24.99 Canadian)
All these sets are coming out this April, while “Toy Story 4” from Disney and Pixar will arrive in cinemas on June 21.
As one of the biggest toy brands in the world, LEGO is guaranteed to have a place of honor in whatever international toy fairs might be happening throughout the world. The ongoing American International Toy Fair, or New York Toy Fair, is no exception to giving LEGO its priority space.
And the company didn’t disappoint either. Since its trademark toys are for building and assembling, LEGO dazzled and excited NYTF attendees and visitors with every display and exhibit they put up in the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The star of LEGO’s presentation: it’s latest film “LEGO Movie 2,” naturally.
This much was obvious whenever somebody walked through the Javits Crystal Palace Entrance Hall, which had many big LEGO builds. There’s Emmet’s couch for photo ops, the 5-footer Ultrakatty model, interactive building tables and minifig mascots of Emmet and Wyldstyle.
LEGO’s Toy Fair booth, numbered 1335, is no less flashy, with T-Rex and Rabbit models that could rival Ultrakatty’s already-impressive dimensions. The booth also has brick-built models of the “LEGO Movie” main characters, and more locations for selfies/usies such as the booth’s LEGO waterfall backdrop.
As for what events LEGO has in store at their booth throughout the NYTF, look no further than all those sweet newsets they’ve got featured, not to mention other media like videogames and the new “Hidden Side” mobile app. There are also a couple of milestone celebrations in store: five decades of Duplo and two of LEGO Star Wars.
Remember that the 2019 New York Toy Fair goes on until this February 19. The LEGO booth 1335 is open 9 AM to 6 PM this Monday, and up to 4 PM on Tuesday. If you’re in the area, don’t delay and check them out.
Last week, LEGO released a nostalgic little teaser for one of the two lucky entries to the LEGO Ideas First 2018 Review Stage that have become official sets. That was the set for the classic Hanna-Barbera animated sitcom “The Flintstones” as originally conceptualized by Andrew Clark, of which the teaser featured the titular Modern Stone-Age family and their neighbors on the former’s iconic boulder car.
While no date was given, the most likely time for revealing the LEGO Ideas Flintstones set could only be this weekend in the 2019 New York Toy Fair. We certainly weren’t disappointed as LEGO made sure to include this among their many other reveals at the Jacob K. Javits Center.
First off, we now know the LEGO Ideas Flintstones set number, 21316. As with the Andrew Clark original design, the package consists of the Flintstones home, boulder-mobile and four minifigures of Fred and Wilma Flintstone, plus Barney and Betty Rubble.
Our next focus is on the house, in all its familiar stone-slab glory. Structure-wise, the back is left open to allow easy play access to the interior, though the front door does open (as do the window curtains) and the roof can be detached too.
Interior features include a living room with couch, table, TV and fireplace plus kitchen sink. Several base plates can also be spread out to add more floor space to the house, except for the green one that serves as the garden, where a mailbox or prehistoric palm can be placed.
Accessories include a fruit bowl, telephone, floor lamp with shade, a box of bowling equipment, and a cave painting frame element. As for the Technic-like boulder car, it seats four minifigs and can roll freely on its steamroller wheels. The roof is a unique fabric element and it even comes with a dino rib on a tray as shown in the unforgettable credits sequence (Wilma!).
Ahem, while the LEGO instruction booklet is mandatory, the one for LEGO Ideas Flintstones (21316) also has a little history segment on the 1960s show, a quick informational read for both old-time fans and newbies.
Granted, a lot of stuff from Andrew Clark’s product idea never made the final cut, but what remains is still a sweet LEGO commemoration of one important piece of old-school American pop culture. And $60 for 750 pieces isn’t that out of hand, plus it’ll be available Wednesday. Anyone who gets the LEGO Ideas Flintstones (21316) set are sure to have a Gay Old Time. And that “gay” is of the retro definition “happy,” okay?
Do a run-through of aspiring “product ideas” on LEGO Ideas and you’ll find that buildings, particularly houses, are a favorite theme of aspiring builders for their MOC submissions that they hope to become official sets. Really, you can look no further than the latest announced Ideas sets: a sweet Tree House and the “modern stone-age” domicile of Hanna-Barbera’s “The Flintstones.”
Since LEGO house are a proven favorite by both fans and Ideas review panelists, we at The Brick Show have decided to go over some of the current brick-home submissions on the Ideas platform that are on the “Race to 10-K Support” for one set that we think warrants it.
And that set is based on a licensed property, namely the Nickelodeon animated series “The Loud House,” which premiered in 2016 and is still going at three seasons. This build, submitted by Ideas member “Cherry-Rose,” is a sweet minifigure-scale recreation of the Loud Family home, where one (lucky) middle-child boy lives with his parents and ten older and younger sisters.
The titular Loud House is beautifully rendered in all its well lived-in hominess: grassy lawn, paved path to porch, throwing toys left on the roof, the works. And that’s just the exterior; the house itself can swing open in the back to reveal its three packed stories of rooms: living space below and bedrooms above.
Details of the rooms, from the two age-appropriate dining tables, to the various quirks, features and props of the sisters’ rooms, are all copied down from the show. So too are the accompanying vehicles, the “Vanzilla” family transport (with removable roof) and two episode-relevant bicycles.
Of course building sets like these most definitely have accompanying minifigures, and considering the premise of “The Loud House” you know this one will get a lot. A dozen minifigs of Lincoln Loud, his sisters Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lucy, Lana, Lola, Lisa & Lily, plus his best buddy Clyde, are all on hand to turn that house upside down. They’ll even all fit inside Vanzilla (rather snugly too).
As a fairly new product idea on the platform, Cherry-Rose’s “The Loud House” set has only garnered over 200 of the 10,000 supporters needed to advance for review, with well over a year of time left to do so.
Fans of LEGO and Nickelodeon will surely get a kick out of this build, and we think it’ll fit right in with any LEGO City sets of a residential bent, maybe even the Christmas Village theme when the Holidays come. The possibilities are endless, so head over to LEGO Ideas and give this set a boost.
If any location in the Middle East could be considered the center of the LEGO experience in that region, it would have to be the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). There’s a LEGOLAND Resort there for starters, and it’s the market that recorded the highest sales for the now-retired LEGO Architecture Burj Khalifa (21031) set, as the actual building’s located in the city itself after all.
Even recently, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority used LEGO bricks to both send a public message and earn a Guinness World Record. Now, to top all of Dubai’s LEGO-centrism, the company itself just opened a new Middle East office there.
UAE newspaper The National reports that The LEGO Group celebrated the launch of their new Middle East office, located at the Dubai Design District, on Thursday, February 14. LEGO GM – Middle East and Africa Jeroen Beijer remarked on the establishment of a Dubai-based LEGO office by describing the city as being very international, and thus a natural place to establish a presence for local partners.
The opening of the LEGO Dubai office certainly drew the presence of the local LEGO-building community, from child fans to AFOLs. The obvious attractions are the usual trappings of any LEGO Group-related workplace: the hundreds upon hundreds of brick constructions decorating halls, desktops and walls.
Fully-assembled official numbered sets and impressive MOCs were everywhere, and the occasion was also graced by the appearance of minifigure mascots of the “LEGO Movie” lead stars Emmet and Wyldstyle.
Dubai AFOLs were undoubtedly pleased at The LEGO Group setting up shop in the city as it could only mean bigger things for the brand’s future direction in the Middle East. In the words of local AFOL Manohar Raju, aged 47, LEGO in Dubai is potentially a better investment than gold, as collecting costs for the brand in the UAE is said to be bigger than other LEGO world markets.
“The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part” is now set to complete its first week in the box office, While its opening weekend saw a number 1 debut despite being markedly less than the premiere of the first film in 2014, LEGO and Warner Bros. are still positive thanks to good critic reviews.
In the meantime, a good number of new LEGO sets tying in to the animated blockbuster sequel have been available on retail and online. Among them are character pods for the film’s characters such as Emmet (853874) and Sweet Mayhem (853875), previewed only last month but are now available on LEGO Shop@Home.
Both LEGO Movie 2 pods are expectedly similar to all products of this theme, containing a character minifigure (or mini-doll figure in case of Sweet Mayhem) plus plenty of accessories that can be held in the character’s hands, attached to their body, or assembled with the pods themselves to create a crane for 853874 and DJ station for 853875, respectively.
These pods also have on their front lids some lenticular images that alternate between showing the faces of Emmet or Mayhem, and the “LEGO Movie 2” logo. It’s plain to see that these LEGO Movie 2 Pods can easily cater to sectors of the general LEGO fan base, with minifigure Emmet geared towards “traditional” LEGO designs and mini-doll figure Sweet Mayhem for the LEGO Friends market due to similar aesthetics.
Both the Emmet (853874) and Mayhem (853875) “Lego Movie 2” character pods are priced at $8.99 on Shop@Home. Several other movie tie-ins are already either similarly available to these two, or will be so by late February or early March.
When iconic global toy store chain Toys R Us was locking up all their locations in the US and elsewhere last year, we thought a piece of toy retail history was fading away forever. It felt like an ignoble end for what was one of the best sources for toys from brands like LEGO, a major partner of theirs.
Before 2018 ended however, there was a spark of hope when plans were announced to revive the chain in the US as store-within-a-store Geoffrey’s Toy Box. But that was only the beginning. With the owning company out of bankruptcy and under a new name, Toys R Us seems ready to return.
Toy World Mag has it that the parent company of the Toys R Us chain, now renamed to Tru Kids Inc., is now ready to follow through with its plans for a resurgence in its home market. This will be overseen by former Toys R Us Inc. chief merchandising officer, Richard Barry, now president and CEO for Tru Kids.
With their restructuring complete and emergence from bankruptcy achieved, the new company hopes to further restore the goodwill of customers in all the properties they own: the Toys R Us brand, plus Babies R Us and mascot Geoffrey the Giraffe, whose name graces their pop-up store initiative during the 2018 holidays.
The Geoffrey’s Toy Box store-within-a-store strategy which launched towards the previous Holiday season, while well-noticed, still fell short of meeting the gap in consumer demand according to Barry.
“We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to write the next chapter of Toys“R”Us by launching a newly imagined omni channel retail experience for our beloved brands here in the US,” he said. “In addition, our strong global footprint is led by experienced and passionate operating teams that are 100% focused on growth.”
While the drive to reestablish itself in the US market is ongoing, Tru Kids will continue to strengthen its connections with its global business partners, especially in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, to make sure Toys R Us stores in those regional markets continue expanding.
Not everything has been smooth sailing for the Toys R Us renaissance under Tru Kids brands. Observers from the international toy industry voiced their misgivings to Toy World that the retail chain’s reinvention did not adequately resolve the masses of debts it had incurred on its original downward spiral to bankruptcy. The Tru Kids rebranding to them seems like an attempt to start with a clean slate under false pretenses while ignoring all TRU staff and employees that were affected.
