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Lego Friends: will it be a HIT or a MISS?
Much to my wife's dismay, Lego is coming out with the new "Friends" collection aimed at girls just as my daughter is getting old enough for Lego and before my sons have outgrown (what?!) them (i.e. more bricks everywhere!).
I know we'll end up with most of the collection I'm sure, but I'm curious whether others think this will finally be the product line (or the right time) for Lego to finally crack the girls market.
On the one hand the overall popularity of Lego right now should help it be more successful than past attempts. And you probably have more adult collectors that are salivating over them just for parts/colors. But on the other hand they are once again putting non-standard figures in the sets.
Lego obviously did a focus group/market research at some point in time that told them girls like bigger figures. But I personally think using standard minifigures would make these sets even more successful. Granted they're boys, but my sons look at Belville sets and say "those aren't real Legos." Lego is supposed to be a system where everything is interchangeable, but for some reason with girls sets (not Paradisa I guess, but Belville and Clikits) they seem to veer from this mantra.
What made me curious about this was a separate thread where people were wondering why the Toy Story line didn't do better, and I couldn't help but think it was in part because a lot of the vehicles and some of the figs weren't standard sizes.
Anyway, very interested in everyone's prediction on whether Friends will be a HIT or a MISS.
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We own no Belville, but she loves her winter bakery (and will get the toy shop and post office for Christmas), beach house, town house, princess tower rescue (bought on the condition that the princess occasionally rescues the knights) and her father's modulars. Some days the promise of a CMF is all that gets homework done :).
I think we will do Friends, the minifigures are not so far out of scale to make mixing them ridiculous, the themes are mostly things she'll be interested in (they probably had us with inventor's workshop), the parts seem to be standard lego in a different color palette. At the very least we won't be talking her out of saving up her allowance to buy the sets like we would have with Belville. I also will be more than happy to buy sets as birthday presents for her friends and have already talked to another Mom about them as she considers starting her daughter on Lego (mainly because that's all the kid plays with at our house :) ).
I don't know about hit, I think that in this lego saturated house mine will still be more interested in CMFs than Friends, but I could be wrong. I think I'll be buying more lego for other people's children though. It's definitely a step in the right direction.
Lego Farm's pretty good though, and I would have thought this would appeal to girls. Maybe harbour? Also largescale eg vw van.
Still not convinced on the need for different minifigs in the new friends theme. Surely it could have achieved everything it needed to within the minifig format? If it had minifigs it'd have a lot more AFOL fans Im sure.
(and as an aside, is it true that the figures legs don't move independently? If so, not only is it not a minifig, it has less playability than a minifig.)
Gulp.
Just tell her that things have changes a lot in the world since Santa first made toys. Back in the day Santa had a monopoly on toy making. Toys were mostly things like nutcrackers, Jack in the boxes, balls, and such. However, as other companies entered into the toy making business all year round, Santa had to innovate. These days Santa subcontracts toy production to corporations that make toys year round in exchange for shipping and distribution by Santa, leveraging the competitive advantage of magical sleigh and elves. Thus, that line of LEGO toys will not be available until next year because Santa doesn't actually make them (although he does deliver the toys as promised).
I may have to try that approach though! Thanks for the advice!
1) This line, more than any others, will not appeal to us hairy AFOLs, so let's reserve judgment for 1) whom it is targeted to like our daughters and nieces, and 2) when it actually comes out.
Why are they doing this to themselves?!
To answer the original question, MISS
@Si_Dorking_Surrey_UK I'd like the farm for her, the current favorite is the Christmas train which is carrying 8 CMFs on top of the cars around and around the Christmas tree. I wasn't counting on Friends, I have a closet full of paradisa, various underwater sets (she's planning on being an "ocean scientist"), classic space, a hospital, MMV, MVR, creator buildings. Having just emerged from our dark age it's been an expensive year and we're pretty much covered for the next five years of birthdays and Christmases :).
I understand about the legs but remembering the market I'm not sure that mine ever moves the legs independently and all her favorite princesses just have wedge block skirts, at least the friends bend at the waist.
I previously posted some thoughts on this subject on my blog at the URL below, and some folks posted a few interesting comments as well :
http://gimmelego.blogspot.com/2011/11/girls-stuff.html
I have enough for what also should be five years of Christmas and birthdays. If you saw the packages under our tree, you would understand that that inventory isn't going to make it 12 months! I just can't help it.
Paradisa was before my time, but did it not do well? Judging by the aftermarket, it seems that girl oriented, standard minfig sets, are in demand. Jenni above indicated she has some socked away for gift giving.
I understand the disappointment of AFOLs but I'm really glad (as a mother, girl scout leader, youth worker, and a woman with a degree in applied physics) that Lego is providing toys to encourage girls to want to be inventors, vets and even pastry chefs, and to engage them in developing skills that will help them get there. It sure beats charm school barbie.
Personally though, I'd have gone with regular minifigures :)
@avoiceofreason Thanks for shattering my illusion about the five year supply, next you'll tell me that three modulars and five trains won't last that long for my husband either :). No presents under our tree, just a 9V adapted Christmas train and 15 feet of track that was an early Christmas present so I don't know what you're talking about at all :).
My daughter has all the recent Belville sets, with her favorite being the Sunshine Home. The newer sets will complement all the others sets she likes, including the modulars and CMF.
I do like the that LEGO is finally creating sets for her than a boys set with a girl minifigure.
Also, I think those who are complaining about the figures are missing the point here, too. When we are all paying Fabuland prices for these figures because they are in such high demand, I think there will be a lot of forgetting. These are not like the belville figures. First of all, they are just about the same size as regular minifigs. They can use the same utensils and weapons. They have interchangeable hair. I think they hit the mark. They are trying to market these sets to kids/girls who would never buy LEGO in the first place.
One other note, the LEGO group does not care one bit if AFOLs like this theme or not. Someone mentioned that AFOLs were a large part of the LEGO buying market for kids. That is patently untrue. All you have to do is spend 10 random minutes in any stores toy aisle, or spend an hour in the LEGO store. Sure, you see a lot of adults, but none of them, except yourself, is an AFOL. I mean, really, do any of you pay attention to what is going on around you?
Another point for this theme is that all three of my daughters are salivating over these sets. Even my older ones. Also, my wife, who HATES LEGO, and my LEGO hobby (:-() took a look at these sets and loved virtually all of them. She even asked for the inventor lab for her office at work. Read those last two sentences again and again until you understand the impact.
Here is the sad part of this. All of that makes not a lick of difference unless LEGO forces toy stores/department/chain stores to put these sets somewhere other than the LEGO aisle. Look at this from a different perspective and it will make sense. Ask a little boy if he ever goes down the Barbie aisle in the toy stores. You will get a resounding NO. So if Barbie (Mattel) wants to make a line that appeals to boys, it will fail if they put it with the rest of the Barbies. I fear they will not do it. I fear that the simplest, most effective marketing strategy will be wasted.
I know, I know, I am a windbag. I haven't even said everything I wanted to, but I think if I haven't gotten my point across at this point, will I ever?
HIT (if marketed/placed properly.)
MISS (if placed in the LEGO aisle)
Then came the picture release. Of all coworkers/friends/family, I could count on one hand the number who had a slight positive reaction.
The overwelming response was "how is Bobby/Susie suppossed to play together when these are so seperate". The downfall being the figures. These comments were not coming from collects or such but parents who have kids that love Lego.
Guess we will see but if my sampling of many people were turned off to this idea, is that going to be the general public reaction?
On Eurobricks, there is massive praise for these sets. Problem is 98% of that praise is because they are collectors who just want parts. So you may read 98 out of 100 love thesets, but why? Not because they are doing it for girls, but because they themselves want them to make thier own 6 story modulure library or make some new 6 wide car.
Side note: the Friends sets were featured prominently at my store, occupying the sightline on the shelves, meaning they were the first LEGO sets you saw when looking for the LEGO aisle.
Pictures and review was found on eurobricks and Flickr.
@georgebjones I agree with what you're saying. I think the product line has huge potential to be a really big success for TLG, for the reasons you mention. One interesting thing is your insight into product placement on shelves. I think you're spot on, and I think that this has precedent in the past with Spybotics. There's this really cool in-depth article that goes into that which I've linked before, but here is the key quote from a referenced news article:
"When mass retailers like Wal-Mart placed the Spybotics products with other Lego SKUs, the sell-through was much lower than anticipated. Toys 'R' Us was able to find a place for Spybotics in its 'R' Zone interactive gaming section because shoppers there were already in the mood for products with a tech bent. Ardis says sell-through jumped up about 35% in Toys 'R' Us compared to stores where the Spybotics were merchandised by brand."
So yeah, shelf placement can have a massive effect on the success of the product.
On the topic of product placement, I never really thought about this. Now my girl will happily wander through the Lego store or down the Lego aisle of a given retailer, but that's probably because she's been following her Lego obsessed brothers since birth. Other girls, well, maybe they wouldn't even think to go down the Lego aisle. I will now be very interested to see where Lego/Retailers stock these items. Maybe next to the Polly Pockets and Barbies would be a better idea. Hmmm...
Good luck on your quest to find Friends sets prior to Christmas!
So I'm guessing these new figs will appeal to girls who want their figs to look like girls, not boys with a female face and long hair.
Target’s Stephanie Lucy, vice-president and merchandise manager for toys and sports goods, says the Minneapolis-based department store will introduce Lego Friends on an end-cap (at the end of an aisle), then shelve it with other girl-oriented toys, not with the rest of the Lego—all currently in the boy section. As long as girls find it, Lucy says, “I believe it will do very well.”
The very fact thar Target will carry it should be seen as a minor success already.
Brent
Funny that it said French toy stores were going 'rogue' by having its official release on the 15th, ahead of 26th for UK and 1/1 for the US.
It also mentioned that they would release 29 'ladyfigs' (that name is hilarious) in 2012, so plenty more sets to come! (Or a few big sets).
And good for the French! I never understood why Lego would sit on a product that is clearly ready (and warehoused at many stores) and miss the Christmas season?!
I understand it with other lines because they want to move older inventory and not cannibalize sales, but the Friends line is targeting an entirely different market so that wouldn't seem to be an issue in this case. They're just leaving money on the table IMO. Even if they only released a few sets and not the whole line, it would at least whet the appetite of the girls and just increase demand over the coming year.
(spoken from someone who's little girl wants some for Christmas of course ;)
The BusinessWeek article provides rationale for why LEGO is waiting until after Christmas. Here's a quote:
" In Lego’s larger markets, like the U.S., Lego determined it was better to introduce the new line after the holidays, when Wal-Mart Stores (WMT), for example, would give the line dedicated shelf space it wouldn’t during the holiday sales rush."
A couple other highlights from the article: LEGO is planning a $40 million marketing campaign to go along with the Friends line and it seems they are very serious about getting into the girls' market.
Anyway, it's actually a really cool read. Here's the link: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/lego-is-for-girls-12142011.html?section=highlights
Brent
Personally I just love it, finally some buildings. I wish it was less pink and had minifigs but I still think it's just great. And these figures are actually very cute. I like my LEGO girly and with cute hedgehogs ;) I hope the line continues because I want a big house for every one of the main 5 characters :)
Great Business Week article! I'm excited for the Friends line being a big success!
This dorky, but adorable (in a New Girl kind of way) ad makes me think HIT.
But for those of us that justify our obsession via our children and only have boys have a tough battle with this one.
(feel like I should be saying "girlfriend" at the end of that sentence)
her hedgehog is pretty amazing too