Idea for a New Mini-Doll Theme

Odeinoichus

How popular would a theme like Miraculous Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir be if LEGO opted to create a new Mini-Doll based Theme around this franchise? I mean I have no clout with the company, nor do I even have a decent design mentality, but wouldn't the scenery and characters of this modern cartoon series be a pretty decent showcase for some truly impressive sets?

Granted the last super hero based Mini-Doll line doesn't seem to have gone over very well, as far as I am aware, but I feel that this Paris based cartoon show might be a larger draw than yet another DC inspired series for girls.

What are your thoughts?

f2iso100

I know that my 7-year-old would absolutely FLIP OUT and that would be her entire Christmas list this year. And I could probably work some Parisian facades in my own Medieval village! Also: macarons! 

CCC

Never heard of it.

Unless it has absolutely massive viewing figures and a similar merchandising following, I think they are better off filling the action and adventure type slot for minidolls with an in-house Elves replacement, rather than a license.

dvw2

Love the idea. "Never heard of it" as a dismissive gut reaction is mostly unhelpful, yet it points to the question of awareness. What's the audience for the show? I'm not really sure, to be honest. We love it here (7-year-old daughter, we've been watching for a couple of years through the three seasons), but I don't really know how well-known it is. Maybe it's a great candidate for an Ideas set. Considering there was a set for Big Bang Theory, which I know very little about but certainly isn't a kids' show, perhaps there's room for something like Ladybug & Cat Noir. Imagine a Marinette's House/Boulangerie Patisserie set. It could look great next to Parisian Restaurant!

TheOriginalSimonB

I'm also in the "never heard of it" camp.  But then I had never heard of Superhero Girls as its own thing before either so that's irrelevant.  Not knowing the specific source material wouldn't prejudice me one way or another if the sets were good enough, but seeing what the designers can come up with when there aren't licence-holders wanting certain things included or having to match existing building designs I'd also prefer to see an original theme.  

That holds true to minifig sets as well though.

catwrangler

I hadn't heard of it but it does look like fun.

CCC

dvw2 said:

Love the idea. "Never heard of it" as a dismissive gut reaction is mostly unhelpful, yet it points to the question of awareness.

I should point out I have a 7 year old daughter too. But still not heard of it. Looking online, it is Disney Channel for most of Europe which is why I've never heard of it. Presumably they and Nickleodeon in US know what their viewing figures are.

Lyichir

I could definitely see it working as a mini-doll based line. At the same time, I don't see it as all that likely—the characters would need new molds for their hair, ruling it out as a possibility through Ideas, and outside of that I don't think Lego would be that interested in pursuing a smaller, separately owned superhero franchise outside of their major existing Marvel and DC partnerships.

Toc13

I had heard of it- mostly due to the merchandise sitting there at TRU before it went under.
Have 3 daughters one of which should be in the target range for this but showed no interest whatsoever.

Marvel Rising might be more of interest- see how the sales compare to DCSHG

bookmum

My daughter would probably like a moody goth girl theme of minidolls. Emma has the feel she would cross over to this theme. She is the arty one and already has black hair. She will stop painting flowers and start drawing black and white graphic novels about girls with 'issues'. The theme needs to include one dreamy but quiet and mysterious boy character. He could use a hair piece from the Exo-Force minifigs. He should have a skateboard - in black! The sets would include lots of dark purple pieces.  

SumoLego

If we want to be super-lame, then let's get a set of angst-ridden teenage vampires.  And maybe a rival group of brooding zombies...

Frankly, I think a line of mini-doll space-themed sets would be very cool.   Maybe exploring, time-traveling space-themed sets. 

Baby_Yoda

Perhaps we could see a spin-off focusing on the Systar System. I haven't seen the new film, however, so I have no idea whether that'd be feasible.

Aanchir

Baby_Yoda said:

Perhaps we could see a spin-off focusing on the Systar System. I haven't seen the new film, however, so I have no idea whether that'd be feasible.

Would you be referring to a spin-off movie, or a spin-off TV show?

I kind of feel like after The LEGO Movie 2, either a spin-off movie about either Sweet Mayhem or Benny feels a little less likely, just because it feels like after the emphasis on interplanetary travel in this movie, another in the space adventure genre might not open up quite so many fresh, new storytelling opportunities. That might just be limited imagination on my part, though.

A spin-off TV show and theme like the Unikitty! theme could be a possibility. Hard to say for sure, though. I do feel like a spin-off series like that might have more success as a Netflix series than a Cartoon Network one, since I feel like that would give it more reach with the kind of slightly older kids who LEGO Elves and many of the LEGO Movie 2 sets are aimed at, as opposed to the slightly younger kids who the Unikitty! theme is aimed at.

As for the topic's original question, I know I'd love that! I love Miraculous! Hard to say how strong its popularity is currently, though. I know that back in 2016, Miraculous was the top kids' show in France and South Korea, and that it's won several awards: the Teen Choice Award for Animated TV Shows last year, the Best License of the Year and Best Animated Property awards at last year's Licencias de Actualidad awards in Spain, Best Kids' Brand at last year's Italian Licensing Awards, Kids' Brand of the Year by the Brazilian Licensing Association two years ago. None of that really speaks to current global viewership numbers, let alone what portion of its audience overlaps with people who'd buy LEGO sets based around the series.

I also don't know whether there'd be any particular licensing complications. I don't believe there are Miraculous building sets currently, but it's possible that there might be a toy license that isn't so category-specific standing in the way.

Of course, the idea that LEGO may have waited a bit too long to launch a Miraculous theme when its popularity was strongest and licensing was less competitive is just one possibility. Another plausible possibility might be that LEGO would rather wait to launch a Miraculous theme, since there's an animated movie in development for 2021 that could potentially greatly increase awareness of the brand as a whole, as well as live action adaptations in the works. Look at how LEGO launched their TMNT sets based on the Nickelodeon TV series not in 2012 when that series premiered, but rather in 2014 when a new movie was slated for release. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Baby_Yoda

Aanchir said:

Baby_Yoda said:

Perhaps we could see a spin-off focusing on the Systar System. I haven't seen the new film, however, so I have no idea whether that'd be feasible.

Would you be referring to a spin-off movie, or a spin-off TV show?

I kind of feel like after The LEGO Movie 2, either a spin-off movie about either Sweet Mayhem or Benny feels a little less likely, just because it feels like after the emphasis on interplanetary travel in this movie, another in the space adventure genre might not open up quite so many fresh, new storytelling opportunities. That might just be limited imagination on my part, though.

A spin-off TV show and theme like the Unikitty! theme could be a possibility. Hard to say for sure, though. I do feel like a spin-off series like that might have more success as a Netflix series than a Cartoon Network one, since I feel like that would give it more reach with the kind of slightly older kids who LEGO Elves and many of the LEGO Movie 2 sets are aimed at, as opposed to the slightly younger kids who the Unikitty! theme is aimed at.

I don't know. Like I said, I've yet to see the movie. I agree that a TV or Netflix series would be more likely, however. Given that Lego produces at least something of the sort for all of their popular themes (Ninjago, Chima, Elves, even Star Wars) I don't think it's too far fetched. They'd probably want to time it better than Unikitty!, which was released amongst TLBM, TLNM and TLM2 - a year from about now would be likely. On the other hand, it's notable that there was only one (?) set based specifically on Unikitty's kingdom in the original theme, while there are plenty of Systar System sets in the current line-up, so there's much less reason to do more.