Unpopular LEGO Opinions

Sethro3

I think the Space Age set looks neat. The artsy bit doesn't turn me away, but it is definitely not a priority for me and will never get it thanks to too many other great products.

I think the colors look nice, but ultimately I only really like the microscale techniques more than anything especially on what I presume to be Mars, or at least Mars-adjacent.

Fauch

there are a billion new sets each year, so I don't really care if a lot of them don't appeal to me

Keilup

Don't really care for the new Dreamzzz theme.  Odds are I may never own a single one of them.  I do however like the new parts/colors the theme is bringing.  I can appreciate the theme though as I know lots like it.  Doesn't bother me that I don't care for it as there are waaaay more other theme's/sets I do like/love to choose from that I can't afford or have space fore.

Mr_Cross

Phoenixio said:

I know tastes are what they are, but could you guys bother to expand a little on why you aren't interested in this specific set?

As I said, I really don't want to be on a downer with something others are keen on, because I'm happy for other people being excited about this. Personally though, I'm just really not and all I wanted to know was that I was not alone.
I also don't want to be overly critical of something that is someone's LEGO dream come true.

It is purely subjective because I think this is trying to be 'art' to be displayed, but I don't think it is art, or something I'd want to display. Nor are the parts in it particularly special in offering me opportunities to build much more than I already can.

I can see what they were trying to do in making this a set, but I don't think they have achieved it at the chosen scale... and that really is just my personal opinion. The fourth one doesn't add anything either. I think it actually had more potential as a triptych.

If it is art, I don't think the graphical representation is quite there... it's okay, just not quite good enough IMO. If it is a LEGO set then I want more from it than just a static conglomeration of parts I would normally expect to find in a 'Classic' set. From both perspectives, it needs something more (for me to want).

Marketing and sales will no doubt prove me wrong of course, because clearly people do want it and are buying it. 10,000 voted for it on IDEAS. This is the unpopular opinions thread after all.

560Heliport

I don't have enough money or space to buy every set Lego makes, so I don't mind that they make stuff I don't want. 
If they stopped making anything I liked, then I guess I'd just MOC. I'm sure there'd still be interesting new pieces and minifigs to get from Bricks 'n Pieces or Bricklink. 

Phoenixio

Thanks everybody for the more detailed opinions!

Bumblepants

Dreamz is an odd one for me, on one hand I really love the designs and think it's fun but on the other hand it doesn't really fit with my collection and budget unless good discounts appear for getting them for parts. I think my youngest will end up with the black unicorn at the very least.

pxchris

Bumblepants said:

Dreamz is an odd one for me, on one hand I really love the designs and think it's fun but on the other hand it doesn't really fit with my collection and budget unless good discounts appear for getting them for parts. I think my youngest will end up with the black unicorn at the very least.

That's actually a pretty good representation of my thoughts on the theme as well. I love all of the craziness of the designs. There is a lot of really awesome looking stuff there. But... I just don't quite see myself buying any of theme because they don't fit in my collection. I really was kinda hyped on the Nightmare Shark Ship originally, but the thing isn't quite pulling me in now that I've seen it in more detail.
Thankfully, as always, there are a ton of other things to throw my money at, both new releases and long retired ones.

karrit

I really like parts of a lot of the Dreamzzz sets too.  But I think like the Vidiyo stuff that while these are on my wanted list there are other sets that take priority.  So most if any purchases of these sets will depend on getting them at a good discount.  I didn't buy any of the Vidiyo stuff except the CMF's until they went on clearance at Walmart.  May have to spring for something at regular price if the polybag is a GWP.  My most wanted ones are the Village, Stable & Tree house.

Aanchir

In terms of unpopular Dreamzzz opinions… am I the only person here whose favorite model/character so far is Bunchu the Bunny? The idea of a plush bunny turned giant jet-propelled hero is just so utterly delightful, and the execution is adorable! Despite being made from bricks, its shaping makes it look looks remarkably soft and huggable. And its color scheme is really fun and unique as well!

Phoenixio

Aanchir said:

In terms of unpopular Dreamzzz opinions… am I the only person here whose favorite model/character so far is Bunchu the Bunny? The idea of a plush bunny turned giant jet-propelled hero is just so utterly delightful, and the execution is adorable! Despite being made from bricks, its shaping makes it look looks remarkably soft and huggable. And its color scheme is really fun and unique as well!

Of the two, I prefer Z-Blob who does the same thing, but the character intrigues me more.  They're two nicely fun sized sets that's for sure!

Rainstorm26

The Dreamzzzz line really just made me want to go to sleep in real life.  The parts look like they could be very useful.  However, I cannot relate to them at all.  I don't have any kids at the age to watch the show (as I did when Ninjago came out), so that will even make it less likely for me to get into this line.  Granted I was initially not a fan of Ninjago but my son loved it, so who knows, it could be very popular if they can get kids to watch it.

560Heliport

@Aanchir
Well, Bunchu and the Stable are the Dreamzzz sets I'll definitely be getting! Probably some of the others, too, but there's a lot of good stuff this year. 

Modeltrainman

560Heliport said:

Of the 157 themes Brickset lists, I have something from 97. And Dreamzzz and Gabby's Dollhouse aren't on sale yet.

How did you find out?

560Heliport

Modeltrainman said:

560Heliport said:

Of the 157 themes Brickset lists, I have something from 97. And Dreamzzz and Gabby's Dollhouse aren't on sale yet.

How did you find out?

On the main site, "Browse", "Sets", "Themes and years", "All themes"... then I just went down the list, noting which themes I own sets from; for a few like Miscellaneous I had to check "owned" to be sure. 

Edit: this is what 49 years (it'll be 50 this Christmas!) can do!  :)

bandit778

@560Heliport & @Modeltrainman
There is an easier way to get that information.
Click on the light blue "sets" bar on the main site.
Then click on "overview of sets"
Then click "analysis (graphs)"
Then click on "view them all" and you get graphs like this.....
Then just count the themes.

560Heliport

@bandit778 I knew that, but it was more fun to go down the list, looking at some of the older themes and reminiscing.  :)

560Heliport

I like Vibrant Yellow!

WesterBricks

Vibrant Yellow has its uses, but to me, for reasons I have not been able to articulate effectively, it doesn't feel like "real Lego".

Phoenixio

I feel the same, despite being very happy with all new colors.  I got the new Stuntz biker #60358, and under some angles I like it a lot, and under others, the plastic looks cheaper despite probably being exactly the same.  Most Lego colors are really "full", this one clearly isn't.

560Heliport

In my opinion, the "Tech Infection" bad guys from the last wave of Nexo Knights could be considered Blacktron 3. 
Blacktron: black, trans yellow, trans red, trace amounts of grey.
Blacktron 2: black, trans neon green, white, trace amounts of grey.
Nexo "Blacktron 3": black, dark stone grey, medium stone grey, trans bright green, trace amounts of lime green.

Brickchap

This is not really an opinion but a request for others opinions. I didn't think the following discussion needed a whole new thread.

What do people think of clips VS Technic pins for connections in official sets, such as the new Eldorado Fortress, Lion Knight's Castle etc.?

I think I'm leaning more towards clips since they are build into the build so Technic pins cannot be lost or get stuck in one side and naturally it is much, much easier to take apart the model to show off the inside, transport it around in sections etc.

However, clips can come apart too easily at times, especially during transport. I found this with POBB and also a large City Cargo Plane I have where the tail would hinge open which was very cool, but during movement or play it would sometimes swing open when it wasn't supposed to.

Furthermore, how about the modular buildings? Do people like to change those to clips or some other system? Personally I would keep the pins between buildings I knew I always wanted next to each other, such as Brick Bank and Detective's Office, while others I would leave out the Technic pins and just place them beside each other, usually hemmed in by road or other baseplates and that way I could easily rearrange my display when desired. Trying to separate modulars that have pin connectors is an absolute nightmare that would destroy half my display each time (remember I couldn't just lift them up because they were hemmed in with other plates and in that case you need someone else to hold the second or third modular while you separate the first one)

iwybs

I like pins better. Pins stand up much better to repeated assembly and disassembly. Clips break far too soon.

ickis

For things like the Lion Knights Castle, clips all day, twice on Sunday.  For modulars, like Ninjago City, pins work for me with where I have it displayed (on my build table).  I can relatively easily access the front, back, and sides.  Plus, I seldom ever find need to move the base of any one segment.

My other LEGO city though, I used to prefer pins.  When my city had no brick built roads it was fine...


The occasional nudge would happen and then I'd have to space things out again and blah blah blah.  (I'd space things out based on the width of certain plates.  It'd be a whole thing.)

But when the new road plate system was introduced, I made a modular road system to tie into it.  For a little while, I still kept using pins...


As time went on and I would want to add additional detail internally or on the rear or add/remove minifigs, I found pins to be a hinderance.  So, I removed all the pins! With the way the modulars sit now, pins aren't really necessary.  Though, that clutch power can be a pain when removing sections of some buildings.  When they were pinned, I could move anything from the second floor up with ease.  Now, sometimes trying to move the second floor might bring the first along with it >_<  But, I (usually) account for that.

Things don't react to nudges anymore with how things are now...




The baseplates can slide if coaxed but sit still otherwise.

Lyichir

For me it'd sort of depend on the intended footprint and display intent. For something like the Lion Knight's Castle (that's only really meant to be displayed one or two ways), the clips are effective and non-obtrusive. But I don't think they'd work for something like modulars, mainly because unlike pins (which can be removed from an unused edge), any unused clips would stick out of the side so that it could no longer sit snug against the edge of a shelf or wall.

560Heliport

One advantage of pins... Most of us probably have plenty if spares to replace lost or damaged ones!

Brickchap

@560Heliport My Technic pieces drawer: ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT?  XD

560Heliport

I don't understand the people who think Star Wars battle packs should never include named or unique characters. If there's a law or something, I didn't get the memo.
 I always thought battle packs were intended to give us more SW minifigures, sometimes ones that probably wouldn't be in a "regular" set. I want more aliens, to have more nonhuman people. In Rebels, for instance, we see Rodians, Ithorians, Aqualish, Ugnaughts, Bith, etc. 
A SW CMF series could be a dozen (or more!) aliens, with rather nondescript torsos and legs, so you could mix and match parts to have more normal people walking around Mos Eisley or wherever. 
How about an Astromech battle pack? Droid parts in several colors, again you could mix and match.

sipuss

560Heliport said:

I don't understand the people who think Star Wars battle packs should never include named or unique characters.

In their eyes "battle pack" means "army builder" and they want to get as much out of them as possible when buying anywhere between 2 and 200 copies of them. I kind of get it, but I don't see why we couldn't be getting both - some that are straight army builders (3 troopers and 1 heavy trooper, for example), and some that aren't (like the bounty hunter pack from 2017). It's hilarious seeing some people complain about desirable characters being locked in $100+ sets and in the next paragraph trashing the idea of including them in a $20 set (oh god battle packs are $20 already...).

daewoo

560Heliport said:

How about an Astromech battle pack? Droid parts in several colors, again you could mix and match.

I would buy a crap ton of those!

Phoenixio

Ask people how many Emmets they have and you'll understand why they don't want unique/named characters in battle packs.

I actually like the mix of both.  That bounty hunter pack was great, and I could totally see people buying that one (fictitious) pack with Luke, Vader, Leïa and Han.  But it's nice to have the generic people as well, or packs full of pieces where you could build your own variety (if they go in that direction after the stadiums/sports set had for the fans and players).

vanvonfull

I’ve left a few Emmets in the walls of my house as I’ve been doing projects over the last couple years. He looks so happy and helpful with his tools (until he gets dry walled in). 

klinton

Phoenixio said:

Ask people how many Emmets they have and you'll understand why they don't want unique/named characters in battle packs.

I actually like the mix of both.  That bounty hunter pack was great, and I could totally see people buying that one (fictitious) pack with Luke, Vader, Leïa and Han.  But it's nice to have the generic people as well, or packs full of pieces where you could build your own variety (if they go in that direction after the stadiums/sports set had for the fans and players).

The Hogwarts trunk set was an instant buy for that very reason. The build itself was kinda meh, but the plethora of custom parts for minifigs was too good to pass up.

KeithB

I don't know if this will be an unpopular opinion or not, but does anyone else think the new Lego Dreamzzz theme is dumb?  It appears they are dumping a lot of PR into this theme, creating animated episodes and promoting it in their "Lego News" e-mails.  I watched about 5 minutes of the first video and just shook my head.  I find the theme is either too odd/complicated for kids or too scary/grotesque for younger kids to be of any interest to families.  The theme is clearly aimed at elementary school age kids, but I'd never buy such odd sets for my kids.  Yes, kids want to play fantasy, but they want to role play themselves or an interesting character in the set.  Who wants to play fantasy based on a "nightmare"?  Lego Elves, this is not...

560Heliport

I like Dreamzzz! I think the point is that kids can role-play themselves conquering nightmares. 
You'd "never buy such odd sets for my kids"? What if they asked for them?

KeithB

Like it said, wasn't sure if it'd be an unpopular opinion or not.  :) 

I doubt I'd buy them for my kids if they asked.  They don't get everything they ask for anyway.  :)  There are so many other great Lego themes/sets.  Can't see getting them started on this one.

jnscoelho

Here's my unpopular opinion on Dreamzzz: the theme is tanking.
It was just launched and I already see it discounted everywhere, including LEGO stores.
Reminds me of some of the recent failures LEGO had...

Brickchap

@KeithB @jnscoelho Glad I'm not the only one who thinks it's very silly. (and not in a good way). I find that it's not clear what's going on, it's just a bunch of weird stuff. Previous Lego themes one could generally just look at the box and understand what the theme was about. Dreamzz has required an insane amount of marketing and has, what is in my opinion, and very strange and confusing backstory/plot "kids fighting nightmares???" how does that even work??

They also don't appear to be popular in Australia as far as I can tell looking at store shelves.

I would also like to add that a theme doesn't need to appeal to me personally to be good. Atlantis and Space Police for example were great themes with a clear story, idea and two groups (in those cases good & bad). They were a little too unrealistic for my taste, but that's okay I still greatly respect both as Lego themes.

I doubt many kids in a decade or so will look back and hope Lego brings back Dreamzz...

KeithB

Brickchap said:

@KeithB @jnscoelho Glad I'm not the only one who thinks it's very silly. (and not in a good way). I find that it's not clear what's going on, it's just a bunch of weird stuff. Previous Lego themes one could generally just look at the box and understand what the theme was about. Dreamzz has required an insane amount of marketing and has, what is in my opinion, and very strange and confusing backstory/plot "kids fighting nightmares???" how does that even work??

They also don't appear to be popular in Australia as far as I can tell looking at store shelves.

I would also like to add that a theme doesn't need to appeal to me personally to be good. Atlantis and Space Police for example were great themes with a clear story, idea and two groups (in those cases good & bad). They were a little too unrealistic for my taste, but that's okay I still greatly respect both as Lego themes.

I doubt many kids in a decade or so will look back and hope Lego brings back Dreamzz...

Agree with this.  It even took me a while watching the video to get a basic idea of what the theme was about, but I still don't understand what the kids with the "Dreamzzz" are supposed to do or how they are supposed to be interacting with the dream/nightmare characters.  After 5 minutes of the video, I didn't care.  What kind of marketing research did they do on this one?

Also agree I don't need to like every theme.  I love classic space, could warm up to Futuron/Blacktron (especially some of the supercool sets like the monorail), but as time progresses, I get less interested in the space offerings (don't need any weird space aliens).  But, as you say they are coherent themes.  Obviously with Dreamzzz they are trying to start a new theme and putting tons of marketing $$$ into it, but I can't imagine it's going to make it.  I suspect the toy buying executives at Target, Walmart, etc. were scratching their heads at this one when placing their orders for the year.

560Heliport

Looking at numbers of Dreamzzz sets recorded as owned by Bricksetters, Dreamzzz is doing better than the average for all sets released August of this year. I realize that's a small subset of people who buy Lego. 

I don't know what's so "confusing" about the theme. Kids fighting nightmare creatures in the dream world. 

@Brickchap regarding your last sentence: most of those kids will likely be in a Dark Age and not thinking about Lego at all! 

Brickchap

@KeithB Yep. The marketing research would have also been a strange one like when you ask kids what they like it will be answers such as (but not limited to) "spaceships, police, fire, fantasy (presumably mediaeval), animals, science etc. Dreamzz is sort of these weird mashup of ideas. I should note that while children might combine things, they are still for a purpose.

I'm glad you've mentioned how much marketing Lego is putting into this new theme. This leads me to a point I've made previously about historical/Classic themes. The last Lego Castle and Pirate lines (2013 and 2015 respectively), had no marketing whatsoever. The only named character in the both those themes was Captain Brickbeard. There was no story and the sets themselves were just almost exact copy pastes of sets from the previous Castle/Pirate themes. It's no wonder they failed. Then you get themes like Hidden Side and Dreamzz with tons and tons and tons of marketing. My question is, why can't traditional ideas also get this kind of support? On Lego World Builder, there were various ideas encompassing elements of these traditional themes, or slightly new takes (like 'Lawless' which was basically ordinary and reasonably realistic Wild West town fighting off monsters and aliens. I thought it was a good idea, and so apparently did Lego since it got into Final Four each time, but was rejected twice.) Now just on Hidden Side. I really appreciated the level of building difficulty of those sets. It was a great 'middle ground' between City/Ninjago and Creator Expert. If I were to choose a spooky theme I much prefer Monster Fighters, but it was an okay idea. The problem was Lego tried to make it 'modern' and 'saavy' by shoving technology in it, which always fails and detracts from the theme as a whole as well as negatively impacting consumer understanding of the theme and its ideas.

But to return to my previous point. I do not wish to argue about which themes could or should make a come-back. But if we use Vikings as an example (which are quite popular) I don't see why we couldn't have a regular Castle-esque theme based around Vikings and Nordic culture. Give it a good story, great sets, interesting characters and marketing support, and such a theme would work well. (Adventurers is arguably the best example of where all these elements came together to form a great, much loved theme). Unfortunately in my lifetime, Lego just dumps regular sets (be it realistic City stuff, historical themes, trains etc.) on shelves with absolutely no support or any effort made to encourage people to buy them, then when they don't sell that well, Lego uses this as an excuse to make the nonsense claim that 'people aren't interested in these themes anymore.' The demise of Monster Fighters and Hidden Side hasn't led to some argument that 'kids don't like spooky themes', so I don't see why we can't even consider a Classic theme (Castle, Pirates, Space, Adventurers, Western) [or some variation on any of those]), give it support, and see how it goes. Side note, Pharaohs Quest was another example of where Lego did a vintage adventuring theme, but just dumped it on shelves and said "Buy this" to people (when if they had kept the Adventurers theme they could have bought into the existing fanbase, as well as gaining a bunch of new fans. After all, an Adventurers computer game would have been very popular provided it was made well. )

Brickchap

@560Heliport Very well then, if they are in their Dark Age at that specific time. But the fact remains, its very unlikely anyone will even remember Dreamzz in coming years, let alone want it back.

Phoenixio

The problem with your argument is that you keep pulling "facts" out of nowhere.  We're an adult subset of the fanbase, we all grew up in the 90s or earlier, and we all have a bias towards which sets we liked when growing up.  I liked Adventurer because it was at the same time as Indiana Jones culturally speaking, but this setting has NOT aged well.  Same for Vikings, Castle, Pirates, Space and Western.

Lego will NOT invest in massive marketing so that you can buy an old series you like.  They know much better than us about the market.  And while they take risks (like Vidiyo), they're making record profits every year now so obviously they're doing something right.  Which they weren't in the 90s by the way, that era you liked so much.

What is this "existing" fanbase for Adventurers you're talking about?  Those 10 guys on a random forum for adults?  How does that compare to the MILLIONS of kids WORLDWIDE that get easily impressed and like the colorful slightly random sets that Dreamzzz offer?

Is Dreamzzz the next Ninjago in term of popularity?  Maybe not, but it's a damn refreshing effort and it would be nice, for once, to see you write constructively instead of complaining about every damn new series that comes out.  It's the unpopular thread, but at this point you've really overdone your opinions and we all know them more than well.

Brickchap

@Phoenixio I did say, I believe twice, that I do not argue a good theme should be what 'I' like. I also never once said anything was a "fact".

There is an Adventurers fanbase and there certainly would have been one at the time Pharaohs Quest came out. Furthermore, even if an existing fanbase is small, the idea/IP can still become popular with the wider community if it is given a chance. For example Mission: Impossible was a TV show from the 1960s, and naturally wouldn't have had a huge amount of fans by 1996. However the Mission: Impossible movies have become immensely popular. (apparently the latest one is quite good).

I also find it amusing you say the 1990s is the era I liked so much given that I wasn't even around then. I also recall Atlantis, Space Police and Monster Fighters being themes from the 2000s/2010s, not 1990s. It should also be mentioned that while you are absolutely correct that Lego didn't do that well in the 1990s, that does not mean all the themes around at that time were bad.

You claim 'millions' of kids like Dreamzz. Where are they? I believe Lego could easily put Atlantis on shelves right now and it would do well, as would Space Police (although Space Police could do with some updated parts here and there)

Which setting has 'not aged well'?

I also never said Lego was doing everything wrong; arguing that one specific theme isn't good doesn't mean one is criticising everything about the company.

Finally, I don't recall complaining about 'every damn series.' I literally praised Hidden Side for its actual builds, likewise I've always said I didn't mind Lego's take with Nexo Knights using the idea of steampunk and applying it to another historical setting, it was just a pity it meant we'd have to keep waiting for a regular Castle theme (which can have elements of fantasy if necessary).

Just because a comment is not of the same opinion as you, doesn't mean it is not constructive. Indeed I find the opinion, clearly held by some on this forum, that everything Lego does is 110% perfect and anyone who isn't 110% positive about everything Lego does is a heretic, quite concerning.

560Heliport

@Brickchap
"I also never once said anything was a "fact".
"But the fact remains, ..."

Phoenixio

Brickchap said:

I also never once said anything was a "fact".

You don't say they are facts, but you write in absolutes, saying this is popular, this isn't, that other thing would work perfectly, etc.  Those are ways to phrase facts, you do it in all your posts like you know everything about the market and the community.

Brickchap said:

For example Mission: Impossible was a TV show from the 1960s, and naturally wouldn't have had a huge amount of fans by 1996. However the Mission: Impossible movies have become immensely popular. 

Because they were modernized.  A lot.  You want CLASSIC Space and Castle to come back...

Brickchap said:

I also find it amusing you say the 1990s is the era I liked so much given that I wasn't even around then. I also recall Atlantis, Space Police and Monster Fighters being themes from the 2000s/2010s, not 1990s. 

Irrelevant, the decade was an example, you did not understand the point.

Brickchap said:

You claim 'millions' of kids like Dreamzz. Where are they? 

At home with their parents I hope.  Not on this forum for mostly adult fans, that's for sure.

Brickchap said:

Which setting has 'not aged well'?

All the series I've listed in my response.  Did you even read it?  I'll quote myself:

Phoenixio said:

 I liked Adventurer because it was at the same time as Indiana Jones culturally speaking, but this setting has NOT aged well.  Same for Vikings, Castle, Pirates, Space and Western.

Brickchap said:

I also never said Lego was doing everything wrong; arguing that one specific theme isn't good doesn't mean one is criticising everything about the company.

Finally, I don't recall complaining about 'every damn series.' I literally praised Hidden Side for its actual builds,

You post so many walls of text about those topics on an almost daily basis that it's getting sickening for people on here.  We get it.  We're a small community with small number of posters.  We remember your opinions all too well, you don't need to rehash them all the time.

Brickchap said:

Just because a comment is not of the same opinion as you, doesn't mean it is not constructive. Indeed I find the opinion, clearly held by some on this forum, that everything Lego does is 110% perfect and anyone who isn't 110% positive about everything Lego does is a heretic, quite concerning.

Nobody said you were a heretic.  It's just that this is a forum of fans of Legos.  If you don't like Legos, maybe you are not in the right place.  And for sure Lego makes weird corporate decisions we have no control over and that we discuss.  We just don't do that constantly.

Seriously, I was an ardent defender of your posts when I joined the forum, but holy shit, stop repeating them all over the place all the time.  Actually build something.  Go in the MOC section and design your dream no-fantasy Castle theme or something.  But for the love of god, stop complaining constantly.  We know you like ultra precise mega cheap realistic themes not overpriced in Australia, we really get it, find something new and fun and positive to talk about.

Aanchir

Brickchap said:

Dreamzz has required an insane amount of marketing and has, what is in my opinion, and very strange and confusing backstory/plot "kids fighting nightmares???" how does that even work??

KeithB said:

Agree with this.  It even took me a while watching the video to get a basic idea of what the theme was about, but I still don't understand what the kids with the "Dreamzzz" are supposed to do or how they are supposed to be interacting with the dream/nightmare characters.

Is it really that confusing? I haven't watched ANY of the mini-movies yet besides the animated series trailer. But from what I've seen/read about the theme, it seems fairly clear that it treats the "dream world" like an actual place where people go when they're sleeping — a place where whimsy and imagination come to life, inhabited by various sorts of dream and nightmare creatures.

This is hardly a new or perplexing sort of premise. Rather, it's something that fantasy stories have been doing since at least the comic strip "Little Nemo in Slumberland" which launched in 1905, and something that's since become a common narrative device in various other books, comics, games, and TV shows for kids and adults alike.

I definitely wouldn't expect kids to struggle with the idea of characters going on fantasy adventures in a "dreamland" setting, and I'm honestly surprised to hear some adults are having such a hard time with it.

jnscoelho said:

Here's my unpopular opinion on Dreamzzz: the theme is tanking.
It was just launched and I already see it discounted everywhere, including LEGO stores.
Reminds me of some of the recent failures LEGO had...

I guess we'll see, but I've seen people share similar anecdotes about themes like Ninjago, Friends, and Elves for long enough that I'm reluctant to put too much stock in their predictive value.

As far as marketing goes, it doesn't seem to me like Dreamzzz has really gotten much more of a marketing push than other "big bang" themes get. Sure, it's got an animated series, some online promotional videos and activities, a handful of books, some LEGO store events, etc.

But this is all pretty ordinary stuff for new LEGO themes, not unlike what we've seen in the launch years of Ninjago, Legends of Chima, Nexo Knights, and even smaller themes like Elves, Hidden Side, Hero Factory, or the 2015 Bionicle relaunch. In fact, compared to all those themes, the biggest difference I see with Dreamzzz is its lack of any sort of video games, web games, or mobile apps.

It's definitely fine not to like Dreamzzz if that sort of thing isn't your jam. But nothing about it really seems "out of the ordinary" to me, besides having a different premise than previous LEGO themes.

andhe

It is nice to see companies/brands try new things rather than always relying (or you could say 'flogging/squeezing/wringing'...) the same ideas or IPs.

That not just LEGO but lots of companies (toys, movies etc) understandably are hesitant to take a risk on something new, hence why every toy and movie company wants a franchise or IP that can be their cash cow, rather than existing to be... creative?

Personally, as an adult I struggle to get my head around themes like Dreamzzz, and wouldn't be dashing out to buy them for my kids. It's always going to be a hard sell to adults when the accompanying cartoon seems like required viewing to make sense of it.

But you could argue it's not far off the old Time Twisters theme, and that seems to be getting a resurgence of love, so maybe the 40-year-olds of the future will be looking back in 30-years-time and trying to collect all their old ninjago, Dreamzzz and Nexo Knight sets that they had as a kid, and complaining that these new holographic bricks just arent the same as the sets they used to have.

Brickchap

@andhe I'm glad you rightly mention how parents/grandparents also need to be able to at least somewhat understand a product in order to buy it for their kids. This was especially a problem with Hidden Side (in that case I think the physical Lego was fine and the story was understandable enough) but it was all shoved aside by the emphasis on the stupid app and terrible boxart. Like even when I already knew what Hidden Side sets I wanted, it could take a little while to find the one I was looking for (unless someone had left the box backwards) due to the weird box art. It is never good when the consumer can't even clearly tell what they will actually get from the box.

As far as Dreamzz goes, it will be interesting how parents/grandparents react to these sets. The only reason Star Wars remains popular is because all the parents can relate to it and buy the stuff for their kids.

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Phoenixio said:

Nobody said you were a heretic.  It's just that this is a forum of fans of Legos.  If you don't like Legos, maybe you are not in the right place.  And for sure Lego makes weird corporate decisions we have no control over and that we discuss.  We just don't do that constantly.

Maybe you're not in the right place. It's LEGO not Legos.  Legos.......lol!!!!