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Comments
Plus the Friends brand is strong amongst, you know, kids.
That could be awesome, although D2C sets often tend to have more of an emphasis on builds than on new characters, creatures, or molds. When D2C sets do have new molds (like the 1x3x2 curved slope from the Ferris Wheel, or the new SNOT brick from the Brick Bank) they don't tend to be a core part of the set's appeal. I can definitely picture a zoo with an impressive build (trees for pandas to climb, a terraced lion enclosure, etc), but it doesn't seem like the kind of thing I'd expect to see as a D2C set (for any theme) unless the majority of the animal molds were already in circulation.
A zoo might also be easier to realize as two or three smaller sets rather than one big set. Kind of like the current Adventure Camp series.
Apart from the new animal molds.
The part count will be fairly low if you have maybe 6 or 8 ,16x16 plates with the http://brickset.com/parts/4541 White Fencing parts used to keep the animals apart. Unless TLG opt for a pipe and post system for the fencing, using these http://brickset.com/parts/6040310
http://brickset.com/parts/4535765
There could be plenty of vegetation and/ or small shelters for the animals.
This is spot on.
I have been invested on creating a "winning" Lego Ideas concept so we can (finally) get a Lego Zoo. I made this but, given its chances at 10k and being approved, it was a flop. As a modular building, it fit within a proven sales model which would allow use of 2,000+ pieces. However, people want a horizontal zoo and it doesn't look as nice in that form:
https://ideas.lego.com/projects/145483/updates
So a few months (mostly) being a wash, I'm really trying to do my due diligence. At the moment, sort of like you're saying Bumblepants, my concern is more about balancing trying to make exhibits that feel more organic (getting away from large plates, adding uneven terrain) vs. having the set be too fragmented.
Anybody have any thoughts on that specifically? Or even what your ideal Lego Zoo might involve, or how you would envision one that manages to fall under 2,000 pieces?
So by modularity you mean how everything is sparsely spread out over an imaginative footprint making it easier to imagine them connecting as part of a larger whole?
If you were to imagine the ideal Lego zoo, what would it have? What do you think the exhibits would look like?
There's also other questions - Friends have covered pretty much everything already, including pets, horses, outdoors, shopping, school, science... about the only thing NOT covered is general adult life, though I doubt Friends would move in that category.
That is one part of it. One can take the different exhibits and rearrange them next to whatever exhibit one wants. Within the rainforest sub theme, they actually showed how putting three sets next to each other made it look like one giant set.
Within a single Friends set, though, they often make it where you can move and rearrange aspects of the models. So for example, one might have an ice cream shop with a sitting area in the front, but you might be able to move that sitting area to the side of the model, or even separate from the model. The houses are often two stores, but the second story can be taken apart. Lego specifically went with this sort of modular building, because with theIr study they often found girls wanting to build one part and play with that part before moving on. In addition, they found because girls engaged so much in store telling, they recalling like to rearrange elements of the set.
Now, The pet set series they used to have for 5.99 always had directions for an alternate build of the pet area, which Is a bit different than modularity, but I could see a larger habitat, being able to move specific parts of the habitat around to give it a different look/feel, which speaks more to modular building and rearranging.
It it just seems like a zoo is perfect from a modularity aspect within individual sets, or between multiple sets....which I is why it reminded me of a Friends line. It would work as a City line as well.
Animals in a zoo... Some basics...
polar bears, penguins, lions, monkeys or orangutans, elephants, giraffe.
I could see something where some exhibits are individual exhibits, but perhaps two sets that can be bought individually or pushed together to create a larger exhibit. I am thinking of how some zoos have biomes ( like a jungle exhibit) with multiple animals in the exhibit.
Of course, the issue with this is that Lego Ideas will only take one set, and not a theme.
As for Friends, they have already released a zoo. What do you get when you put all the collectable animals sets together? 18 habitats with animals in. If they ever made a one set zoo for Friends, they'd go for those animal molds, so probably wouldn't impress many AFOLs.
Ah yeah, it makes a large set like the Roller Coaster look more fragmented but in the case of the exhibits, it could really allow for them to be larger:
http://brickset.com/sets/41130-1/Amusement-Park-Roller-Coaster
Thinking something like this simple exhibit mockup, though, obviously I'd enhance it a lot if it's the best way:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/142667034@N04/27754119213/in/dateposted-public/
Yes, Lego Ideas: only one set (not a theme) & no new molds BUT they could make more sets (and molds! i.e. Lion, etc.) based on it (like Ghostbusters). I understand no royalties for those but part of my 1% would go towards animals anyway; it's not my motivation.
^ yes, they are too small, but then so is everything. Passenger trains that take half a dozen passengers and so on.
Having an entrance and multiple exhibits in one set could be similar to the assortment of features and rides in the Friends Amusement Park Roller Coaster set (or the Fairground Mixer, or the Winter Village Market...). I don't see why it'd be out of the realm of possibility.
I'm not suggesting it would need to be supplemented, but that it could and hopefully would be if they were to see the demand. The Ideas proposal would be a stand-alone zoo that could be expanded if they made additional sets.
Point is, isn't an Ideas project the best way we could voice that we actually want a zoo set(s)/theme?
If, say, my next attempt at a zoo Ideas project reached 10k, TLG recognized the demand, but rejected the project for a theme with separate smaller sets... that's not a failure for me; that would be a massive success for all of us.
You've bumped just about every thread mentioning animals or zoos to promote your ideas project. This is a Friends thread, your project really doesn't fit, it is completely the wrong style for Friends.
Many AFOLs don't like the Friends animals, so a zoo coming out in Friends could well be the worst thing for people wanting a City type zoo.
Temple of Airjitzu actually has a lot in common with these three previous sets. Like them, it comes from a theme with a lot of conflict and a fair amount of wilder fantasy attributes (well, except in the case of Kingdoms, which was pretty grounded throughout). However, each theme's D2C offerings toned those attributes down in favor of a more peaceful playset with fewer elements that wouldn't fit neatly in one particular genre. Also, each of these D2C sets' target age range begins around where the corresponding playsets' target age range ends (12+ for the themes that are normally for ages 12 and under, 14+ for the themes that were normally for ages 14 and under). So it's not unrealistic to think that the creators of the Temple might've looked at these previous sets as precedent for what might be expected from that sort of set.
Extrapolating a bit, it seems likely that any hypothetical LEGO Friends D2C would probably have a 12+ age range. Other than that, the LEGO Friends sets don't tend to involve a lot of conflict, sci-fi elements, or fantasy elements to begin with, so content-wise it wouldn't need to be that much different than other Friends sets in terms of its peacefulness or seriousness.
But you're legitimately way off base on your other thoughts. All I'm going to say is:
Is it possible TLG may not want to make a zoo because they are now controversial and open to protest?
I want the 'pulling hair out' set showing the balancing of auto-payments in a checking account. And filling out life insurance questionnaires.
Adults are so boring.
Although I may have contracted poison oak whilst cutting down and cutting up trees today. That could be fodder for a new Friends set - @SumoLego goes to the hospital because he's itchy. If only I owned a helicopter and lighthouse!
How ahout the school run set, divorce set or having a pet put down set?
As for Lego not wanting to get into Zoos to avoid controversy, I have a ton of Duplos my kids play with that are all from the Zoo theme that I could buy in stores still just last year.
Why are you using airport base plates as roads?
@Matt Dawson - indeed...
it was part of a much larger display and I ran out of road plates (which for me are original 1980s light gray), ran out of time for tile or brick built roads, plus thought the greenery looked more appropriate for my "out of town" area!
Don't look at the roads - the right hand side looks terribly scruffy - it was at a school and looks like it's been shoved along somewhat :-(
@Thoughtsonblocks Agreed that modular would be ideal. Great job on the exhibt. Thanks for posting and jumping into the fray! Looks great from a zoo-goer's POV.
Your comment below is my aim, so just to talk it through a bit:
I'd like a zoo like yours, but it's much more complex when considering the POV of TLG & the average Ideas voter hah:
- The Ostrich is confined but the sidewalk can just be reduced to the narrow end.
- Play features would need to be added to justify the space & parts used for sufficient roaming space & depth in terrain to make a zoo passable on Ideas.
- I could see total space as an issue: those plates/exhibits would add up, just the "flagship" set be 32x64 or larger for entry, shop and/or food, & some exhibits.
- TLG has largely replaced baseplates with 16x16 plates but it's an easy swap.
- Lego isn't real but people will still complain: How do folks feel about short walls? Ostrich, for example, aren't usually nice lol & it could jump over that one.
I'm not so sure after looking online. It's pretty clear, too, they didn't just take a break from their decade-plus run of zoo sets. They replaced them with habitat sets (permanent or not is TBD). A zoo was on shelves a year ago, but nothing been released or conceptualized in years.Maybe the concept to be proposed on Ideas would have to be flexible enough to be modified into a version of Duplo's "Around the World" set if Lego liked it but doesn't like "zoo" anymore. Maybe like the @luckyruss zoo where the exhibits themselves can be their own wildlife area + a 4x16 plate with tiled walkway & fence that can be "scooted" next to or around the animal's home to assemble a zoo.
That or something really disperse like this (aka a zoo version of the Friends Roller Coaster set) (this is a super early conceptual draft, waterfall, tree, complete matching fence, etc. would be added):
But IDK, I'm just talking it out and making points & proposing ideas to be discussed.Sad that we are more worried about the controversy of a zoo then all sorts of potentially horrifying ramifications of star wars (one of the most popular characters is responsible for genocide, etc), super hero sets or even prison sets.
It's the same as why a theme like LEGO Nexo Knights or LEGO Star Wars will never be "just as bad" as a set based on real modern military conflicts. It's fine to draw a line in the sand about what content is appropriate for a LEGO set or theme, but where that line falls is bound to differ between a theme set in a world that could never be confused with our own present-day world, and a theme in a world based directly on the real world in the present day.
Jungle Rescue Base
"Co-ordinate your animal rescue missions at the Jungle Rescue Base! Help Andrea climb the watchtower and use the telescope to look for animals in danger. There’s a panda that needs your help! Slide Andrea down to the rescue boat, rescue the panda in distress and help Stephanie check it over in the mobile medical station. Jump on the zip line to slide down to the living quarters. Take a shower in the bathroom at the end of an exciting day and help the girls cook and eat dinner together with the animals before heading to bed for a good night’s sleep. There’s another busy day of animal rescue in store tomorrow! "
I'm not a fan of zoos in general although I like the idea of a LEGO one. I quite enjoy hunting (pardon the expression) for animals in other sets to create my own interpretation. Also, part of me would prefer brick built animals, like the bear from this years RV set.
This could focus on several sets inlcuding several different animal moulds (Elephant, Giraffe, Hippo, Zebra, Gazelle, Lion, Hyena,) including safari lodges, with Conservation scientist, tan coloured 4x4 jeep like vehicles with nature guides, and maybe even a couple of helicopters for radio tagging or hypodermic rifles for animal relocation using the bigger helicopter, Every city theme needs at least two helicopters. :)
The police part of the theme would be game wardens vs poachers. :)
Sounds like a pretty good follow-on to Arctic and Volcano, @Venunder! Though I'd only expect two or three animals--a new print of the horse for Zebra, an Elephant, and perhaps a brick-built Giraffe or Lion. I'd love a new deer-type mold, of course, but given there's been one for Princess I don't see a system-style deer any time soon. To be fair, a reprint of the reindeer with smaller eyes and new antlers could make a very convincing elk or moose. Of all the Friends/Princess animals that reindeer is the closest to being styled like system animals, at least IMO.
Then again, why stick with Africa? There are enough bears of various sizes that a North American wilderness with bears as an apex predator could be easily generated, and bears might seem more child-friendly than a world ruled by lions. Or you could have a park reconstructing pre-modern Europe, with black cows for the auroch, some reprinted horses for tarpans, and bears/wolves for the predators. Wardens vs poachers and the easy incorporation of jeeps and helicopters still applies, of course.
Isn't a set like that coming out in Creator soon?