Tommy'S LegoLego I VeStar Wars Legos SetsMarvel Lego SetsStar FinalFinal DuelEmperor SceneStar EmperorLego 75093Forward75093 Death Star Final Duel is a Star Wars set to be released in 2015. - The preliminary box art shows Luke Skywalker with a blue lightsaber, even though his lightsaber was green in Return of the Jedi.Lego is demonstrating this summer that role models in science and technology for girls are still fairly scarce in toy land, just as in the real world.The company stirred excitement this month by offering a line aimed at girls called the Research Institute, Lego’s first offering to feature women in a professional setting rather than at play or partying.The set included three female scientists in their respective labs (without the pink frilly dresses worn by the girl Legos in the company’s best-selling Friends line).Its introduction made news, especially given the pressure the company faced this year when a little girl’s letter went viral — she had begged Lego to produce more realistic sets for girls that gave them adventures and jobs rather than beach get-ups or baking duties.
Within days of its appearance early this month, the Research Institute — a paleontologist, an astronomer and a chemist — sold out on Lego’s website and will not be available at major retailers, including Target and Walmart. Toys “R” Us did carry the line, but according to associates reached by telephone at two of its New York stores, it sold out at those locations as well.A Toys “R” Us spokeswoman, Kathleen Waugh, said in an email that it would be available in about a week at the company’s Times Square and F.A.O. Schwarz stores. Lego said the set was manufactured as a limited edition, meaning it was not mass-produced. , however, but for about three times its $19.99 retail price. Another sign of the set’s popularity is a Twitter feed @LegoAcademics created by Donna Yates, an archaeologist who is a research fellow at the University of Glasgow. She has been posting the figures in humorous scenes of academia — and since her first Twitter post on Aug. 8 has attracted more than 24,000 followers.
Two years ago, Lego introduced its Friends line aimed at girls, a series of kits that has been successful. In 2013, profits at the company, based in Denmark, rose 9 percent to 6.1 billion kroner (about $1 billion). The Friends figures, set against backdrops like a catwalk, a beach house, a fashion studio and a beauty shop, met with some criticism, and parents clamored for figures with less traditional gender roles. (In addition to the catwalk, Lego Friends now includes a “first aid jungle bike” and a “jungle rescue base” where the figures help their friends.)The Research Institute was developed by Ellen Kooijman, a geochemist based in Sweden, and submitted through Lego’s fan-sourced Ideas platform, where fans can propose their dream Lego landscapes. Lego can choose to green-light submissions that get 10,000 votes, and typically produces them as limited-edition items, according to Michael McNally, Lego’s senior director of brand relations. The Ideas lines currently include a DeLorean time machine, based on the car made famous in the “Back to the Future” movies, and the Ecto-1 car featured in the “Ghostbusters” films.
Mr. McNally said the company began reviewing the proposal for the Research Institute in January. “This awesome model is an inspiring set that offers a lot for kids as well as adults,” Lego said of the Research Institute on its website in June. As is typical with Lego’s Ideas products, the set received limited distribution and marketing, according to Mr. McNally, who declined to say how many units the company produced.Over the last few years, toy manufacturers have increasingly experimented with products aimed at girls. Hasbro came out with its Nerf Rebelle line of spongy foam dart guns, and Mattel introduced a Barbie construction set through Mega Brands’ line of building blocks before announcing in February that it would buy the company outright. Toy experts say that manufacturers are starting to realize that some traditionally male toys may appeal to girls, too, and vice versa. Bronies, adult male fans of the My Little Pony toy line, regularly hold conventions, most recently gathering in Florida this month.“
I think what we’re starting to see a gender breakdown in the toy aisles,” said Jim Silver, editor in chief of Time to Play Magazine.Perhaps. Even so, some have been a tad disappointed with the faces and the painted-on shapes of the new research figures. They’re all wearing lipstick, and at least one has drawn-in curves.On her blog, Ms. Kooijman praised the final Research Institute line but said that she “strongly” discouraged wearing makeup in the lab because of the potential for contamination.And Kelli McCannell, president of Hardy Girls Healthy Women, a nonprofit group that criticized the Friends line, questioned the dolled-up toys. “While I think that women should be able to wear any makeup that they want, I think it’s funny that had to be included on the girls, and that the girls would find that fun,” she said. “I guess it’s two steps forward, one step back sort of thing.” Correction: August 21, 2014NewsFirst ever Simpsons LEGO figures leaked ahead of 2014 official releaseThere have been reports for months that an official Simpsons-branded Lego set was to be released in 2014 - now they seem to have been leaked on eBay
eBay sellers have listed what appears to be the first official Lego minifigures for Simpsons characters Homer, Marge, Lisa and Ned Flanders. There have been reports for several months that Lego and Fox Broadcasting were due to release Simpsons-branded figures and sets. A release date of April or May 2014 has been mooted. However eBay sellers lego*dude and votvik published listings for figures. Votvik has since deleted its posting, but lego*dude is still selling them for $19.99 each. Homer is dressed in work clothing, complete with his Springfield Nuclear Power Plant ID badge. Marge and Lisa are shown wearing only the top halves of their green and red dresses, while Flanders is wearing his "Hail to the Chef" apron from a season three episode. Neither Lego nor Fox Broadcasting Company has released promotional photos of the set and they would not comment on the validity of the figures.Batman and other DC Comics heroes are getting cut down to size this May. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announced Lego Batman: The Movie -- DC Super Heroes Unite, featuring Lego versions of iconic superheroes, will be on sale May 21 as part of a Blu-ray combo pack or DVD.
It will also be available on demand and as a digital download. The Warner Bros./DC Universe animated adaptation of the popular video game will feature heroes and villains, including Superman, the Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Riddler and Two-Face. PHOTOS: 10 Top Summer Superheroes Movies Of All Time: Battle of Box Office Brawn A trailer released in October revealed the project will retain the comedic elements of the video game series. The direct-to-video release is different from a separate Lego-centric project in the works. That movie is being voiced by Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Morgan Freeman and Will Arnett as Batman. 21 Jump Street and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs co-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller are directing for a Feb. 7, 2014 theatrical release. 50 Greatest Superhero Movie Performances of All Time 'Logan': Making Sense of Wolverine's Confusing History Why 'Nightwing' Might Signal a Change in Direction for DC's Cinematic Universe