Lego Avatar: The Last Airbender was a series of LEGO sets manufactured by the LEGO company, based on the television series of the same name. However, due to competition between Avatar and SpongeBob SquarePants, this LEGO theme had to be discontinued. This made it one of the shortest LEGO theme runnings in history, having only two sets. The two sets debuted as part of the first wave of Nickelodeon-themed LEGO sets following a partnership between the popular kids' network and the Danish toy company in late 2005. In this wave, Nickelodeon decided to include two of its most popular franchises: Avatar: The Last Airbender and SpongeBob SquarePants. In August 2006, the first five Nickelodeon LEGO sets hit retail shelves: two based on Avatar and the other three on SpongeBob.[1] The Avatar product line never lasted beyond its first LEGO outing. Its SpongeBob counterpart, however, performed slightly better and remained a theme until 2009, then reintroduced from 2011-2012, followed by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The discontinuation of the theme is partly due to the belief that Avatar: The Last Airbender would become obsolete, as only three seasons were planned and it was originally set to end the year after the first wave. Nevertheless, the sets produced are based only on Book One, and therefore recreate events solely from this time frame. The series had not yet introduced Toph, and Zuko was still bent on capturing Aang. There were only two new piece molds introduced in this theme, those for Momo and the wings of Aang's glider. Aang is the only individual character from the series that appears in both sets. Sokka and Momo only appear in "3828 Air Temple", and Katara and Zuko only appear in "3829 Fire Nation Ship". Other mini-figures merely portray generic Fire Nation soldiers. Important recurring characters that were already present in Book One and are not represented in any way in this theme are Appa, Iroh, and Zhao. ↑ LEGO Signs Batman & Nickelodeon. Retrieved on September 26, 2011.
Lego has been accused of racism by the Turkish community over a Star Wars toy allegedly depicting a mosque.The critics claim that the Jabba's Palace model, part of Lego's Star Wars range, offends Muslims as it resembles the Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul - one of the world's most renowned mosques. Members of the Turkish Cultural Community of Austria group also accused the toy manufacturer of depicting Asians as having 'deceitful and criminal personalities'. Toy: The Jabba's Palace Lego set will cease to be produced from 2014 after the Turkish Cultural Community of Austria group described it as offensive to the Muslim community Criticism: The group criticised Lego's design saying it resembles the Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul, one of the world's most recognisable mosques The group has released a statement calling for an apology from Lego for its cultural insensitivity.The Lego set is based on the home of Jabba the Hutt, a central character in the Star Wars series, who lives in a domed palace, with a separated watchtower.
As well as bearing a likeness to the Hagia Sophia mosque, the Turkish group also claimed the toy takes its design from the Jami al-Kabir mosque in Beirut - while the watchtower is said to resemble a minaret. A post on the community's website contains a picture of the slug-like creature's Lego home, pointing out similarities with the Istanbul mosque. Muslims have criticised the toy producer on the community's website, accusing it of deliberately placing contextual errors in the toy.The case came to light when a Turkish man expressed his dissatisfaction with the toy after it was purchased for his son by a family member. After investigating, Dr Melissa Günes, General Secretary of the Turkish Cultural Community, said that Lego had been contacted with an official complaint. Comparisons: A post appeared on the group's website pointing out features of the Lego set and comparing them to the Istanbul mosque A statement posted on the organisation's website refers to Jabba the Hutt as a 'terrorist' and says that he 'likes to smoke hookah and have his victims killed'.
It adds: 'It is clear that the ugly figure of Jabba and the whole scene smacks of racial prejudice and vulgar insinuations against Asians and Orientals as people with deceitful and criminal personalities.' The statement says that the figures in the set are made to resemble 'terrorists, criminals and murderers'. Referring to weapons contained in the set, the statement suggests that the 'combination of temple building and bunker facilities where shots are fired cannot be appropriate for children between 9 and 14 years old'.It concludes: 'One would expect more empathy and responsibility from a manufacturer of toys that has produced toys and models that are good for teaching for decades.' Jabba's Palace as depicted in the 1983 Star Wars film Return of the Jedi The organisation also says it is planning legal action in Austria, Germany and Turkey against the toy firm if it does not get a satisfactory response. Lego's Katharina Sasse said: 'The Lego Star Wars product Jabba´s Palace does not reflect any actually existing buildings, people, or the mentioned mosque.'The Lego mini-figures are all modelled on characters from the movie.'We regret that the product has caused the members of the Turkish cultural community to come to a wrong interpretation, but point out that when designing the product only the fictional content of the Star Wars saga were referred to.'The Hagia Sophia was first built around 360AD
in the Byzantium capital Constantinople, later Istanbul.It served as an Eastern Orthodox Cathedral and was the world's largest for nearly a thousand years, until Seville Cathedral was completed in 1520.In 1453, Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks under Sultan Mehmed II, who ordered the building converted into a mosque.Christian symbols such as the bells and altar were removed and many of the mosaics were plastered over. Islamic features, such as the four minarets, were added while it was in the possession of the Ottomans.It remained a mosque until 1931 when it was closed to the public for four years. It re-opened in 1935 as a museum by the Republic of Turkey.It is famous for its massive dome and is considered the crowning achievement of Byzantine architecture. Some experts say it 'changed the history of architecture'. Want to see the future of car technology? Brian Cooley found it for you at CES 2017 in Las Vegas and the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.