Lego, the world's second-biggest toymaker, has confirmed that it will produce a construction set based on the hit TV animation, the Simpsons.The kit will include figures of the main characters including Homer, Bart, Marge and Ned Flanders.The Danish toymaker struck the deal with the show's owners, Twentieth Century Fox.Fox is scheduled to air an episode of the show featuring the cast in Lego form in May, in the US."We know our fans will love the challenge of building the Simpsons' family home in great detail and the ability to collect quintessential characters in Lego minifigure form," Jill Wilfert, from the Lego Group said in a statement. The Simpsons, a satirical parody of family life, has been running for 25 years making it the longest running scripted TV show in the US. "Even though the Simpsons has been on for a quarter of a century it still resonates with the young and makes viewers an ideal target for the Lego brand," said Brad Adgate, head of research at Horizon Media.The set will go on sale in the US next month priced at $199.99 (£120).
The company plans to launch a separate line of 16 Simpsons mini figures in May.Strong sales growth saw Lego overtake Hasbro last year to become the world's second-biggest toy maker behind Mattel.It has been helped by the success of kits and figures related to movies including Lord of the Rings, Toy Story and the Avengers.The strategy started in 1999 with Star Wars themed kits.More recently, Lego has been focusing on Asia where sales have been booming. This year it plans to build its first factory in China.The firm is controlled by Denmark's richest man, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, who is the grandson of Lego's founder.We're huge, huge fans of Lego here at Creative Bloq. Some designers have carried on their love affair with design toys and have created the most spectacular sculptures that truly deserve the title Lego art. However, we shouldn't forget that Lego also calls for a bit of play time and this latest creation has us itching to get building.It's The Simpsons in Lego form! Comprising of six mini figurines - Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie and Ned Flanders, along with The Simpsons family home, 742 Evergreen Terrace, it's unlike any other Lego set we've ever seen.
Containing over 2,500 bricks, it looks set to go on sale in the UK and US on February 1st for $199.99. Watch out for a special Lego-themed Simpsons episode in the coming months that will celebrate the release of the set. So, why do you need it in your life? It comes with over 2,500 pieces02. There's a garage - with the family car inside03. Each character comes with their own accessories04. You can't beat the look on their faces05. Lisa comes complete with A+ homework06. The attention to detail is staggering07. You can re-create the opening credits08. You can take Homer (in your pocket) to a real-life bar10. There's going to be a Simpsons Lego episode!Great examples of doodle artBrilliant Wordpress tutorial selectionFree tattoo fonts for designersAre you excited for The Simpsons Lego? Let us know in the comments box below!Criminal gangs around the world are targeting a new, lucrative and almost untraceable commodity – Lego. Sets of the brightly coloured plastic bricks can sell for thousands of pounds on online trading sites prompting thieves to target toy shops from America to Australia.
The trend came to light this month when US police revealed back-to-back cases in New York state and Arizona worth almost $300,000 (£181,000). Caleb Raff, who runs the Brick Hutt Lego shop in Santa Rosa, California, said he knew of several similar thefts near his store. Mr Raff, who earlier this year sold a single piece for $15,000 (The Platinum Avohkii Mask of Light, custom made by Lego for a competition) said criminals seemed to be getting wind of the collectability of some sets. “If you look at other makes – Kenner, Hasbro, Fisher Price – those have always been collectable,” he said. “With Lego, it’s a new trend and if you know what to get then there’s value.” Lego’s popularity is soaring after years of crisis saw the Danish family business turned over to new management. Tie-ins with movies, such as Star Wars and Harry Potter, have helped it connect with a new generation of young builders and quadruple its revenues in less than a decade. Expensive specialist kits include Tower Bridge or the Ewok village, from Return of the Jedi, which retail for $249.
But that’s nothing compared with how prices can rise for unopened, discontinued lines, such as a 2,899-piece Statue of Liberty, released in 2000, which now sells for $10,000. With that has come a lucrative online trade – and black market. Police in Phoenix spent four months investigating thefts from toy shops, monitoring CCTV footage before identifying four suspects. When they made their move last week, they found 18 pallets of Lego sets stored in the garage of one the suspect’s homes, worth more than $200,000. That case was followed by a case in Long Island, New York. A 53-year-old woman was arrested after allegedly taking $60,000 of Lego sets from a storage facility and trying to sell them on eBay, the Nassau County Police Department said in a statement. And detectives in Australia are hunting a gang behind a string of thefts in two states, using angle grinders to cut their way into stores. Two years ago, a Silicon Valley executive was caught sticking fake bar codes on collectible Lego sets, buying them at huge discounts before raking in a profit by selling them on eBay.
Officers said his thefts – for which he was later sentenced to a month in prison - included a $279 Millennium Falcon kit from Star Wars which he bought for the knockdown price of $49. In mint condition, some versions of Han Solo’s aging spacecraft can sell for more than $10,000. When police searched Thomas Langenbach’s home near San Francisco they found hundreds of unopened kits as well as dozens of creations he had built himself.Meet the security camera you can power with the sun You won't feel secure about digital privacy after visiting New York's Glass Room Fizzics Waytap brings the bubbles to your bottled beer Dead and buried: The tech we lost in 2016 The Audiophiliac's best-ever holiday gift guide iHome's SmartPlug takes a shot at the throne Every geek movie we're excited about in 2017 CNET's holiday gift guide videosIf you saw my post for the April 2017 LEGO Store Calendar, you probably saw that the US is finally getting the LEGO Creator Mini Volkswagen Beetle (40252) as part of a promotion.
It is a 141 piece set that is basically a smaller version of the Volkswagen Beetle (10252) which was released last year. We will be getting it from April 1-15, while supplies last, with purchases of $50 or more at LEGO Stores and on [email protected] The April 2017 LEGO Store Calendar is now available and we can see some of the promotions and events for the month. April 1-15: FREE LEGO Creator Mini Volkswagen Beetle (40252) with purchases of $50 or more, while supplies last. April 1-30: FREE LEGO Friends Tic Tac Toe game with a $20 LEGO Friends purchase, while supplies last. April 1: LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales The Silent Mary (71042) available to the general public. April 4-5: VIP Monthly Mini Build event for a Chick. April 1-16: Easter Egg Hunt at LEGO Stores. Find all the Easter eggs and get an Easter sticker sheet, while supplies last. April 15: VIP LEGO Friends Mini Build event. Sign up is required. April 7 & 21: Family Game Night.
April 22 & 29: LEGO Life meeting. February was a pretty news heavy month and here’s a recap of some of the more popular LEGO posts from the month. LEGO Disney Beauty and the Beast BrickHeadz Officially Announced – LEGO announced the new LEGO Disney Beauty and the Beast BrickHeadz which now available to everyone on for $9.99 each. LEGO Named 2017 World’s Most Powerful Brand – LEGO was named the world’s most powerful brand in the Brand Finance yearly Global 500 rankings. LEGO Dimensions Wave 8 Expansions Packs Announced – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced the new LEGO Dimensions expansion packs which include The Goonies Level Pack (71267), the Hermione Fun Pack (71243), and LEGO City Fun Pack (71266). The LEGO Ninjago Movie First Trailer Released – Warner Bros. released the first official trailer for the upcoming The LEGO Ninjago Movie. LEGO House Website Now Live – LEGO launched a new website for their LEGO House which opens in September.
The LEGO Batman Movie The Ultimate Batmobile (70919) Revealed – LEGO revealed one of the new The LEGO Batman Movie sets with The Ultimate Batmobile (70917). LEGO New York Toy Fair Set Images – The 2017 New York Toy Fair kicked off and there were a lot of images for the upcoming summer 2017 LEGO sets. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Spider-Man: Homecoming Sets Revealed – During the NY Toy Fair, some of the sets for LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Spider-Man: Homecoming were shown off. LEGO Collectible Minifigures Series 17 Revealed – Also shown off at the Toy Fair was the characters for the Series 17 LEGO Collectible Minifigures. LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales The Silent Mary (71042) Officially Revealed – The last major thing that was revealed at the Toy Fair was the LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales The Silent Mary (71042). LEGO Ideas Second 2016 Set Winner Announced – The winning LEGO Ideas project for the Second 2016 Review Stage was announced to be the Women of NASA.
A reader has let me know this morning that there are some LEGO minifigure plushies that has been released in stores or will be released soon. Currently, there are four characters to choose from including Batman (853652) and Batgirl (853653) from The LEGO Batman Movie and Kai (853691) and Nya (853692) from LEGO Ninjago. Each minifigure plush will stand 12″ tall and are made with brushed tricot fabric with silkscreen-printed decoration. Update: They have shown up on . Today is the last day for the promotion to get The LEGO Batman Movie Disco Batman/Tears of Batman (30607) polybag at LEGO Stores and on . You can get it for free with purchases of $75 or more. The polybag is fairly easy to get especially with a lot of new sets already available. I’ve already done a review of the polybag if you haven’t checked it out yet. LEGO Ideas has announced the winner of the Second 2016 Review Stage and it is the Women of NASA. This set was stated to be releases in late 2017 or early 2018.
In addition, the Voltron – Defender of the Universe project is still under consideration so that could also be a set in the future. The results of that will be announced at the Third 2016 Review results. There were twelve projects that qualified for review which included Voltron – Defender of the Universe, Spaceballs – Eagle 5, The Addams Family Mansion, the Merchant’s House, the Large Hadron Collider, LEGO Observatory – Mountain View, Modular Construction Site, the Women of NASA, Star Wars UCS X34 Landspeeder, Lamborghini Veneno Roadster, Lovelace & Babbage, and The Plum Creek – The Little House on the Prairie. Honestly, the Women of NASA project didn’t really surprise me because LEGO does have a partnership with NASA and there are a few space-themed sets already including the upcoming Saturn V one for later this year. What do you guys think if the project that was chosen to become an official LEGO Ideas set? Sound off in the comments below. If you haven’t picked up the LEGO Ideas Caterham Seven 620R (21307) yet, Amazon has it on sale for a pretty decent price of $59.99 which is 25% off the retail price.