My local Tesco had a few boxes on Monday, checked yesterday and they were all gone (the original Reddit post said Tesco had recalled them) so it seems there's at least some merit to this story.

I've seen a few reports on Reddit of people getting two torsos and no legs in packets, so it could be that.

I bet Katy Perry is after them for copyright of the Shark Guy! Because obviously, she legally owns sharks!

None in my local Tesco either, there one day, gone the next, including display. Seems like a global recall. Surely TLG will get the message that more has to be done about quality control now. How much are all these recalls and quality issues costing them? Then again, they made a billion pounds last year so I guess it's not costing them much.

What possible copyright issue is there with the shark guy suit?

I went to the LEGO store yesterday in Cali and noticed that they weren't even displayed out at all. If it is a copyright of the Shark Guy then it's kind of dumb being LEGO always sticks a Costume Character in their sets anyways. So why is it considered copyright? Seems kind of naive by whoever it is that pulled that one. So the only reason in recall is probably bad packaging. Wonder if this means the Disney ones will be delayed cause of this too. Be kind of weird it be out for a short time. OR they may have to just role with it cause the Disney ones ARE supposed to be apart of the Summer drop.

I had no issue grabbing a full set from my local TRU in New Jersey last week. I believe I saw a few still there yesterday.

Yeah, I'm most curious how on Earth a guy wearing a shark costume could violate somebody's copyright? That seems really weird.

Went to a few stores here in the lowlands on monday. All of them still had the minifigures for sale then.

It's important to remember the shark copyright issue is pure speculation from a number of people and has no basis in actual evidence. Until we hear something from Lego directly, "aliens bought them all" is just as factual.

I put my money on the Ultimate Warrior being the issue :D We shall see.

Doesn't seem to be an issue in continental Europe. They are still listed at LEGO.com; I've placed two in my cart yesterday (haven't actually ordered yet).
Luckily, I already got the shark guy even though, honestly, it may be one of the figures I'm least interested in from this series...

If it was a copyright issue (with the wrestler or the shark), there have to be some kind of court ruling to stop them from being sold. Why would Lego pull them before that happens?

Example: Apple didn't have to pull iPhones from sale just because Samsung claimed they infringed copyright.

They are still here in Germany.

There are only TWO times I can think of regarding a guy in a shark suit. The Land Shark from the old Saturday Night Live skits, and Katy Perry's Super Bowl Halftime Shoe from 2015. There is no way anyone could say that the Shark suit guy minifig is ripping off KP but with how quick people are to sue for royalties in the US, I wouldn't be surprised if this is the reason this series isn't easily found in the US.

I hope TLG actually addresses this so the speculation can stop.

If it is a copyright issue, my guess is the wrestler Sharkboy since he did copyright his gimmick for toys and merchandising.

My shark figure ate my hamster so maybe that's what the problem is???

Are LEGO "jumping the shark", as the saying goes? They're hardly collectable minifigs these days, since there's a new set coming out every five minutes. Ho hum ... another set of curiously similar figures with a suspiciously short shelf life. I think I'll pass, as I have done on every other collectable series.

I picked u a random fistfull yesterday. And got 4 sharkguys. I hate him as a figure. But maybe that will change if prices rocket

If that's the case, I'm glad I got my figs back in January c:

whatever the real sotry is, they wont need to recall any as people will be snapping up any leftovers

Yep, I've just ordered a full set off someone on eBay for £40. Works out at exactly £2.50 a figure and I get all 16 which is what I want. Best to get on before the price (potentially) rockets!

Had disappeared from sainsbury's the other week but just thought they'd sold out. Were still available in Tesco and WHSmith's.

More likely to be a quality control issue than a copyright one I would have thought.

I don't think I ever saw them in stores to begin with. Such is the way of living in Australia...

There were none left at Müller in Winnenden (Germany) when I looked yesterday. They may just have sold out though - I don't think they had more than one box in the first place coz I asked if they could crack open another 60 so I could feel out a missing minifig, but was told that they only had the half-empty box that was already on the shelf.

I bought and felt a lot of minifigure packets and never noticed 2 torsos in one packet, but then I guess a very small proportion of total packets is perhaps still too many. I still saw some behind the till at WHSmith a couple of days ago but I haven't bought any for a while because I tried to complete the series as fast as possible!

If it does happen to be a copyright issue (which, if it is, may be the Wrestler) then it would be interesting if TLG relaunched the series with one new fig. Then it would be only the 2nd series with 17 minifigures. If you exclude the toy-shop branded busby soldier and the clockwork soldier. Pretty sure no one owns the rights to having a costume themed on a shark, the same as a gorilla costume etc.

Whatever the reason Tesco in the UK pulled them, it's not a recall from Lego. Brick Fanatics have a statement from Lego (http://brickfanatics.co.uk/recall-on-lego-minifigures-series-15/):

> "Just to be clear – we have not done a recall in 6 years and if we did, I am quite confident we’d all know. There may be other issues that would warrant a temporary stop for distribution, but recalls are different: https://wwwsecure.us.lego.com/en-us/service/product-recalls?domainredir=service.lego.com”

Is this really recent news? I know that I saw some in my TRU this weekend.

Bought 4 packs yesterday, got 2 shark boys plus the two i have makes 4!!
Should I keep them??

Just bought 8 packs in my local Entertainer. Had the complete stand and tonnes of the things.

As far as I know Tesco haven't recalled them, they've taken them "off-shelf", meaning they don't have allocated space on a shelf. In some shops this may mean taking them away completely, while in others they might have put them in the clearance section. Some Tesco shops were reportedly selling them as 'reduced to clear' items for 63p last week.

Luckily, I bought one of each already (and two shark guys).

@patrickgill beginning to wish I'd checked my Tesco now in case they were on clearance there, too.

Man that might explain why there was 5 rows of character packs one day and the next they are replaced by these generic lego nock-offs? dang now I have to pay $80 on eBay for the complete collection :(

I haven't heard anything. My local stores never get CMF's in on time...

Well, im glad i got all the ones i wanted exept for the fighting robot.

@Grimlock, for what it's worth, I've checked my local and all they've done is put all their stock out, but no reduction. Newton Abbott store definitely did reduce them though:
http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/lego-minifigures-series-15-63p-tesco-newton-abbot-2397121

Sure, they haven't done a product recall like a safety, notify the public, recall. But to say that they haven't pulled product and RTV (return to vendor) is bogus. Pirates Chess and Wall-E, both were RTV'd and disappeared from shelves for a couple months last year.

@rmlewisuk
There doesn't need to necessarily be a court order for a copyright/IP based recall. A firm would usually send a 'cease & desist' to the concerned company asking them to stop. They may choose to comply if, on balance, the request was valid/reasonable, but may disregard it, in which case court action may follow.

Based on the fact they're still available now on the UK Lego Shop site, it's unlikely to be a legal issue with the Shark Suit guy and Katy Perry's lawyers. It's more likely something like the suggested 2 torso no legs thing. Unlike an IP claim, that could be a localised issue that didn't affect the ones currently in the UK, but does affect some in America.

Just bringing this up here, (credit to Robert8 on Eurobricks). Katy Perry has no case for the shark.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/katy-perrys-left-shark-design-790542

@ Dedgecko: Don´t forget Ant-Man as well. recalled so 12 parts could be added for reinforced legs.

I would say both of these are possible.
Wrestling Champ is the most likely, the costume is rather specific if I look at one picture of the Ultimate Warrior on google image search. He could have a good basis.
Flying Warrior could have something to do with Flash Gordon but wasn´t that in public domain by now?

I think Shark guy can´t be it, that´s too random. By that definition Lego could even be sued by all the astronauts that have brown beards or something as stupid.

The astronauts would have to have yellow skin though in order to be successful!

That would probably be why I haven't seen them anywhere, including some stores near me that always have them day one. I need that Laser Mech!

I was wondering why they're still listed as new but "Sold Out" on Lego Shop At Home. I kinda figured they were just rushing Series 16. I hope they come back, otherwise the secondary market value will probably double as will be the only way to get them.

I wonder if they're showing up as Sold Out on the UK Lego Shop At Home because everyone who couldn't get them in their local Tesco heard the rumours and went straight to LEGO.com to grab what they could...

I think this will be good news for shark guy hoarders... but I'm still curious if it is indeed a recall.

Of the figs mentioned, aside from the obvious look-alikes of the shark suit guy and wrestler, the closest thing I can associate with the winged battle warrior would be the armor of Zeldron from Adventure time, but it's clearly different in many ways.

Man, I live in the US and I've been trying to find a shark suit guy to send to my girlfriend who is away because she, well, hates sharks. No place near me has gotten the minigures yet.

They are not showing as Sold Out on UK LEGO.com.

Maybe instead of spreading rumours someone contacts LEGO and asks!

Rumors like this only benefit eBay scalpers. Instead of theories, could it simply be possible that the first shipments have sold out in the States? That's been the pattern with the last few releases. A small number hit shelves, sell out, then a second, much larger shipment comes in.

The only recent series that broke this pattern was the LEGO Movie series. You pounced on those when they hit the shelves or you missed out.

Shark costumes far precede any viral fame achieved by a Katy Perry background dancer. I don't see how that would be something you could copyright, certainly not by Perry anyway outside of the exact likeness of her "Left Shark". Not to mention, you'd be a fool to sue LEGO to have them removed, you'd sue them to get a cut of the profits instead.

A sidenote, in World of Warcraft there's a pet you can get named "Left Shark" (in reference to the Katy Perry one) and Blizzard hasn't been sued for that.

If anything, IF it is truly a copyright issue, it'll be the Ultimate Warrior-like wrestler, which is far more close in likeness to its inspiration.

Well whatever the case I'm glad I have my set. Won't be paying any inflated prices for this set if it comes to that. I think HearitWow may be on to something however. Seems all is pure speculation as we haven't had anything official and may never.

I have an astronaut with an upside down printed flag, but I haven't heard of anyone else who has this. Could this be the product recall? Also, does anyone else have an upside down flag?

I'm in the US, and I've only been able to find a single figure on the shelves one time; my wife and I finally broke down and bought a case online. This is the first series we've had any trouble finding on the shelf since Series 3.

Yeah, I think this recall business is nonsense. There'd be actual news about it if it were. Perhaps we should stop giving attention to unconfirmed rumors.

Still on the shelves in Tesco in Bury today. Still £2.50.

I wonder if it has to do with QC issues. I got a satyr, and his hair piece doesn't fit on his head properly at all. Anyone else have this issue?

Better get the Wedding Favor set before that becomes sold out too...

Thank you HearItWow! Someone here who has common sense. LEGO sticks a 'sold out' tag on all the mini figure series when the first shipment runs out because they don't stick 'backorder' on limited edition products. This isn't news, you can still buy them, and for 5% off, at ToysRUs.com.

And than you Huw for confirming that you are only spreading rumors because it gets hits for the site.

I agree with HearItWow, both on the story side, and that I now try to purchase every series as soon as possible upon release to make sure I have all the minifigures before they sell out. This could be just because they are popular and not producing very many (Lego Movie) or it could be because scalpers pop into a shop and just go "Give me every box you have". Since about Series 10 (Mr Gold... ugh) I have almost exclusively only bought one version of each fig by feeling bags and no duplicates. That way there's still plenty for everyone else.

They are on the TRU website now for $3.79. I'm ordering 20 more. Hopefully that will get me the five that I'm still missing.

Is this supposed to be real news? I saw them yesterday fully stocked at both Target and the Lego Store.

Oh, this has me slightly worried. I really wanted to pick up a clumsy guy, janitor and animal control officer at the LEGO store on Monday. I hope they will still have them (and sell them if they do).

So, let me get this straight. Is Series 15 officially recalled by LEGO or other retailers?

that is disapointing. i was hoping to get the animal control officer

underagegymnast, It's click bait that LEGO sites are trying to report as news.

Natethegreat101, It's NOT officially recalled. It's NOT recalled at all! Target and TRU both have them, you can even save 20 cents right now on TRU.com when buying them. They are just listed as 'sold out' on LEGO.com which makes everyone freak out over nothing. They will probably even be back in stock there. It's just a really good series, and from the three I have the quality is slightly better (still weak legs) than past CMF.

Still available at WHSmith and our local independent. I have no idea which ones I've just bought.

TRU clerk here in the U.S. told me twice they were scheduled to get a shipment but no boxes were on the truck. They finally did get some... 1 box, and another the following week. Supply issues?

They were just released a month ago and LEGO always has supply issues when they first come out.

Recalled because some packets contain small pieces of chocolate?

Guessing the 'sold out' status is due to LEGO's typical 'sold out' status mid way through a run of the CMF series. I cannot see the Shark guy cannot be a trademark issue as I'm guessing there have been many shark guy costumes before the SB, and the SNL land shark I think has no case either ('I'm only a dolphin ma'am'). Could it be the wrestler guy causing issues? I dunno. I notice That LEGO says they did not recall them but seemed to sidestep the possible stoppage or distribution due to another issue.
If those figures are removed from circulation that would make them insanely valuable (I can see people going to find CMF 15 just to cherry pick all of the Shark guys and wrestlers now)

My money is on the Ultimate Warrior-esque minifig. I'd imagine the WWE are quite protective of their copyrights etc.

Not that I'm really bothered, as I got one in Tesco on Friday. :)

Copyright is a nonsense. Just google "shark suit" and everything is clear. I can imagine any farmer take TLG to court.

I only found them once, the only one I got was the kendo fighter twice.

My local lego store in the Rocky Mountains region had them all out yesterday when I went there. picked up the Faun minifigure, which was the one I really wanted.

If they are still being sold in LEGO Stores can we stop the BS of saying they are recalled? I mean really. This is a new level of insanity in the LEGO community.

My local Fred Meyer which usually has crates of Minifigures had two partial boxes in early February and then none since. None on the Pacific Northwest region seem to have any at all.

I only saw them at my local Target store but not anywhere else and not for a while either. I stopped by three or four times and was able to pick out 15/16 of them, including Shark Guy. The only one I missed was the Tribal Woman.

Being as I have none yet, would it be wise for me to pick up the whole series online then? I mean, better safe than sorry, right?

It's obviously a quality issue: my 71011-4 "Clumsy Guy" came with a broken leg!

In Portland, Oregon, there haven't been any S15 for a few weeks at the Fred Meyers, Targets, Walmarts I've checked out. Thought it was just high product demand. (Ran into another AFOL feeling up the blind bags for the first time when these hit the stores.)

Or it could be based on Zigra, and not that awful KP performance (What's the deal with the shark? I don't remember it.), so until LEGO announces, the speculation shouldn't be taken as fact.

I went over to check the Lego website and I found this in the reviews:

"Just one single complaint... Lego seems to be going crazy with the whole "fusing two colors of plastic into a single component" thing. They started with just doing it for Superhero-themed minifigures' boots, but on this guy, they've done it for his chest and shark-head, which leads me to my problem: This technique makes the plastic much easier to crack, as mine did. It's a very small, hardly visible fracture in the shark's nose, but it is still there."
http://shop.lego.com/en-US/LEGO-Minifigures-Series-15-71011

Now the panic and price of the shark and wrestler have doubled! I am guilty just snagged a shark from eBay cheaper than bricklink! Already had the wrestler which might be why the set is being recalled not bc of the copyright, but bc the mullet on him is too much to handle!!!

Upon reading this "rumor" I went to my local Fred Meyer on the west coast just out of curiosity. There were 2 boxes and I was able to feel out 9 shark guys. Maybe I should pick up 2 complete sets?

Plenty at my local lego store tonight.

@Space:1979

Lol! Second funniest thing I heard today! :D

Not yet on LEGO.com's product recalls page? Maybe it's because of the faulty product rumour...My shark guy's "hat/shark head is wobbly and doesn't correctly fit, Maybe that's why?

All I know is that I've been checking my local Toys R Us since February 1st and haven't seen them at all. There is a spot where they have the $3.99 price tag and it says "2016 minifigures," but it's been empty every time I've gone. Also the Target that usually has them hasn't had a minifigure display at the end of the aisle since the Halloween series finished its run. So no Series 15 for me at all yet.

Lego store at Bluewater has them in stock and today I asked a member of staff about the situation to be told that the store have heard the rumours but TLG have not issued anything in the UK.

There are no issues. LEGO themselves would have addressed it and told their stores and TRU to stop selling them. Neither has happened.

I work at TRU in the USA and they can still be sold. I had the manager check them... :/

I found a few before febuary at target but now there all goe

They are still 'live' at Argos, was in there today and had some in bins out front and some out the back. Admitedly they had more Series 14 figures available but surely that is just because people have been buying S15 recently. Also saw some in a small indeoendent but, Asda had none, however the ticket was still on the shelf - so presumably just out of stock...

No issue here in NJ, USA. The Bridgewater Commons Mall Lego Store in Bridgewater, NJ still had them out last night (02-Mar-2016) so I picked up a few more. The clerk that I talked to knew nothing about a possible recall/pull from shelf.
Prior to making my original purchase of these a 2 weeks ago, I hadn't been able to find them at all in local Target stores (haven't looked since).

If it's copyright, it's most likely the Wrestling Champion, since he looks like the Ultimate Warrior.

"There is no substance to the rumours of the alleged recall of Series 15 Minifigures.
The only issue that was picked up was that Tesco had apparent problems with the barcode system which should be fixed now.
No IP claim with Left Shark Guy as people have speculated.
Hope that clarifies things!"
Source - LEGO Ambassador Network

Just a heads up I work for a Lego store and they are on our shipment for this Tuesday.

Tons of them in local Target store this afternoon.

Bought a box in Germany today. Wanted to order another one, was told there was a "Teilliefersperre" (partial delivery stop/block/ban, very rough translation) and it was not possible to order them (big chain store). Confusion all around.

Ordered 2 from Amazon on 3/1. Tried to order 1 more on 3/5 and got this when I went to check out, ”We're sorry. This item has limited purchase quantity. We have changed your purchase quantity to the maximum allowable." (Which was zero).

@idogcow: Amazon does this with many LEGO items, typically those that are on a good sale/discount price. After a while you can order again, but Amazon does this to ensure that people are not trying to buy up all their stock in one purchase.

Just stopped by my local Lego Store, they had plenty of the Series 15 blind bags. Some of the employees stated that they had heard about this issue, but that Corporate had not sent anything down to them yet.

I bought some today in the Lego store in Arundel Mills. No problems.

Lego store by me has 16 cases on hand, no shortage at all!

Went to look for them the other day at BR toys here in Sweden. There were PLENTY of full boxes left, the clerks had not heard of this news/rumor and neither had recieved information from "above", which, according to them, usually travels fast within the chain of stores. So I don't know what to make of it.

@biabi I was able to get some yesterday at Arundel Mills as well, they had 2 pretty full boxes out.

Luckily I got 3 of the Shark Suit Guys before this whole issue came up :)

Toys r us in the Falls, OH had a box with every figure expect the Native American woman and the shark guy.

A Walmart in Utah had two boxes on the shelf today. My wife and I found two "Shark Guy" minifigs and bought them both.

Tons of series 15 minifigs at my local toy stores.

I don't think the wrestler is the issue, since the Ultimate Warrior passed away almost two years ago. I think it's just a rumour, there are plenty of "Shark Guys" in our hands. If it were an issue it already got out of control for Lego.