Monkie Kid teased by creative director

I'm really excited to see where this line goes!

The sets are really great

We know that you are not a big fan of Ninjago Huw :)

As an adult builder I really appreciate the theme although my knowledge is very limited when it comes to the lore and the animated feature.
Furthermore I know close to zero about the source material on Monkey Kid.

But I have to say, looking at those sets (just as the more advanced Ninjago ones), I'm in awe.
The colours, the playability and clever building surpasses anything that I have seen at City for example.

Very much looking forward to this.

Hmmm, "teases" seems a little late to your own party, LEGO!

Great-looking sets though,

@Corban2011 said:
"I wish LEGO would make a Japanese theme soon. That would be epic. Chinies is cool too, but Japanese would be amazing! ?? "

You're aware of Ninjago, right?

Not a fan of those sets honestly.

Is Next Friday to you say this in the UK? Here, next Friday is 8th of May...

Please could somebody enlighten me! I have absolutely no idea what the Monkie Kid is. Please explain!

@Huw said: ‘It will be interesting to see how the Oriental-inspired theme is differentiated from Ninjago since, at first glance, they appear to be much the same.’

The summer 2020 Ninjago wave has a new occidental flavour with orcs, goblins and a skeleton dragon. Likely LEGO is targeting geographically with Monkey Kid aimed at the Chinese and Chinese sphere of influence markets, while Ninjago refocuses more on western cultural markets.

@sid3windr said:
"Is Next Friday to you say this in the UK? Here, next Friday is 8th of May..."

I mean, it's variable; but usually in my experience, the 8th would be referred to as THIS Friday, since it's almost upon us. Next Friday can be used either way, so I usually have to ask for clarification when the phrase is used, but more often seems to be taken as meaning the Friday of next week.

On the actual subject? I may change my mind if I actually see the things, but right now I'm kinda just "big shrug" about this rumoured line. Guess I'll just wait and see... though it's an original theme, right? Not a license?

If you haven’t seen the pics, think Ninjago, but make it Chinese. The usual current era Lego obsession with modern mechs, vehicles etc. A shame, as the fantastic CNY sets just go to show what Lego can really achieve in regards to culture, traditions, fables and architecture.

Although the sets seem action-oriented and very playable, the entire range seems a bit pricey. Also some clone brands beat TLG to this specific source material, so I'm not sure how well TLG can fare against them in China.

The LEGO Ninjago Movie sets had a cyberpunk vibe to them I know many people liked, including non traditional Ninjago fans. Thinking back to how well Ninjago City was received, this theme seems designed in a similar vein. I can’t wait!

Monkie Kid Accidentally Revealed and Then Covered Up and Then Teased by LEGO a Week Later

@Corban2011 said:
"I wish LEGO would make a Japanese theme soon. That would be epic. Chinies is cool too, but Japanese would be amazing! ?? "

Um, you mean besides the older Ninja and the current Ninjago themes?

Firstly I’m Chinese and I HATE these sets. The following is a message I posted to my friends that pretty much sums up my thoughts:

LEGO is producing Monkey Kid sets based on “Journey to the West” (I tried typing the Chinese characters but they aren’t compatible with Brickset). Way to pander to the Chinese markets! They must be loving that commie dollar. Just disgusting, insulting, stereotypical and “shove down your [Chinese] throat” consumerism.

While normally I highly praise LEGO for its ethics and morals, here I have to condemn them. I will not buy a single one of these sets and I recommend you not to either. Btw, I wonder how popular these will actually be in the mainland (target audience). I actually haven’t met a single mainland Chinese who is obsessed with “Journey to the West”. Many just brush it off as “something that an old dude wrote that we have to begrudging learn in Grade 1”.

{potentially offensive section deleted by admins}

If LEGO was actually trying to pay homage to, and popularise, “Journey to the West” (a story set in a rural world devoid of technology), they wouldn’t release sets that look like Tron infused with Ninjago. My only guess as to why the theme is so technology-heavy is as a vain attempt by LEGO seniors to make the theme more accessible (and marketable) to Western audiences.

And if you’re wondering why I am fine with LEGO’s abomination of Ninjas, it’s because they are pretty universal character archetypes like Knights, Wizards etc. Ninjas have greatly increased in worldwide popularity and are no longer tied down by their Japanese roots. Thus, I believe that LEGO can have full creative liberty with Ninjas. If you disagree, sure. But please take a moment to think - if LEGO makes knights like Ninjago (eg Fantasy Castle), would you get angry?

What I wonder is why on earth they spell it with ie instead of ey.

@TheRightP_art said:
- if LEGO makes knights like Ninjago (eg Fantasy Castle), would you get angry?"

Heard of Nexo Knights?

Ninjago isn't exactly a "Japanese theme". It appeals much more the western market, very little on it is reminiscent of Japan, even most of the main characters have occidental names (Lloyd, Cole, Zane...). It is like saying Power Rangers is Japanese just because it is a very modified Super Sentai adaptation. I believe a return of Exo-Force would be much more appropriate for a "Japanese theme" title.

Regarding Monkie Kid, it definitely is aimed at the Chinese market at first place. The settings, the the main character, everything is very reminiscent of China, unlike Ninjago with Japan. I loved the design of the sets and some of the figs, maybe I buy (depending of the western availability) some of them.

The this/next Friday debate is a bit like the time "half 8", where everyone in UK thinks "8:30", whereas many other places think it's "7:30".

@iwybs said:
"What I wonder is why on earth they spell it with ie instead of ey."

Perhaps for intellectual property reasons either because 'Monkey Kid' is already owned by another party or because it is too generic to be easily protected.

Spelling it 'ie' may also be differentiating for online searches, social media etc.

I didn't realise initially that it was 'ie' and spelt it incorrectly with 'ey' in my post above! :~O

From what I’ve seen of the sets so far, Monkey Kid tends to have a bit of a “suburban superhero” kinda vibe to him. Sets will have some outlandish vehicles, but the setting is mostly what looks to be an everyday city. I won’t go into more details because, well, I don’t want to get in trouble or cause Brickset headaches.

Ninjago seems to focus more on fantasy in general. I kinda joke that if there’s a fantasy element they need, they’ll throw it in there. Steampunk, ghosts, now D&D, it’s a versatile enough setting to do that with.

@TheRightP_art - Are you really attacking Lego for pandering to consumers? You realize consumerism is literally the basis of Lego, both as a company and as a hobby. How dare they try to release something people might want to buy!

And what's your issue here? That Lego is appropriating Chinese culture? As you said, they've managed to stay faithful and culturally sensitive in their Lunar New Year sets, and I have yet to see something explicitly inappropriate from them. After all, they wouldn't want to cause a controversy in any of their markets. Western kids getting more exposure to Asian culture can only be a good thing--and as Asians, we should be happy that a large, influential company like Lego is pushing representation, even if it's just for money.

@TheRightP_art Speak for yourself mate. The Monkey King story is one of the most widely read stories not just in China but also other East Asian countries like Japan, which produced derivatives like Dragon Ball. And the 1986 TV series is a staple of mainland Chinese TVs for the last few decades, and Stephen Chow's Chinese Odyssey series are also very popular there. I would know since I lived there for many years and many kids know of the story from folk tales, and most know who the main characters are.

And it's hilarious that you call us "commies" for liking Journey to the West when the original story was written in 1592 and has been part of Chinese cultural heritage for centuries.

@TheRightP_art said:
"But please take a moment to think - if LEGO makes knights like Ninjago (eg Fantasy Castle), would you get angry?"
No, because it's pure fiction.. Lego doesn't have to be realistic, historical correct or anything like that. A cool mythological figure paired with "modern" technology, looks fun to me.

@Fauch said:
"It looks like a mix of various Lego themes to me, and not just Ninjago. I'm not even sure it looks more like Ninjago than Nexo Knights for example."

I think it looks fairly original and different from both of those. Obviously, they both have mechs and such, but given the size, level of detail, and unique designs I'd say they're closest to the Ninjago Movie line.

@TheRightP_art said:
"Firstly I’m Chinese and I HATE these sets...
I will not buy a single one of these sets and I recommend you not to either...
And if you’re wondering why I am fine with LEGO’s abomination of Ninjas, ...
But please take a moment to think - if LEGO makes knights like Ninjago (eg Fantasy Castle), would you get angry?"
Oh my God,so many wrong things in one post... I guess ppl from Hong Kong hate everything China mainland,and that is fine (I get the point,living in similar circumstances... Just not the same GDP :) ), but to call for a boycott,come on,what gives you the right? Yeah, you are ok with Ninjago because you are a SJW, not to use some other term, and not considering Nexo as a theme of technology knights, just proves that point

I was interested in the line from hearing about it but lost all interest when I saw the sets. I find the vehicles uninteresting.

Not really a big deal with modern Lego as there are so many lines of sets.

@TheRightP_art this is just a purchasable product, not a manifesto. If you do or don't like it that's completely fine, but understand in the end LEGO is a business and you can vote with your wallet. I don't particularly like this theme because it's not my thing, so I'm not going to buy it. No need for an over-the-top statement.

Meh. I found a picture showing 8 sets in the range 80006 to 80013, as usual for such themes it's way too many dumb "big wheel" vehicles and not enough (ie, none) high-quality buildings and locations. The only car that looks any good is a white food truck, but at 10-12 studs width it's way too big to fit in a town. Also it suffers from the same issue as Overwatch and many other recent themes, the box art has too elaborate (city scene) backgrounds to make the sets seem more extensive than they are. Ironically I found a clone brand set which looked much better, a lava temple with trans-orange mine tracks underneath it and some brick-built animals.

It has been the same with Ninjago, I think it's WAY too vehicle-focused for the subject matter. Of course, over time we've gotten a fair number of good buildings too, but I think that's more due to the sheer longevity (and number of sets) of the theme, proportionally it still has too many big-wheel cars, ridiculously oversized motorbikes and jet fighters (which doesn't seem to count as "war toys" if the colors are garish enough). I understand vehicles delivers high play value at a reasonable price, but I still thinks Lego focuses too much on them in their fantasy/adventure/quasi-historical themes.

@TheRightP_art said:
"LEGO is producing Monkey Kid sets based on “Journey to the West” (I tried typing the Chinese characters but they aren’t compatible with Brickset). Way to pander to the Chinese markets! They must be loving that commie dollar. Just disgusting, insulting, stereotypical and “shove down your [Chinese] throat” consumerism."

I am so tired of seeing people shouting that a company is "pandering to the Chinese market" anytime they release anything that is remotely related to China or Chinese culture. Every piece of media or product can be argued to be "pandering" to a group of people if they are featured. So what's the problem here?

@TheRightP_art said:
"While normally I highly praise LEGO for its ethics and morals, here I have to condemn them. I will not buy a single one of these sets and I recommend you not to either. Btw, I wonder how popular these will actually be in the mainland (target audience). I actually haven’t met a single mainland Chinese who is obsessed with “Journey to the West”. Many just brush it off as “something that an old dude wrote that we have to begrudging learn in Grade 1”.

I don't know who are these mainland Chinese you know but I know plenty of Chinese, whether they are from mainland, Taiwan or overseas and some even Koreans and Vietnamese who are very familiar with and love Journey to the West, myself included.

You still haven't given a good reason why we shouldn't buy these sets.

@TheRightP_art said:
"If LEGO was actually trying to pay homage to, and popularise, “Journey to the West” (a story set in a rural world devoid of technology), they wouldn’t release sets that look like Tron infused with Ninjago. My only guess as to why the theme is so technology-heavy is as a vain attempt by LEGO seniors to make the theme more accessible (and marketable) to Western audiences."

Who ever said LEGO was trying to pay homage to Journey to the West? Anytime LEGO makes a theme it doesn't mean they are paying homage to it. They just thought they can make some money from the theme.

As to how the sets are designed, that's just what sells right now. A Journey to the West theme based in the past won't sell well right now for the same reason why we no longer have Knights or Pirate themes. Kids today aren't that much into the past and it's all about futuristic gadgets and technology.

@TheRightP_art said:
"And if you’re wondering why I am fine with LEGO’s abomination of Ninjas, it’s because they are pretty universal character archetypes like Knights, Wizards etc. Ninjas have greatly increased in worldwide popularity and are no longer tied down by their Japanese roots. Thus, I believe that LEGO can have full creative liberty with Ninjas. If you disagree, sure. But please take a moment to think - if LEGO makes knights like Ninjago (eg Fantasy Castle), would you get angry?"

I still don't understand why you have a problem with LEGO's own creative interpretation of Journey to the West. In fact, from what I have seen so far LEGO's version is so different that we shouldn't even call it Journey to the West. It's at best "inspired" by it.

@Sethro3 said:
"So Ninjago is Japanese? I always felt more Chinese inspiration from those sets for some reason.

I guess that shows my ignorance."

Ninjago isn't completely devoid of Chinese elements. Master Wu's name is Chinese, so is his outfit. Nya in the early seasons wore a Qipao, which is Chinese. In the Ninjago Movie and everything season 8 and later, Lloyd uses a Chinese Dao.

I think it's great that kids around the world can play with a themed Lego toy that has elements from outside of Europe and Hollywood. Not saying they are better or worse, just different.

I wish this theme was more ancient fantasy themed in the spirit of the original Journey to the West but it just seems to be a repeat of Ninjago with different characters.

Never ceases to amaze me how people think this and Ninjago are too similar to coexist but Castle and Pirates aren't. Then again, a lot of people seem to be operating from a colonial-era understanding of Asia that treats a much larger and more diverse continent than Europe as a homogenized "Orient".

For what it's worth, these sets give me more of an Agents vibe than a Ninjago one. Not sure why, but it might be several of the vehicles seeming more like larger than life, over the top modern vehicles rather than the more purely fantasy and sci-fi fare Ninjago tends to favor, particularly in the sets themselves. The closest Ninjago has come to this was the Ninjago movie, with its heavier emphasis on Ninjago City and huge mechs. It also reminds me a bit of a few Chinese-inspired cartoons I watched as a kid like Jackie Chan Adventures or Xiaolin Showdown.