What items go into our set database?

Posted by ,

You might wonder what criteria we use to decide which LEGO-related items we include in our set database given that we don't add everything with a LEGO logo on it.

We have a set of rules that we apply to determine if items are eligible and while I've published them here before, we still get requests to add things that are out of scope, so I thought it would be worthwhile doing so again. I'll also add a link to the list in the FAQ and on the About page.

Read the criteria after the break and feel free to ask any questions in the comments.

In scope:

The following list details the items that we include in the database without question:

  • Brick-based products with 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- or 5- digit numeric set numbers
    Regular retail sets, promotional sets, anything with a set number on the box or bag that contains mostly LEGO bricks. This is LEGO's core product range to which we assign the category 'Normal' and we aim to have a 100% complete list of items in this category

  • Brick-based products with 6- or 7-digit set numbers
    Sometimes referred to as the 'extended product range', e.g. promotional minifigure polybags, items made to be sold exclusively at shop.LEGO.com and in brand stores and so on. We assign these the category 'Extended' and we aim to have a 100% complete list of items in this category.

  • Brick based products packaged in sealed containers that are not assigned a numeric set number by LEGO
    For example, ComicCon exclusives, magazine/comic cover gifts, brand store minifig packs. We categorise these as 'Other' and aim to have a comprehensive list of them.

  • Brick-based products that are not packaged in sealed containers
    For example, in-store builds, promotional sets in zip-lock bags sold at LEGOLAND and so on. We also categorise these as 'Other' and add them on request and when sent a usable image from the instructions.

  • Products that contain bricks that are produced under license
    Other than books, there aren't too many of these, but the Muji sets come to mind. We categorise these as 'Other' and add them when we are informed of them.

  • Non-building products that are sold at shop.LEGO.com
    Including key-chains, magnets, plush, role-play toys, bags, watches etc. We categorise them as 'Gear'. We do not put any priority on maintaining a complete list of such items; they are added only when they appear in LEGO's affiliate product feed.

  • Reference books published in-house and under license that are of interest to AFOLs
    Primarily those published by Dorling Kindersley.

  • Unofficial books about LEGO that are of interest to AFOLs
    For example, those published by No Starch Press and books authored by AFOLs

  • Magazines aimed at adults
    Blocks, Brick Fanatics, Brick Journal etc.

  • BrickLink AFOL Designer programme sets
    By popular demand, and because they are officially sanctioned by LEGO, they are included.

Out of scope:

These items will not normally be included in the database:

  • Non-brick based products that are not sold at shop.LEGO.com
    Because they are of limited interest, there are so many, and there is no way to maintain comprehensive lists, we do not include items manufactured under license that have a LEGO logo on them unless they appear in LEGO's affiliate product feed.

  • Games produced under license, regardless of whether they contain bricks or not
    Such as the RoseArt games from the 1990s.

  • Unofficial LEGO brick-based products that do not have a LEGO logo on the packaging
    Kits produced by LEGO Certified Professionals, custom kits etc.

  • Children's story, activity and comic books, whether published under license or not, and whether they contain bricks and/or minifigs or not
    e.g. Scholastic story books and DK sticker books.

  • Books published in languages other than English

  • Compilation books/digests
    e.g. those published by DK that merely republish content that has appeared in earlier books,

  • Clone brands
    Obviously!

However, there will be exceptions when we choose to add items that would otherwise be out of scope. For example, interesting items sold in brand stores but not online, e.g. LEGO House exclusive key chains.

101 likes

36 comments on this article

Gravatar
By in United States,

Thanks for the clarification, in my case I have not yet seen these guidelines laid out (joined two years ago or so) and it's nice to see the organization process.

Gravatar
By in United Kingdom,

It is odd to me that Brickset won’t feature items with the Lego logo on them/non-brick based products, but then feature unofficial AFOL books (which I assume are not licensed by Lego). But, it is what it is and I’m grateful for the database nonetheless!

Gravatar
By in United States,

What about Lego's historical products from the 1940s and earlier? They probably have some sort of identification number too. Would be interesting to learn more about those.

Gravatar
By in Germany,

An interesting read. As a follow up I would be interested in how minifigures, or, more precisely, minidolls are counted? Many of the Friends line minidolls have multiple entries differentiated only by the accessorie they have pinned in their hair. I find that immensely frustrating - may I at least know why that is as it is?

Gravatar
By in United Kingdom,

It's nice to finally see the guidelines laid out, as it's a question I've wondered about before. It came to my mind recently because LEGO sent out exclusive gifts to the beta testers of LEGO World Builder, but they're different from other products since they aren't packaged in a product box, do not contain instructions, and some parts are glued together. I wonder if there are any similar LEGO-sanctioned models, although I'm sure it would be very hard for Brickset to keep track of things like that.

Gravatar
By in Puerto Rico,

Thanks for this short article.

Gravatar
By in New Zealand,

Why not Books published in languages other than English?

Gravatar
By in United States,

There's also the catalogs and other items listed under "Library" (which I sometimes forget where they are).

Gravatar
By in United States,

I’m sorry but where’s the Lepin section of brickset? I want to categorize my counterfeits...

That I totally don’t have...

Gravatar
By in United States,

@Your_Future_President said:
"I’m sorry but where’s the Lepin section of brickset? I want to categorize my counterfeits...

That I totally don’t have... "

Sorry, you're confused. This is Brickset run by Huw. You're looking for Brixet run by Hugh.

Gravatar
By in United States,

@PDelahanty said:
" @Your_Future_President said:
"I’m sorry but where’s the Lepin section of brickset? I want to categorize my counterfeits...

That I totally don’t have... "

Sorry, you're confused. This is Brickset run by Huw. You're looking for Brixet run by Hugh."

Brixet. Hugh. Hilarious!

Gravatar
By in United States,

@PDelahanty said:
"You're looking for Brixet run by Hugh."

Featuring Average Set of the Day

Gravatar
By in United States,

"Games produced under license, regardless of whether they contain bricks or not"

So then why is 3844-1 in the catalog?"

Gravatar
By in United States,

@crazylegoman said:
""Games produced under license, regardless of whether they contain bricks or not"

So then why is 3844-1 in the catalog?""

Because that's an official LEGO board game made and sold by LEGO?

Gravatar
By in United States,

@crazylegoman said:
""Games produced under license, regardless of whether they contain bricks or not"

So then why is 3844-1 in the catalog?""

I believe most of the games theme from 2009-2013, most of which if not all of included the multi-combination rubber and plastic die element, are in the database because they were a distinct line, rather than related products loosely associated with other themes or licenses. I may be mistaken though, so please don't take this as an absolute.

Gravatar
By in United States,

I’ve only been a member of Brickset for about a year, but I love reading these “behind the scenes of Brickset” articles. Thanks for everything you do, Huw!

Gravatar
By in United States,

Thank you for designing this fantastic database, and all the metadata and ways to organize and retrieve the sets

Gravatar
By in United States,

So I assume mini-builds that were produced by Lego for other companies aren’t included. I say this because I have a Batmobile mini build from the Chicago Auto Show the year the Lego Batman Movie came out that includes a custom printed brick with Lego Batman Movie and Chevy logos on it. I’m not upset it isn’t in the database, in fact I actually like that it isn’t as I own a printed brick that no one else knows about, unless they read this comment.

Gravatar
By in United Kingdom,

@BrickoMotion said:
"An interesting read. As a follow up I would be interested in how minifigures, or, more precisely, minidolls are counted? Many of the Friends line minidolls have multiple entries differentiated only by the accessorie they have pinned in their hair. I find that immensely frustrating - may I at least know why that is as it is?"

We obtain information about minifigures and minidolls etc. from BrickLink so we therefore have no control over how they are numbered and differentiated.

However, as I understand it, everything that attaches to a minifig other than in its hand is used to define the uniqueness of the figure. A forestman with a red cap feather is catalogued separately to one with a green one, for example, so it follows that mini-dolls that are otherwise identical other the colour of their hair bow should be considered unique and numbered separately.

Gravatar
By in United Kingdom,

@crazylegoman said:
""Games produced under license, regardless of whether they contain bricks or not"

So then why is 3844-1 in the catalog?""

As others have said, this series of games, https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Games , was made and sold by LEGO so are in scope.

In the 1990s there were a number made by Rose Art under license that were actually quite good but as they don't have set numbers, were not sold by LEGO, there were multiple language versions, and comprehensive information about them is (or was) sparse, they are not included.

Interestingly, Rose Art is now owned by Mega Brands.

Gravatar
By in United Kingdom,

Alright then, a yellow one :)

Gravatar
By in Germany,

So you will not include the rare and nostalgic 28867 "Technic Space Shuttle with Electric Lights Pin"? It's one of the coolest LEGO gear I own. It has 2 LEDs that blimp!

Gravatar
By in Australia,

What about Lego books by Scholastic, which usually contain official Minifigures? The only one in the database is the one with the Tartan Batman.

Gravatar
By in United Kingdom,

They are mentioned in the article that will one will remain the only one in the database, or may be removed.

Gravatar
By in United States,

Will the products from the LEGO x Levi's collaboration that had the brick patch (i.e., the jeans, hats, and sweatshirts) be added or just 40438?

Gravatar
By in United Kingdom,

^ No:

"Non-brick based products that are not sold at shop.LEGO.com"

Gravatar
By in United States,

@Huw said:
" @crazylegoman said:
""Games produced under license, regardless of whether they contain bricks or not"

So then why is 3844-1 in the catalog?""

As others have said, this series of games, https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Games , was made and sold by LEGO so are in scope.

In the 1990s there were a number made by Rose Art under license that were actually quite good but as they don't have set numbers, were not sold by LEGO, there were multiple language versions, and comprehensive information about them is (or was) sparse, they are not included.

Interestingly, Rose Art is now owned by Mega Brands."

I understand your reasoning, but there are definitely game sets where someone who owns it will likely not have the information to know why it is or is not listed on Brickset. For example, the 3868-1 Phineas and Ferb game looks like it was made by Disney under license, just like the game sets that are not allowed on Brickset. (The Disney logo gets top billing, while the LEGO logo is at the bottom.)

I'm sure you can see how people get confused.

Gravatar
By in United Kingdom,

^ Yes, hence this article!

Gravatar
By in United States,

What about the exclusive minifigs for the Lego Build-a-Minifig stations that (I think?) they started releasing last year?

My guess is that they fall in the fourth category listed: "Brick-based products that are not packaged in sealed containers"

I *love* these minifigs, and they just released some more this month, including an adorable female elf in a pink outfit with an alternate winky face. I feel like these should be extremely popular, but I have had very little luck finding reliable information about them online.

In my opinion, when these exclusive Build-a-Minifigs appear in LEGO Stores, it is as newsworthy as any other new sets or collectible minifigs!

Example: I found the Chocolate Bunny in the database (search for "hol199"), but not the minifig in a Chinese dress sith Year of the Rat designs on her torso.

Link to Chocolate Bunny: https://brickset.com/minifigs/hol199

Is there anything as a user I can do to help out with this?

Gravatar
By in United States,

Maybe this is in response to the submission of Scholastic books that I sent yesterday, or maybe it’s a coincidence, but I don’t see why books that contain _exclusive_ minifigs wouldn’t be included. Brickset is the only site I use to catalog what I own, and I’m always kind of alarmed when I find a minifig book through other means. I’ve bought duplicates of certain titles because I couldn’t record them in my collection here!

Gravatar
By in United Kingdom,

The minifigs themselves will be in the database, assuming they are listed at BrickLink, but not the books.

@BJNemeth, they don't really constitute sets, or indeed whole minifigs given you just buy the loose parts and make them up as you please. The parts themselves may well be listed at BrickLink, though, but they won't appear here.

We did start mentioning the exclusive BaM parts in the news but then a pandemic happened and the shops shut...

Gravatar
By in United States,

@Huw I think the exclusive BaM parts may be moving more toward complete figures (such as the Chocolate Bunny or the Pink Elf) rather than random parts (such as the unique torso print of the Vetruvian Man). Plus, many of the Lego Stores are (unofficially) selling the new minifigs pre-built in three packs, something I first noticed back in February before the pandemic hit.

However, I understand what a gray area this is. I’m hoping Lego takes advantage of these great minifigs they’re quietly releasing thru Build-a-Minifig and starts making them more official.

Thanks again for everything you do to make Brickset such a great resource!

Gravatar
By in Canada,

It's really too bad that Children's story, activity and comic books, whether published under license or not, and whether they contain bricks and/or minifigs or not are not included. There are quite a few out there, released over a number of years, and it would be extremely beneficial if they were included.

Gravatar
By in United Kingdom,

> There are quite a few out there, released over a number of years

That's exactly why they are not included. There are hundreds, and dozens released every year. In multiple languages. And no way to keep track of them all.

But if someone is up for the task of compiling a comprehensive list and maintaining it going forwards I'll be happy to reconsider.

Gravatar
By in Denmark,

Little late, sorry. You didn't answer why the old toys (before the brick system were introduced) are not in the database. They are not mentioned in the article and there are a lot of people who interested in them for their historical significance to LEGO.

It is common knowledge that the founder of LEGO made wooden toys. They are obviously official LEGO products as they were sold under the LEGO brand. They also sold plastic toys before the LEGO brick system

Return to home page »